If you peruse the College’s Event Calendar, you may notice some faculty-specific workshops, including ones on the topic of UDL. But what is UDL?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching and learning that ensures all our students can participate, feel included, and be appropriately challenged. The main goal of UDL is to equip students so they can take charge of their own learning and make choices that help them reach their goals.
The purpose behind UDL is to empower students so they are:
- Purposeful – they believe in their ability to succeed and choose actions that feel meaningful to them and their community
- Reflective – they understand their own motivations and learning habits, and they make changes when something isn’t working
- Resourceful – they know how to use their strengths, background, culture, and available tools to help them learn.
- Authentic – they learn in ways that feel real and connect deeply with what they’re learning.
- Strategic – they set goals, make plans, and track their progress with intention
- Action-oriented – they take initiative and work both independently and with others to achieve their learning goals.
Creating learning environments using UDL principles broadens options for learner engagement and removes barriers to learning. It encourages flexible and inclusive environments where all students can participate fully and where every voice is valued.
From a teaching perspective, UDL approaches encourage faculty to:
- Review their courses for how their instructional practices and course materials engage students through multiple means of engagement, action & expression, and representation.
- Continually review how they share power and make decisions with students.
- Create opportunities for students to explore, question, and make sense of what they are learning.
- Recognize that culture, identity, and bias can affect the confidence students feel in directing their own learning.
By incorporating UDL principles into courses, programs, and campus culture, post-secondary institutions signal commitment to inclusion and academic excellence. College of the Rockies is dedicated to providing an academic environment designed for a diverse student body, not just the perceived average, so we can better support diverse learners, strengthen engagement, and enhance the overall quality of learning experiences.