Universal Design for Learning
What Is Universal Design for Learning?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing curricula that removes barriers and improves learning for all students. Instruction is built to be flexible - adapting goals, materials, teaching methods, and assessments to meet diverse learner needs. UDL relies on three key principles:
Multiple means of representation (different ways to present information)
Multiple means of action and expression (different ways for students to show what they know)
Multiple means of engagement (different ways to stay motivated and interested)
In this section, we’ll cover how these three principles are used to develop learning experiences for students with varying abilities.
Important note on numbering: The UDL framework has three principles and nine guidelines total. The guidelines are numbered 1 through 9 in this order: Representation covers Guidelines 1-3, Action and Expression covers Guidelines 4-6, and Engagement covers Guidelines 7-9.
If you visit the official CAST Guidelines https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ opens in a new window, you may notice it displays Engagement first. That is intentional, as CAST considers engagement the starting point for good instructional design. Just keep the numbering in mind as you navigate the site so it does not throw you off.
Learning Goals of This Section
After reviewing this section on universal design for learning, you should be able to:
Define universal design for learning.
Identify the principles of universal design for learning.
Describe the purpose of each principle.
Explain the importance of utilizing principles in curriculum and instructional design.
In This Section:
Multiple Means of Engagement
Multiple Means of Representation
Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Learner Diversity
Multiple Means of Engagement
Principle 3: Multiple Means of Engagement
a smiling teacher and schoolboy giving each other a high five
Students are more likely to absorb and remember material when it feels meaningful to them. What feels meaningful varies widely based on background, interests, and experience, so no single approach will work for everyone. Principle 3 is about offering multiple ways for students to get genuinely involved in their own learning.
Note: this page and the two following ones contain a tabbed interface that presents the different guidelines. Don’t forget to access each tab to read all of the content.
Guidelines for Multiple Means of Engagement
Guideline 7
Guideline 8
Guideline 9
Guideline 7: Welcoming Interests and Identities
If a student is not interested in the material, it might as well not exist for them. Since interests vary and shift over time, instructors need a range of strategies to get students genuinely curious and invested.
Checkpoints for Guideline 7 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 7.1: Optimize choice and autonomy Students are more invested when they have a say in their learning. Let them choose how they’re assessed, which tools or resources to use, or what rewards are available. Choice builds ownership.
Checkpoint 7.2: Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity Students disengage when they can’t see why something matters. Use authentic activities and assessments that connect to students’ lives and interests. When students see themselves in the material, they’re more likely to stay engaged.
Checkpoint 7.3: Nurture joy and play Joy and play can strongly motivate learning. Build in opportunities for creativity, humor, and playful exploration so learning feels inviting rather than forced.
Checkpoint 7.4: Address biases, threats, and distractions Students learn best when they feel safe and included. Watch for barriers like bias, overwhelming sensory input, or sudden changes in routine. Tools like daily schedules and planned breaks can help keep the environment predictable and welcoming
Guideline 8: Sustaining Effort and Persistence
Getting students interested is one thing. Keeping them engaged through the hard parts is another. Motivation and attention differ across learners, and both can be actively supported through good instructional design.
Checkpoints for Guideline 8 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 8.1: Clarify the meaning and purpose of goals During long or complex tasks, students can lose sight of the purpose. Revisit learning goals regularly and in different ways. Ask students to restate them in their own words and connect them to something they care about.
Checkpoint 8.2: Optimize challenge and support Students are not all challenged by the same things. Vary task difficulty and make sure students have the support they need to complete the work. When students find the right level of challenge, motivation often follows.
Checkpoint 8.3: Foster collaboration, interdependence, and collective learning Collaboration is a skill students will use throughout their lives. Include activities like group projects, peer review, and peer tutoring so students can learn with and from one another.
Checkpoint 8.4: Foster belonging and community Students engage more deeply when they feel they belong. Build classroom community intentionally so every student feels seen, valued, and connected to both their peers and the work.
Checkpoint 8.5: Offer action-oriented feedback Go beyond right or wrong. Actionable feedback tells students what to do next, not just how they performed. Given regularly, it helps students focus on growth rather than just the grade.
Guideline 9: Emotional Capacity
Managing your own emotions in a learning environment is a skill, and one that is rarely taught directly. Some students develop it on their own. Others need explicit support. UDL asks instructors to build that support into the curriculum from the start.
Checkpoints for Guideline 9 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 9.1: Recognize expectations, beliefs, and motivations Students need to believe they can reach their goals. Tools like rubrics, checklists, and self-reflection help them build confidence and recognize what motivates them.
