Universal Design for Learning: Designing Accessible and Inclusive Learning Experiences
Why This Learning Experience?
This instructor-guided professional learning experience is designed to help educators learn on their schedule while still receiving meaningful support. Participants complete practical activities, connect ideas to real classroom practice, and build confidence through application-focused learning.
Learning Experience Overview
Universal Design for Learning: Designing Accessible and Inclusive Learning Experiences prepares educators to design instruction that reduces barriers, supports learner variability, and increases access to meaningful, challenging learning opportunities. Participants examine Universal Design for Learning as a proactive design framework and apply it to lesson planning, assessment, accessibility, classroom routines, digital learning spaces, and inclusive instructional practice.
Throughout the course, participants analyze existing lessons and learning materials, identify potential barriers, and redesign instruction using the principles of Universal Design for Learning. The course emphasizes learner agency, accessibility, flexible assessment, culturally responsive design, neurodiversity, and inclusive classroom systems.
The course culminates in a UDL Redesign Portfolio in which participants revise an existing lesson, unit, or learning experience and provide a research-informed rationale for their instructional design decisions.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
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Explain Universal Design for Learning as a framework for reducing barriers and supporting learner agency.
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Analyze lessons, assessments, instructional materials, and learning environments for barriers to access, participation, and expression.
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Apply UDL principles to the design of lessons, classroom routines, digital learning spaces, and assessments.
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Create accessible instructional materials using basic accessibility and usability principles.
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Design flexible assessment options that maintain rigorous learning expectations while allowing multiple ways for students to demonstrate understanding.
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Develop instructional supports for learner variability, including executive functioning, language, attention, background knowledge, motivation, and self-regulation.
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Integrate inclusive, culturally responsive, and asset-based practices into instructional design.
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Produce a complete UDL Redesign Portfolio that demonstrates application of course concepts to an authentic educational context.
Who Should Participate?
K–12 teachers, instructional coaches, special education teachers, curriculum specialists, online/hybrid educators, school leaders, and other education professionals
