Learning and Universal Design - Teaching Vanguard

Universally Designed Blended Learning

Catlin Tucker

MAY 3, 2021

So, how do we design and facilitate learning experiences to remove barriers and allow all students to succeed? How can we leverage technology to provide meaningful choices within a learning experience and create the time and space needed to work with individual students or small groups of learners?

Universal Design

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Motivation

Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning: Engagement

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that is based on a scientific understanding of how people learn. The goal of UDL is to design “barrier-free, instructionally rich learning environments and lessons that provide access to all students” (Nelson, 2). Engagement. Self-Regulation.

Universal Design

Universal Design Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning

Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning: Representation

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

In my last blog, I focused on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principle of engagement. I highlighted how blended learning can help educators more effectively provide multiple means of engagement to increase student motivation and ensure all students can successfully engage with learning experiences.

Universal Design

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Feedback

Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning: Action and Expression

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

In my last blog, I focused on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principle of representation. I described how blended and online learning can help educators provide opportunities for students to perceived and engage with information presented in multiple modalities. Action and Expression. Physical Action.

Universal Design

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Textbooks

Embrace Flexibility with Universally Designed Blended Learning

Catlin Tucker

JULY 8, 2021

Universally designing blended learning presents educators with the opportunity to transition from designing a single experience that is teacher-paced and teacher-led to a more flexible experience that gives the students more control over the pace and path. 3 Choose Your Learning Path Adventure.

Universal Design

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Feedback

Friday 5: Universal Design for Learning

eSchool News

APRIL 19, 2024

Let’s take a look at how Universal Design for Learning can benefit students: What best describes Universal Design for Learning? The UDL framework can help teachers shape inclusive learning environments and can support K-12 leaders in implementing new programs. Learn more about UDL in action.

Universal Design

Universal Design Learning Feedback Communication

Prepare For Fall: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Blended Learning Self-paced Online Course

Catlin Tucker

JULY 30, 2021

Katie Novak and I wrote UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes to support teachers in developing a mindset, skill set, and toolset nimble enough to traverse any teaching and learning landscape with confidence. It will take time and a willingness to pursue our own learning.

Universal Design

Universal Design Blended Learning Authentic Assessment Learning

5 steps to universally-designed instruction

eSchool News

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

White paper addresses instructional design process to make learning rigorous, accessible for all learners. Goalbook has published a white paper, Different Paths Up the Same Mountain, which outlines a 5-step instructional design process for educators to apply in the classroom. Select a key learning standard.

Universal Design

Universal Design English Language Languages

What Is Universal Design for Learning in Today’s Education Environment?

EdTech Magazine

JUNE 10, 2022

Automatic doors, crosswalks with audible directions, adjustable car seats — these are all universally designed products. In education, students should have access to learning that meets their needs and makes their lives easier in the same way. The Universal Design for Learning framework supports learning for all students.

Universal Design

Universal Design Disabilities Education Learning

Universal Design for Learning: What is it? Why use?

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. It is based on the idea that no one-size-fits-all.

Universal Design

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UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes (has arrived!)

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 3, 2021

Today is the official launch of my newest book UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes ! Explore how you can universally design blended learning to remove barriers, provide firm goals with flexible pathways, and cultivate expert learners who are motivated, resourceful, and strategic!

Blended Learning

Blended Learning Universal Design Learning Motivation

Removing Barriers with UDL and Blended Learning

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. Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggens point out in Understanding by Design that understanding is not simply acquiring information or facts. This is not unusual.

Blended Learning

Blended Learning Learning Universal Design Disabilities

When Universal Design Promotes Inclusion of All Students

Edsurge

MAY 31, 2023

The goal of inclusive education is to ensure that every student, regardless of their background or abilities, has an equal opportunity to learn and succeed. UDL provides a framework for designing and delivering lessons that address the diverse needs of all learners, including those with disabilities and other learning challenges.

Universal Design

Universal Design Disabilities Mobile Devices Students

Designing For Deeper Learning: Identifying Challenges and Prototyping Solutions

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 28, 2023

What barriers make designing for deeper learning in schools challenging? In today’s rapidly changing educational landscape, educators face numerous challenges when designing instruction that promotes deeper learning for all students. This includes higher-order thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning.

