Applying the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines Outside Of Learning
Plain language summary
The Universal Design for Learning Guidelines were made for teachers. By using UDLG, teachers create inclusive learning environments. It is more likely that in these environments, learners are motivated, knowledgeable, and goal-oriented. But even if you aren't a teacher, the UDLG can help you be a better communicator and leader.
Introducing the UDLG
The Universal Design for Learning Guidelines are intended as a framework that instructors can draw on to cultivate an inclusive learning environment in the classroom. The UDLG draw inspiration from the Universal Design Principles, developed by the Disabled architect Ronald Mace.
Mace's Seven Universal Design Principles are the basis for accessibility as we know it today. Departing from the medical model of disability, Mace pioneered a framework that set to build accessibility into the design itself, instead of manufacturing solutions after the structure had been completed. This was revolutionary. Nearly all frameworks for accessible design draw from Mace's principles in some form. Read more about the Universal Design Principles from the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design.
The Universal Design for Learning Guidelines apply the same idea to the realm of instruction and education. Instead of considering ways that people may be accommodated, UDLG imagines ways that instructors can account for different learner profiles from the get-go.
There are a couple of different UDLG-adjacent frameworks that go by different names. The UDLG was developed by the CAST organization and it is currently in its third stable version.
The UDLG and Me
I was introduced to the UDLG when studying for my exam to be a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies.
People studying for the CPACC will occasionally complain that the positioning of the UDLG within the exam is misplaced. The argument is that education is too niche of a field for the CPACC, which is intended to mostly focus on digital and built environments in a more general sense. Few people who become certified will actually go on to refer to the UDLG within their professional work.
Nevertheless, I personally believe that the UDLG has enormous application across a range of settings. I believe that if you communicate, if you work collaboratively, and if you are trying to convey a new idea to someone, the UDLG has something for you.
For me, the UDLG has informed how I approach most interactions I have with another person.
Basic Principles of the UDLG
Though the UDLG is in its third stable version, my exam's based its questions around Version 2.2, and so that's the framework I will introduce.
When You Communicate
Anytime you communicate, whether that be vocally, in writing, synchronously, asynchronously, here are some considerations:
- Perception. Are you relying too much on visual or auditory elements in your communication? Provide options for each. Describe diagrams and visual information out loud. Enable captions on that video that you're showing. If you are communicating via text, ensure you're sending text that can be copy+pasted. Lots of benefits to doing this: a person can copy and paste into a distraction-free reader, into a program that reads it out, or into a program that magnifies it at 600%.
- Language and Symbols. Make sure to clarify words, syntax and symbols. Form sentences clearly! And if there is a bit of confusion somewhere, build in options to clarify. Define terms, or maybe link to a glossary that defines terms. Support your writing with media, and if you're working in a bilingual setting, use that to your advantage by comparing terms across languages.
- Comprehension. Support the learner's ability to understand you by paying a lot of attention to how the information you're sharing is structured. Ensure background knowledge has been provided. If there are patterns in what you're teaching, make them explicit. Highlight key points and curate a knowledge journey for the learner that helps them visualize what you're talking about.
Not only are these principles helpful in instructional settings. Consider the following scenarios:
- You are writing a letter to your landlord, for whom English is a second language. The faucet in the tub has broken and the repairman that was sent made the problem worse, not better. There have been some misunderstandings in the past, and you want to make sure that you are describing the issue in detail as clearly as possible. You structure your email as clearly as possible, using short sentences and no jargon, separating ideas into paragraphs and highlighting key information. Your landlord understands, and promises to hire another repairman and watch him as he fixes it next time.
- Your team is giving a small, quasi-informal presentation reporting on your team's progress to other teams in your department. One of the teams is trying to connect from a location with spotty wifi, and they are reporting that they can see your slides only part of the time. Luckily, you've worked in descriptions of graphics into your script and the presentation goes on without a hitch.
- Your grandmother gives excellent relationship advice, and you come to her with a text thread between your ex and you. Your grandmother isn't familiar with slang terms and her eyesight isn't great, so you read it aloud, rephrasing slang terms as they come along into more understandable expressions.
