UDL familiarity is high, but implementation lags, indicating a need for targeted faculty development.

Why It Matters

Understanding the current state of UDL adoption among educators is crucial for developing effective professional development programs. This insight helps design teams and institutions identify specific areas where support is most needed to create more inclusive and accessible learning experiences for all students.

Key Finding

Online instructors generally know about Universal Design for Learning, especially aspects related to how information is presented and how students can respond. However, they apply these principles inconsistently, with less focus on physical interaction and language support, despite a strong interest in learning more across all UDL areas.

Key Findings

• 71.6% of faculty reported familiarity with at least one UDL guideline.
• Faculty were most familiar with guidelines related to perception, expression, and communication.
• Highest implementation of UDL guidelines was for options suggesting comprehension and expression/communication.
• Lowest implementation was for guidelines suggesting options for physical action and language/support.
• There was high to moderate interest in learning more about all UDL guidelines, particularly comprehension, persistence, and expression.

Research Evidence

Aim: To assess the familiarity, current use, and interest in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines among online university instructors.

Method: Survey Research

Procedure: A survey was administered to online faculty at a large university in the southeastern United States to gather data on their awareness, application, and interest in various UDL guidelines.

Sample Size: All online faculty from 2017-2018

Context: Online university education

Design Principle

Design for diverse learners by understanding and addressing the practical application gaps in established inclusive design frameworks.

How to Apply

When developing educational tools or platforms, consider how to make the design and training materials align with the identified areas of low familiarity and implementation of UDL, while also catering to the expressed interest in specific UDL components.

Limitations

The study was conducted at a single university, which may limit the generalizability of findings to other institutions. Self-reported data may also be subject to social desirability bias.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: Teachers know about making learning accessible for everyone (UDL), but they don't always use all the methods, especially for things like physical actions or language help. They want to learn more, though.

Why This Matters: This research highlights that simply knowing about inclusive design isn't enough; practical application is key. For design projects, it means focusing on how users (like teachers) will actually use and implement design features.

Critical Thinking: Given the high interest in UDL training, what specific pedagogical or technical barriers might prevent instructors from implementing certain UDL guidelines, and how could design solutions address these barriers?

IA-Ready Paragraph: Research indicates a significant gap between educators' familiarity with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and their consistent application in course design. While many instructors are aware of UDL, particularly concerning perception and expression, their implementation of guidelines related to physical action and language support is notably lower, despite a strong interest in further professional development across all UDL areas. This suggests that design interventions and training should focus on practical, targeted strategies to enhance the adoption of less-utilized inclusive design elements.

Project Tips

• When designing an educational product, consider how instructors might interact with it and if it supports UDL principles.
• Research the specific UDL guidelines that are less commonly implemented to identify design opportunities.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study to justify the need for user-centered design in educational contexts and to inform the development of user support materials.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of how user familiarity with a design concept does not automatically translate into effective implementation.

Independent Variable: ["Familiarity with UDL guidelines","Current use of UDL guidelines"]

Dependent Variable: ["Interest in learning more about UDL guidelines"]

Controlled Variables: ["Type of UDL guideline (perception, comprehension, expression, etc.)","Instructor's role/discipline (potentially)"]

Strengths

• Addresses a relevant and current topic in educational design.
• Provides data on both familiarity and implementation, highlighting a practical challenge.

Critical Questions

• How can design tools or platforms be developed to proactively guide users towards implementing a wider range of UDL principles?
• What are the long-term impacts of uneven UDL implementation on student learning outcomes?

Extended Essay Application

• Investigate the effectiveness of different professional development formats (e.g., workshops, online modules, peer coaching) in improving UDL implementation among educators.
• Explore how user interface design of educational technology can be optimized to inherently support UDL principles, reducing the burden on instructors.

Source

Familiarity, Current Use, and Interest in Universal Design for Learning Among Online University Instructors · The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning · 2019 · 10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.4258