Blended Learning

Blended Learning Universal Design Learning Motivation

Design a Choose Your Own Adventure Learning Experience

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 14, 2020

Teachers are designing learning experiences for a range of learning landscapes. If teachers design a “choose your own adventure” learning experience, students can enjoy some voice and choice in the experience and control the pace at which they process information and complete tasks.

Learning

Learning Assignments Universal Design Feedback

Farewell, 2020: Lessons Learned

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 31, 2020

Yet, it seemed wrong to pretend the year didn’t happen or that I learned nothing from it. When it comes to connecting with your colleagues, I’ve seen teams of teachers commit to a book study as a way to connect and learn. 2 Providing a one-size-fits-all experience doesn’t work in any learning landscape.

Learning

Learning Blended Learning Assignments Feedback

Supporting All Learners: Building an Inclusive Classroom With Universal Design for Learning

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.

Universal Design

Universal Design Feedback Learning Beliefs

UDL and Blended Learning: Removing Barriers with Design

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 21, 2021

I like to compare the teacher’s work designing learning experiences to the work of an architect. In my new book with Dr. Katie Novak, UDL and Blended Learning , I share a story about working with an architect to design a new home after my family lost our house in the Tubbs Fire in 2017. 1 Get To Know Your Students.

Blended Learning

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Fine-tuning learning spaces for neurodiverse students

eSchool News

AUGUST 26, 2024

As schools seek to ensure all students learn to their fullest potential, a new guide explores ideas and strategies for creating inclusive learning spaces. While there are neurodiverse students in every school in the country, many learning environments are not designed to address their unique gifts and needs.

Learning Spaces

Learning Spaces Universal Design Learning Students

Combatting the Challenges of Whole Group Lessons with Blended Learning

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 5, 2021

When I work with teachers shifting to blended learning, I strive to establish the WHY driving our work together. I want teachers to understand the purpose and value of the shift to blended learning. Blended learning is not a reaction to a moment. Blended Learning: Combat The Challenges of the Whole Group Lesson.

Blended Learning

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Prioritizing inclusivity in game-based learning

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.

Game-Based Learning

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Leveraging collaborative e-learning to support UDL

eSchool News

AUGUST 29, 2024

One significant development is collaborative e-learning, which integrates social interactions among peers and teachers. From podcasts, YouTube captions, personalized learning dashboards, and social annotation, teachers now have a variety of e-learning methods at their disposal. What types of e-learning are there?

Learning

Learning Universal Design Syllabus Quizzes

Utilizing Adult Learning Principles and Universal Design for Learning to Advance Student Success

Faculty Focus

MARCH 5, 2023

Andragogy, or the study of adult learning, can provide insights on how to teach adult learners more effectively. Malcolm Knowles (1984) identified six principles of adult learning that can create more engaging learning experiences to meet individual student needs and foster a higher likelihood of academic success.

Universal Design

Universal Design Learning Motivation Authentic Assessment

Shift to Leveraging Formative Assessment for Metacognition

Catlin Tucker

MAY 20, 2023

Formative assessments are ongoing assessments embedded throughout the learning process. Making formative assessment data accessible to students is essential to foster a learning environment that prioritizes autonomy, self-regulation, and reflection. To learn more about this shift, check out our new book, The Shift to Student-led.

Metacognitive Skills

Metacognitive Skills Universal Design Blended Learning Evaluation

How to create inclusive learning environments with UDL

eSchool News

JULY 28, 2022

What are inclusive learning environments, anyway? To create inclusive learning environments, educators can leverage the principles of Universal Design for Learning ( UDL ). What is Universal Design for Learning? Putting a definition on this complex concept is deceptively tricky.

Universal Design

Universal Design Essay Textbooks Learning

4 Steps to Implement Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom

EdTech Magazine

OCTOBER 26, 2017

By Amanda Murphy UDL provides multiple paths to student success.

