Universal Design for Learning as it relates to technology

   How do humans learn best? This is the question that the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) attempts to address. This framework supports the ultimate goal of developing expert learners who are purposeful, motivated, resourceful, knowledgeable, strategic, and goal-directed (CAST 2018).

    In today's virtually connected world, teachers need to be aware of the suggested means of engagement, representation, action and expression that the UDL brings to the conversation. Teachers are crunched for time and resources as never before, as the worldwide pandemic has introduced synchronous and asynchronous learning situations to classrooms across the world. Educators are also seeing increasing numbers of students with learning challenges, who need specially designed instructional supports and modifications in order to be successful in the classroom. Virtual teaching has increased the challenge to educators of providing meaningful and effective supports to those students needing instructional assistance. 

     Some online platforms have existed for decades, while others have been developed in response to the boom in online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic. How are educators, parents, and administrators to judge the effectiveness and suitability of online learning platforms? While many are available, only a few are worthy of students’ valuable time. One tool for judging the efficacy of a platform is the Universal Design for Learning. Since students come to the classroom with a vast array of possible learning disabilities, the tool used to evaluate a platform must be broad. The UDL is a framework that can be employed to determine accessibility for online learners with special needs.

  In a study conducted in 2014 by Sean J. Smith and Evelyn E. Harvey, the Khan Academy online learning platform was placed under analysis using the Universal Design for Learning. The study covered the subjects of Math, Science, and World History at the high school level, and it applied the criteria found in the Universal Design for Learning Scan Tool to the lessons. The findings were clear: the Khan Academy lessons did not align well with the framework offered by the Universal Design for Learning, particularly when students with learning challenges were taken into consideration. 

     Some of the recommendations given by the UDL include an opportunity for students to pace themselves through the lesson, and to engage on a higher level. The UDL Scan Tool found that the Khan Academy, despite its popularity, does not offer the best online learning experience to students with academic challenges in need of modification of content. The term that the study authors used in describing the Khan Academy in terms of embedded supports was “limited’. The take-away lesson for educators is simply this: use an independent evaluation tool, such as UDL Scan Tool, to investigate an online learning platform before investing time, resources, and money into the platform. 

    For the lesson I am developing,my goal is to incorporate two strategies from the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines. The two goals that I feel will best support my lesson are to “heighten the salience of goals and objectives”, and this will be accomplished by “fostering collaboration and communication”. The use of collaboration in Google docs with a partner will foster collaboration, and will increase communication as student pairs work toward a mutual goal. 

References: CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Smith, S. J., & Harvey, E. E. (2014). K-12 online lesson alignment to the principles of Universal Design for Learning: the Khan Academy. Open Learning, 29(3), 222-242.

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