# data[].attributes.headline
Intentional Teaching Podcast: Thomas Tobin

# data[].attributes.subject
Intentional Teaching Podcast: Thomas Tobin

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Universal Design for Learning at Scale with Thomas J. Tobin - Intentional Teaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for improving learning for all learners based on the science of how humans learn. It involves providing learners with multiple means of engagement, representation, action, and expression. We’ve me…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
CAST is a multifaceted organization with a singular ambition: Bust the barriers to learning that millions of people experience every day. We do this by helping educators and organizations apply insights from the learning sciences and leading-edge practices to educational design and implementation.

Learn about our mission and values

UDL-Con: International

This year, for the first time, CAST's Annual Symposium and the UDL-IRN Summit are joining forces to create the world's largest International UDL Convention.

Learn More

Upcoming Learning Events

Search all learning events

PreK-12: Instructor-Led Course

In this introductory online course for preK-12 educators, participants learn the research basis for UDL, practical applications of UDL to lesson design, and helpful technology tools that support flexible, inclusive instruction.

Monday, September 11 - Monday, December 11, 2023

PreK-12: Instructor-Led Course

In this introductory online course for preK-12 educators, participants learn the research basis for UDL, practical applications of UDL to lesson design, and helpful technology tools that support flexible, inclusive instruction.

Monday, February 5 - Monday, May 13, 2024

Postsecondary: Instructor-Led Course

Designed exclusively for higher education, this course includes strategies to remove barriers to learning for postsecondary students.

Monday, February 5 - Friday, March 29, 2024

Stories From Our Work

Learn more about our impact

News from CAST

Search all news

Visit our Newsroom

Top of Page

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find out more about CAST. We're busting barriers to learning, until learning has no limits®.

# data[].attributes.body
This website shares information about implementing UDL in higher education.

# data[].attributes.body
https://wvupressonline.com/node/757

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Technology Solutions That Drive Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Is Universal Design for Learning?

Accommodations are already made for individual college students in certain situations, like those who need note takers or translators in class. But UDL provides options for accessing, engaging with and understanding material for a much broader range of individuals. CAST based its UDL framework on the specific ways that people learn.

"We use UDL to reach the majority of our learners," says Thomas J. Tobin, a founding member of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "We want to give students choices. We want to give them agency in how they take a path through the learning experiences that they have with us."

Janet Ferone, an education lecturer at Curry College, says that she infuses UDL principles into every aspect of her teaching. Each week, rather than consulting a textbook, students engage with the content through outside reading, watching a video or listening to a podcast.

"I vary the way I communicate information to students while also offering students choice in both the content and ways of accessing information," Ferone says.

At the beginning of her courses, Ferone walks students through how to use their learning management software, highlighting the tools the platform offers, such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text options. During Zoom collaboration sessions, students can chat, react, use polls or speak up verbally.
Here's how instructional technology is impacting higher education.
At the University of West Georgia, audiovisual equipment exists in every classroom, so all in-person courses can be recorded and captioned for students' future use. Students can easily rewatch a particularly tricky lesson or spend class time engaging with the discussion, then take notes at home using the recording.

"UDL is about access for all and guides the development of flexible learning environments and learning spaces that can accommodate individual learning differences," says Jon Preston, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of West Georgia.

Why Use UDL in Higher Education?

Tobin says that 1 in 3 students face some kind of barrier that could benefit from disability accommodations, but far fewer go through the process to get that documentation, primarily because of the time and cost required to do so. Given the structure of higher education, disability support services are overburdened with individual requests that mostly could be resolved by restructuring how courses are taught, how information is shared and how assignments are completed.

For example, UDL reduces barriers for anyone who struggles with finding the time to read in preparation for class. By turning a textbook reading into a downloadable PDF, commuting students can use a read-aloud app to complete their homework.

"UDL is a way to address variability before anybody even comes into the classroom," says Tobin. "Having choices is what makes UDL powerful."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is UDL, and How Can It Be Used in Higher Education?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Universal design for learning gives students options for how to learn, and its implementation can lead to better engagement, retention and outcomes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Getting to Know the new Universal Design for Learning Guidelines