Universal Design

Universal Design Learning Curriculum Students

How UDL can get you to personalized learning

eSchool News

MAY 18, 2015

UDL theory can help embed a personalized approach to the instructional design process. Personalized learning. There’s nothing new about personalized learning, either as an aspiration or a practice. At the same time, new technologies have revolutionized how we learn. The term is everywhere these days. And it’s tantalizing.

Learning

Learning Universal Design Technology Teaching

Utilizing Adult Learning Principles and Universal Design for Learning to Advance Student Success

Faculty Focus

MARCH 5, 2023

Andragogy, or the study of adult learning, can provide insights on how to teach adult learners more effectively. Malcolm Knowles (1984) identified six principles of adult learning that can create more engaging learning experiences to meet individual student needs and foster a higher likelihood of academic success.

Universal Design

Universal Design Learning Motivation Authentic Assessment

How one district built a better blended learning program

eSchool News

OCTOBER 27, 2016

Blended learning is rapidly becoming a core part of schools’ educational approach, partly because the model suits so many educational needs–credit recovery, dual enrollment, and access to advanced courses not always offered in brick-and-mortar schools. Next page: How the district implemented a model for online instruction.

Blended Learning

Blended Learning Universal Design Learning Accessibility

3 Principles for Using Technology in the Classroom to Personalize and Improve Learning

Catlin Tucker

MAY 12, 2025

I hear comments like these in almost every professional learning session involving technology. Theyre frustrated with the way its being used, especially when it fails to create meaningful or engaging learning. Thats why its essential to integrate technology into learning in ways that are transformative rather than distracting.

Technology

Technology Learning Coaching Feedback

Choice Boards: Benefits, Design Tips & Differentiation

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 16, 2021

Student agency, or a students’ ability to make key decisions about their learning experience, is an essential aspect of blended learning. Student agency requires that we design our lessons to offer students meaningful choices. Designing Choice Boards. Standards-aligned Choice Boards.

Blended Learning

Blended Learning Feedback Activities Universal Design

Shifting from Time-consuming Teacher-led Workflows to Sustainable Student-led Workflows

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 10, 2022

Katie Novak to write a follow-up to our book UDL and Blended Learning. In our second book, UDL and Blended Learning 2: Shifting to Sustainable Student-led Workflows (coming out in spring 2022), we tackle 10 unsustainable teacher-led workflows. Want to learn more about blended learning and UDL?

Blended Learning

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Teachers Feedback

5 Strategies to Engage Learners Around Flipped Instruction

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 10, 2021

They relied on videos out of necessity to explain concepts and model strategies while students learned from home. That way, they can use their synchronous time for more engaging and differentiated learning experiences. Instead, they can spend more time facilitating learning and working directly with small groups of students.

Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple Choice Questions Blended Learning Discussions Art

So you think you understand UDL?

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., When students come to us differently, and they face barriers to learning, it’s our curriculum that’s disabled, not our students. I realize I didn’t understand the framework at all.

Disabilities

Disabilities Universal Design Essay Beliefs

FAQ: The Playlist Model

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 28, 2023

In my Art of Blended Learning Online Course this week, we continued our work on the playlist model. The number of learning activities and complexity of the playlist will also affect the time needed to complete it. I began our synchronous session by addressing frequently asked questions about this model. the online station).

Blended Learning

Blended Learning Feedback Universal Design Art

Standard-aligned Rubrics: Assessing Progress Toward Firm Goals While Allowing for Flexible Means

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

In our book UDL and Blended Learning , Dr. Katie Novak and I encourage teachers to work toward firm, often standards-aligned, goals. As we design learning experiences, one way to provide students with flexible means is to give students agency. What decisions will students get to make in the learning experience?

Blended Learning

Blended Learning Essay Feedback Writing

Shift to Providing Feedback as Students Work

Catlin Tucker

JULY 2, 2023

Feedback also Provides clarity on learning goals and expectations. Encourages engagement and active participation in the learning process. Despite the myriad benefits of focused, timely, and actionable feedback on learning, it is often neglected due to time constraints. Supports skill development and mastery of concepts.