Checkpoint 9.2: Develop awareness of self and others Help students develop awareness of their own emotions, reactions, and strengths, as well as genuine awareness of others. Both are foundational to participating well in any learning environment.
Checkpoint 9.3: Promote individual and collective reflection Students lose motivation if they can’t see their progress. Use tools like charts, portfolios, and structured reflection so they can track how far they’ve come. Timely, constructive feedback reinforces that sense of growth.
Checkpoint 9.4: Cultivate empathy and restorative practices Empathy and restorative practices give students practical tools for taking responsibility and repairing relationships when things go wrong, rather than just receiving a consequence and moving on.
Multiple Means of Representation
Principle 1: Provide Multiple Means of Representation
People perceive and process information differently depending on their sensory abilities, cognitive differences, cultural backgrounds, and language. Presenting content in only one format will always leave some learners out. Principle 1 is about offering information in multiple ways so every student can access and understand it.
Guideline 1
Guideline 2
Guideline 3
Guideline 1: Perception
Students take in information through different senses. Flexible, customizable formats ensure the way content is presented never becomes the barrier.
Checkpoints for Guideline 1 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 1.1: Support opportunities to customize the display of information Give students control over how content appears. Let them adjust text size, font, color contrast, and the speed or volume of audio and video. Offering both print and digital formats also supports this flexibility.
Checkpoint 1.2: Support multiple ways to perceive information Presenting information in only one format can exclude some learners. For visual content, include text or spoken descriptions of images, use tactile models for key concepts, and provide physical objects when touch helps convey meaning. For text, ensure materials work with text-to-speech tools. For audio, provide captions, transcripts, and sign language options, and add visual representations of music or sound when helpful.
Checkpoint 1.3: Represent a diversity of perspectives and identities in authentic ways Curriculum materials should reflect a range of cultures, backgrounds, and identities. When students see themselves represented, it fosters a sense of belonging. When they encounter perspectives different from their own, it broadens their understanding.
Guideline 2: Language & Symbols
Language and symbols carry cultural context. A word, equation, or symbol that is second nature to one student may be a barrier for another.
Checkpoints for Guideline 2 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 2.1: Clarify vocabulary, symbols, and language structures Do not assume students know what a word, symbol, or sentence structure means. Teach vocabulary explicitly, pair graphics with plain-language descriptions, and help students connect new syntax to what they already know. Provide definitions and translations for unfamiliar terms.
Checkpoint 2.2: Support decoding of text, mathematical notation, and symbols Unfamiliar text, math notation, and symbols can create barriers. Use them consistently so students grow more comfortable over time, and provide supports such as text-to-speech and glossaries.
Checkpoint 2.3: Cultivate understanding and respect across languages and dialects Students whose home language differs from the classroom language may need additional support. Provide key information in students’ home languages where possible, and use translation tools and visuals to support comprehension.
Checkpoint 2.4: Address biases in the use of language and symbols Language and symbols can carry cultural assumptions that create barriers or signal exclusion. Review materials for biased or exclusionary language and replace it with more inclusive alternatives.
Checkpoint 2.5: Illustrate through multiple media Text alone can be a barrier for students with cognitive or print disabilities. Pair written content with diagrams, charts, models, and videos, and clearly connect ideas across formats.
Guideline 3: Building Knowledge
Students do not simply receive information. They build knowledge by connecting new ideas to what they already know, recognizing patterns, and applying learning in new situations.
Checkpoints for Guideline 3 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 3.1: Connect prior knowledge to new learning New information sticks when students can connect it to what they already know. Teach prerequisites explicitly and use tools like concept maps to help students make those connections.
Checkpoint 3.2: Highlight and explore patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships Students also need help distinguishing what is essential from what is secondary. Use outlines, examples, and cues to highlight the core ideas in a lesson.
Checkpoint 3.3: Cultivate multiple ways of knowing and making meaning Students interpret and understand information in different ways depending on their backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Effective instruction draws on diverse ways of knowing rather than assuming one approach works for everyone.
Checkpoint 3.4: Maximize transfer and generalization Learning is not complete until students can apply knowledge in new situations. Varied teaching methods, mnemonic devices, concept maps, and note-taking options can help students generalize what they have learned.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Principle 2: Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Students don’t all demonstrate knowledge the same way. Limiting learners to a single method of expression (a written test, for example) can mask what they actually know. Principle 2 is about giving students multiple ways to show what they’ve learned, through both traditional assessments (multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank) and authentic assessments (projects, presentations). It also emphasizes feedback and support: clear criteria, example models, and tools for tracking progress all help students succeed.
