EdTech Magazine

JUNE 10, 2022

Automatic doors, crosswalks with audible directions, adjustable car seats ­— these are all universally designed products. They make the world accessible to a variety of people and they make everyday life easier for everyone. The Universal Design for Learning framework supports learning for all students.

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Edsurge

MAY 31, 2023

For teachers, this means providing equal access to educational experiences and ensuring that all students have the support and resources they need to succeed academically, socially and emotionally. For Mulcahy, UDL means “making sure that all of the students have an accessible way to learn.”

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Ask a Tech Teacher

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Today, we offer one more: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) What is UDL Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences that can accommodate individual learning differences. UDL at its core is simply good teaching.

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eSchool News

APRIL 10, 2019

As educators, there are many things we can do to make our Google Docs more accessible to our students. We should always be thinking about including universal design for learning (UDL) in all that we do. 4 ways to make your Google Docs more accessible. Related: So you think you understand UDL? Use headings.

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Catlin Tucker

MAY 11, 2021

Like many, this teacher felt intense pressure to teach the standards and wasn’t sure how to embrace Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and blended learning. All of these adjustments can make the information more accessible. The variability among learners demands flexibility in our design and assessment of learning.

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Edsurge

APRIL 30, 2020

Colleges have long had offices designed to support students who have learning disabilities and to encourage broader accessibility in the classroom and beyond. On the latest installment of our monthly online discussion forum, EdSurge Live , we explored accessibility in this unusual era of emergency remote teaching.

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eSchool News

DECEMBER 16, 2015

New report highlights 10-step plan to applying Universal Design for Learning online. The recent report , written by three professors at Montana State University, aims to help educators involved in online learning implement UDL for teaching both general and diverse populations, including students with disabilities.

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Edsurge

JANUARY 13, 2025

Centering instruction in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and implementing both direct and student-driven instruction can help engage learners, address diverse needs and improve learning outcomes for all students. Universal Design for Learning provides a framework for designing inclusive learning environments.

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Universal Design Feedback Learning Beliefs 145

Edsurge

JULY 19, 2024

So he felt frustrated, isolated: “I am stranded on this desert island because that site doesn't work [with my screen reader],” Jacob later told a researcher , also adding, “You can't just re-change your whole teaching plan, especially when you've distributed it.” Department of Justice published its final rule for web and mobile accessibility.

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eSchool News

AUGUST 26, 2024

It also explores current teaching practices and frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), offering actionable tips to help schools support neurodiverse students and prioritize inclusive strategies and practices. Include neurodiversity in curriculum materials at an early age.

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Catlin Tucker

MARCH 28, 2023

Through our online series, we explored the power of universally designed blended learning models to achieve deeper learning outcomes. How do teachers ensure that instruction and facilitation of learning are accessible, inclusive, and equitable? This includes higher-order thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning.

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Edsurge

JUNE 12, 2020

It has disabled our education system, creating challenges to educational access, barriers to student academic progress and strains on teachers’ and students’ physical and emotional well-being. Simultaneously, educators needed to identify what content students needed, how to organize it and how to help students access it.

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eSchool News

APRIL 22, 2024

Designing for Inclusion, Designing for All: A mindset shift and practical approaches to further your journey toward inclusive design in EdTech , illustrates how inclusive design practices can improve any edtech solution by providing educational experiences that are more flexible, customizable, and meaningful for all students.

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Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 14, 2020

Others are teaching entirely online. And a growing number of teachers who began the year online are now shifting to the concurrent classroom where they are juggling the demands of teaching students both in class and online simultaneously. I’d suggest providing a mix of online and offline options.

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Learning Assignments Universal Design Feedback 546

Edsurge

APRIL 2, 2020

With the rapid spread of COVID-19, educators across the country and around the world have been tasked with shifting to emergency remote teaching—a move from in-person to remote classes made necessary by pressing circumstances. With this rapid push to remote teaching, educators may be jumping into the use of digital technologies too fast.

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eSchool News

AUGUST 29, 2024

But how does the concept of Universal Design Learning (UDL) fit into all this? Each type should offer UDL principles to create inclusive and accessible educational experiences. Why is it so important now, and how can e-learning fulfill its requirements within the UDL framework? Let’s unravel these questions.

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Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 5, 2021

These models are flexible and able to transcend any single teaching and learning landscape. I ask them to brainstorm and discuss with colleagues the benefits and challenges of teaching using the whole group, teacher-led, teacher-paced model. Below are the benefits and challenges of teaching in a whole group lesson.

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Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 10, 2021

Instead, students have a repository of on-demand videos they can access any time from anywhere. You can access those thinking routines in these two blog posts: Support Powerful Thinking Routines Part 1 and Part 2. Teachers do not lose precious class time repeating instruction, models, and directions.

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Ask a Tech Teacher

MARCH 30, 2022

Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Christian Miraglia, wrote an interesting article on changes in teaching since the pandemic. I think you’ll find a lot to relate to: Has Teaching Changed Since the Pandemic? Technology is providing access and engaging students. Her struggles were similar to the teachers previously mentioned.