Feedback

Feedback Metacognitive Skills Blended Learning Beliefs

New guide offers tips to use UDL for personalized learning

eSchool News

MAY 19, 2016

New guide explains benefits of UDL as a framework for creating learning-driven environments and how districts can put theory into practice. It’s a significant departure from the traditional classroom approach, and transforming a learning environment doesn’t happen overnight.

Universal Design

Universal Design Learning Discussions Curriculum

Steps Toward Creating a More Accessible and Inclusive College Classroom

Faculty Focus

MAY 18, 2025

Creating a classroom in the service of social justice (The Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, 2008) requires a profound understanding of the impact of human diversity on teaching and learning (Cushner et al., Implement a universally designed framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people.

Accessibility

Accessibility Disabilities Learning Disabilities Special Education

How a collaborative mindset helps teachers reach all learners

eSchool News

MAY 4, 2015

General education teachers have had to learn and apply new instructional strategies to address the new standards and the vision that the standards embody, particularly universal design for learning.

Teachers

Teachers Special Education Learning Disabilities Disabilities

Learning in the Digital Age

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.

Learning

Learning Learning Styles Critical Thinking Accessibility

5 strategies to improve the learning experience for K12 students

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

instructional design) and embrace the importance of the learner’s experience (i.e., learner experience design). The learner’s experience can transform teaching and learning. Of course, learning experiences don’t start and stop with a student’s interaction with content. Using tech to improve the learning experience.

Learning

Learning Students Curriculum Science

5 ways to stay connected when going remote

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.

Universal Design

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How shifting to a UDL mindset enhances Common Core

eSchool News

APRIL 19, 2016

General education teachers have had to learn and apply new instructional strategies to address the new standards and the vision that the standards embody, particularly universal design for learning. It’s no longer about your kids or my kids. Next page: How PD changes encourage collaboration.

Universal Design

Universal Design Special Education Learning Disabilities Disabilities

Universally Designed Blended Learning

Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning: Engagement

Trending Sources

Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning: Representation

Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning: Action and Expression

Embrace Flexibility with Universally Designed Blended Learning

Friday 5: Universal Design for Learning

Prepare For Fall: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Blended Learning Self-paced Online Course

5 steps to universally-designed instruction

What Is Universal Design for Learning in Today’s Education Environment?

Universal Design for Learning: What is it? Why use?

UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes (has arrived!)

Removing Barriers with UDL and Blended Learning

When Universal Design Promotes Inclusion of All Students

Designing For Deeper Learning: Identifying Challenges and Prototyping Solutions

Design a Choose Your Own Adventure Learning Experience

Farewell, 2020: Lessons Learned

Supporting All Learners: Building an Inclusive Classroom With Universal Design for Learning

UDL and Blended Learning: Removing Barriers with Design

Fine-tuning learning spaces for neurodiverse students

Combatting the Challenges of Whole Group Lessons with Blended Learning

Prioritizing inclusivity in game-based learning

Leveraging collaborative e-learning to support UDL

Utilizing Adult Learning Principles and Universal Design for Learning to Advance Student Success

Shift to Leveraging Formative Assessment for Metacognition

How to create inclusive learning environments with UDL

4 Steps to Implement Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom

How UDL can get you to personalized learning

Utilizing Adult Learning Principles and Universal Design for Learning to Advance Student Success

How one district built a better blended learning program

3 Principles for Using Technology in the Classroom to Personalize and Improve Learning

Choice Boards: Benefits, Design Tips & Differentiation

Shifting from Time-consuming Teacher-led Workflows to Sustainable Student-led Workflows

5 Strategies to Engage Learners Around Flipped Instruction

So you think you understand UDL?

FAQ: The Playlist Model

Standard-aligned Rubrics: Assessing Progress Toward Firm Goals While Allowing for Flexible Means

Shift to Providing Feedback as Students Work

New guide offers tips to use UDL for personalized learning

Steps Toward Creating a More Accessible and Inclusive College Classroom

How a collaborative mindset helps teachers reach all learners

Learning in the Digital Age

5 strategies to improve the learning experience for K12 students

5 ways to stay connected when going remote

How shifting to a UDL mindset enhances Common Core

Stay Connected