Universal Design for Learning (UDL), is also called universal Curriculum Design for Learning by some researchers, Is a way of designing courses that all students can participate. But it is not a new concept. It has a history of more than twenty years. It was first introduced in 1984 by the Center for Applied Special Technology, Inc. (CAST), an educational research organization. The aim is to expand learning opportunities for all students. The concept of universal design was originally an architectural concept, referring to the design of environments for optimal accessibility and productivity. For example, Mace put forward that universal design is the design of products and the environment. Which can be used by all people, has the greatest possibility, and no longer needs adaptation or specialization. Later, it expanded to learner-centred classrooms. Orkwis and Mclane argue that UDL is an accessible means by which educators can implement all the special educational requirements of the Education for Persons with Disabilities Act and the Education for Persons with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and maintain effectiveness.
In our daily life, which is not difficult to find, such as logo and information of some subways or public places, all have traces of universal design. Universal design is very important for first-time visitors who are not familiar with the region. In the subway or station, there is a guide design designed on the wall or ground. There are many colours on it to distinguish complex paths. For visually impaired friends, there are braille facilities on the handrails of the stairs in the public space, so that, visually impaired people can know their location and landmark facilities.
These universal designs also can be used in our learning design. According to the differences of different students’ perceptual information, students can be provided with a variety of information presentation ways that vary from person to person, including auditory information, visual information, icons and symbols. For example,The professor teaches the students about chopsticks. In order to let students with slow acceptance and disabilities adapt to the classroom, the professor can present a concept in the form of videos, charts and words to meet the learning needs of different students.
Comment
I agree with this blog post. During the pandemic, we went from face-to-face to online classes and communication. Inclusive learning plays an important role in the integration of new and traditional modes. At the same time, learning design should not only focus on ordinary people but also on special groups. And, you have also made good suggestions on our blueprint and suggested many ways and means. Examples include reading articles and videos, offline tutoring for special populations, and text-to-speech methods.
spadger
Hi Ruobingbai, I think you did well in summarizing and highlighting some important general information at the same time also combined with some practical examples. But I think you could have expressed more about how this approach fits into our blueprint and can be effectively applied to the interactive learning resources. Regardless, this is a good note for our team.