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eSchool News

NOVEMBER 1, 2018

I thought I had a pretty good handle on universal design for learning (UDL), but after chatting with Katie Novak , Ed.D., Although this allowed students to access knowledge, they weren’t empowered to become learners and make choices for themselves. Our job is to teach them as they come. Novak, author of UDL Now!

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Disabilities Universal Design Essay Beliefs 280

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 21, 2021

lecture, discussion, written responses), there are myriad barriers that may make it hard for students to access information and share their learning effectively. Taking time to identify barriers in our design work is critical. Yet, when we think about many of the instructional strategies we have used for years (e.g.,

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Blended Learning Learning Lecturing Motivation 518

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

” I remember questioning how effective those sessions would be at improving teaching and learning. The piece of the design puzzle missing for me is how educators can use these AI tools to architect student-centered learning experiences that better meet the specific needs of learners. So, let’s consider an analogy.

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eSchool News

JANUARY 12, 2024

Educators with a mind towards equity typically excel at access. According to the CSTA: Inclusive Teaching Pedagogies , “UDL is an instructional planning approach designed to give all students an equal opportunity to learn by removing barriers that prevent students from fully engaging in their classroom communities” (White, 2023).

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Education Evaluation Accessibility Science 307

eSchool News

APRIL 17, 2020

It’s no secret that creating accessible digital and inclusive learning experiences can be a challenge. But the good news is that along with an inclusive mindset, there are simple strategies you can draw from Universal Design for Learning pedagogy, which emphasizes: ? Practice empathy.

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eSchool News

JANUARY 31, 2025

Some schools are even piloting automated and AI-powered technologies to take repetitive and administrative tasks off teachers plates, freeing up invaluable time for them to connect with students and focus on teaching. In 2025, districts will continue to explore ways to cultivate a more positive job experience for teachers.

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Catlin Tucker

MARCH 11, 2024

Such preliminary insights, whether through pre-assessments, diagnostics, or activities aimed at accessing prior knowledge, can illuminate the diverse range of skills, abilities, and needs within a classroom. This inquiry always prompts me to reflect: How many educators gather pre-assessment data before crafting their lesson plans?

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eSchool News

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

While K-12 schools and higher-ed institutions have spent considerable effort adhering to accessibility standards (and should be applauded for that effort), one in four lawsuits in education center around accessibility. Thus, the focus on captioning–a requirement in K-12 and higher education–has intensified.

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Disabilities Learning Styles Lecturing Accessibility 279

Edsurge

MARCH 11, 2020

Every day, a new batch of colleges announces that in-person classes are closed and teaching will shift online to try to halt the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. So EdSurge asked our teaching advice columnist, Bonni Stachowiak, to offer a quick primer. Often the college already pays for access to one of them.

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Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 31, 2020

As I work with Katie Novak on my newest book project, I think the synergy between her expertise on Universal Design for Learning and my work on blended learning provide an exciting new way to think about thriving in flexible learning landscapes. #3 1 Relationships need to be our #1 priority. ” I hear this a lot.

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Learning Blended Learning Assignments Feedback 544

Catlin Tucker

MAY 12, 2025

Principle #2: Use Technology to Support UDL and Cultivate Learner Agency When used with intention, technology can make learning more accessible and more empowering. Instead, we should design learning experiences that allow students to access content in multiple ways (e.g.,

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Technology Learning Coaching Feedback 277

Faculty Focus

FEBRUARY 2, 2023

There is an inherent connection between equity, accessibility, and open educational resources (OER). Equity is the fair and just access to opportunities and resources for all. Accessibility is the quality of an item being easy to obtain, use, understood, and appreciated. Offering an accessible alternative benefits all learners.

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Accessibility Exams Learning Peer Review 98

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 5, 2024

This trend underscores the growing popularity of online education as a means of accessing higher education opportunities. Online education has revolutionized the way individuals access and engage with learning opportunities, providing flexibility and convenience that traditional institutions cannot always offer.

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k12 Digest

MAY 14, 2025

Kim is an IB Educator and has led national teaching and learning projects in New Zealand. Kim holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership, Bachelor’s Degrees in both Education and Social Science, and Diplomas in Teaching and Management, is an Independent Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Consultant, and a Cognitive Coach.

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Edsurge

APRIL 1, 2020

About 14 percent of all public school students receive special education services, and for many of them the switch to remote learning has been difficult on families and the schools that teach them every day. What is Universal Design for Learning? Asynchronous means that it’s offline, so you can access it in your own time.

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eSchool News

MAY 19, 2016

The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for K-12 education specifically endorses Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a set of principles that require teachers and students to shift roles as they collaborate around student-driven learning paths.

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eSchool News

JANUARY 3, 2024

Key points: Digital tools are powering a new era of K-12 learning Still, challenges remain–among them, equity and access Stay up to date on the latest trends about learning in the digital age In today’s digital age, learning has gone through a profound transformation, reshaping traditional educational models.

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Learning Learning Styles Critical Thinking Accessibility 257

Faculty Focus

DECEMBER 5, 2024

This trend underscores the growing popularity of online education as a means of accessing higher education opportunities. Online education has revolutionized the way individuals access and engage with learning opportunities, providing flexibility and convenience that traditional institutions cannot always offer.

Accessibility 98

Accessibility Disabilities Education Culture 98