When You Assign Tasks
Anytime you assign tasks, whether that be as a superior or peer, in a formal or informal setting, here are some considerations:
- Physical Action. Ensure that the materials required for the task are not out of reach physically. Analyze what kinds of physical action are required for the execution of the task, and see if there are ways that the amount of physical effort can possibly be reduced.
- Expression and Communication. Ensure that the worker has options for doing any kind of communication required as part of the task. One variation on this is providing channels for both written and spoken feedback, asynchronous or synchronous communication as needed. Ensure the right tech is there to support the communication needed (perhaps choosing a submission portal that provides native spellchecking). Finally, within the task assignment, provide the flexibility to communicate at various levels of sophistication.
- Executive Functions. Support execution of the task through explicitly directing goal setting. Perhaps assign a rubric, or identify metrics that would signal progress. Additionally, ensure all the task materials are organized in a place where they are accessible.
These may sound a little obtuse when talked about in hypothetical terms. Let's use examples to make their intentions concrete.
- You are assigning a research task to your subordinate. In addition to providing an example of work that is similar to the work you are looking for, you let your subordinate the key performance indicators that you will be assessing the quality of research on. You provide your subordinate with various options for reporting progress: meeting for a quick one on one, reporting via email, or just via Slack message.
- You are a peer taking the lead on a group project. The task is to collect data about owl migration patterns and give a presentation of the findings to the rest of the class. In an online planning session, you rally the group to find a template or two of a similar project that you'd like to emulate and encourage the group to set some goals and performance metrics. You ask about group member's preferences for coworking software and for composition software, collaborating to find a medium that will work for everyone. You take the initiative to create a project folder on the cloud where members can submit their progress.
- You're planning a team-building event at a bowling alley. You scout two locations ahead of time, and recognize that one of the locations has a bit of a steep step between the bowling and lounge areas, where the other location has not only a ramp, but more lounging areas that can accommodate team members who may not want to bowl. You choose the second location.
When You Persuade and Encourage
Anytime you find yourself in the position of persuading someone to take up or continue a task, here are some considerations:
- Recruiting Interest. When inviting someone to engage with you in some way, never override or disrespect a person's autonomy and try to always center their ability to choose. Think ahead to ways in which you can protect a person's autonomy or sense of self from feeling threatened during the engagement. Understand that a person will get the most out of engagement if they can see the value in it for themselves. Build in the flexibility you need to engage your participant's authentic self.
- Sustaining Effort and Persistence. Make it easier for momentum to stay high. Ensure you're setting appropriate challenges, giving feedback, and share your own enthusiasm as energy. Establishing a sense of community in the room makes it easier for folks to persist if they don't feel alone.
- Self Regulation. Don't give air to beliefs that you know will make motivation decrease, always seek to reframe. Provide opportunities for people to engage positively with failure and strategize as a collaborator with them in the face of that failure. Model and encourage self-assessment and reflection.
Here are some situations in which potential moments for application arise:
- You are in that crucial conversation with your boss. You want to ask her to advocate on your behalf for a pay increase. You use what you know to form your request in a way that appeals to her values, and not just the values of the company. You also organize statistics and facts that would make it easier for her to file the request. While you speak firmly on your boundaries, you speak in the spirit of collaboration and talk practically about a solution that will advance both parties.
- Your brother has been unemployed for a while and claims he is searching for work. Through the grapevine, you hear about an open opportunity. While you present the opportunity to your brother in a way that you feel best appeals to your brother's authenticity, and while you make it as easy as possible for your brother to imagine submitting an application, you ultimately defer to your brother when he declines the opportunity to apply, citing unspecified reasons. You feel saddened, but not hurt, knowing you did your best. You know that when your brother knows that you respect his boundaries, the chance of other opportunities happening in the future widens.
Sources for the UDLG
The actual UDLG 2.2 and the graphic organizer is available for download on the CAST website.
Understanding UDLG 2.2 makes it easier to understand UDLG 3.0, which takes longer strides to address power dynamics in diverse learning environments, encouraging more proactive stances against bias and exclusion within the classroom.
Teaching and the UDLG
Besides the non-instructional examples that are listed above, nearly everyone finds themself in an instructional role at some point.
When applying the UDLG in actual teaching scenarios, consider also learning a little bit of instructional design theory and education theory. I personally found the Instructional Design learning path on LinkedIn Learning helped me envision more ways to work the UDLG into established teaching techniques.