Smiling high school students in a chemistry lab, wearing white coats. The boy in front is holding a beaker.
Guidelines for Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Guideline 4
Guideline 5
Guideline 6
Guideline 4: Interaction
Printed worksheets and handouts are still the default in many classrooms, but they create barriers for students with visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities. Instructional materials need to go beyond print, incorporating educational and assistive technologies so students can interact with content without unnecessary obstacles.
Checkpoints for Guideline 4 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 4.1: Vary and honor the methods for response, navigation, and movement Students interact with learning environments in different ways. Some may need more time or alternative methods because of motor, cognitive, or speech disabilities, or language differences. Build in multiple ways for students to respond and navigate so the activity format never becomes the barrier.
Checkpoint 4.2: Optimize access to accessible materials and assistive and accessible technologies and tools Students also rely on a range of assistive and accessible technologies to participate. Make sure instructional materials are compatible with these tools. For example, digital content should be compatible with screen readers and navigable by keyboard.
Guideline 5: Expression and Communication
There’s no single best way for students to communicate or express what they know. Some excel at oral presentations; others at writing; others at visual or hands-on work. Giving students multiple vehicles for expression and communication makes it possible for more learners to demonstrate genuine understanding.
Checkpoints for Guideline 5 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 5.1: Use multiple media for communication Not every student communicates best through writing. Give students options to express what they know through speech, art, music, video, or other media, and build that variety into how activities are designed.
Checkpoint 5.2: Use multiple tools for construction, composition, and creativity Go beyond traditional tools. Software for creating equations, graphic drawings, and storyboards, along with text-to-speech and grammar checkers, make participation more accessible and give students more ways to show their thinking.
Checkpoint 5.3: Build fluencies with graduated support for practice and performance Students need to build fluency in language, math, and technology. Use scaffolds (temporary aids) to support students as they practice, then gradually reduce that support as they grow. Pair this with specific, actionable feedback.
Checkpoint 5.4: Address biases related to modes of expression and communication Some forms of expression are treated as more valid or intelligent than others. Instructors should examine and challenge those assumptions so that all students have a genuine opportunity to demonstrate what they know.
Guideline 6: Strategy Development
Strategy development refers to the higher-order skills that allow students to set goals, plan how to reach them, manage information, and monitor their own progress. These skills are undermined when instruction only targets low-level tasks. UDL builds strategy development into the learning environment rather than assuming students already have these skills.
Checkpoints for Guideline 6 Checkpoint Recommendations
Checkpoint 6.1: Set meaningful goals Guide students in setting their own meaningful goals rather than just telling them what to achieve. Tools like benchmark activities, checklists, and guides help students develop goal setting as a skill.
Checkpoint 6.2: Anticipate and plan for challenges Strategic planning is rarely taught directly. Encourage students to show their work, explain their reasoning, and think through obstacles before they arise. Benchmarks and checklists support this planning process.
Checkpoint 6.3: Organize information and resources Managing large amounts of information can be overwhelming, especially for students with cognitive disabilities. Teach students to organize, categorize, and summarize content, and provide guides, templates, and graphic organizers to help.
Checkpoint 6.4: Enhance capacity for monitoring progress Students need to be able to see how they are doing. Rubrics, multiple drafts, self-assessments, and reflections all give students concrete ways to track their own progress and understand where to improve.
Checkpoint 6.5: Challenge exclusionary practices Some standard classroom practices unintentionally exclude certain students. Instructors should examine and question routines, assessment structures, and participation norms that may create barriers, and work to replace them with more inclusive approaches.
Learner Diversity
Cookie-Cutter Learners Don’t Exist
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) recognizes that learners vary widely in their backgrounds, skills, needs, and interests. These differences influence how people learn and how they engage with new information.
Because of this diversity, a one-size-fits-all approach to instruction is rarely effective. UDL encourages educators to design learning experiences with multiple options for how information is presented, how students participate, and how they demonstrate what they have learned.
The Science Behind Learning
The Three Primary Brain Networks
Learning is not a one-dimensional process. Research in neuroscience suggests that three primary brain networks play key roles in how people learn and engage with new information.
Recognition Networks
Recognition networks are located in the back of the brain where the medial temporal lobes, parietal lobe and occipital lobe are.
Recognition networks help us perceive and interpret information. They allow us to understand ideas, recall facts, and recognize language, voices, and patterns. In learning, these networks help us gather and make sense of new knowledge.
Strategic Networks
Strategic networks are located in the front of the brain, where the frontal lobe is.
Strategic networks are involved in planning, organizing, and carrying out tasks. They help learners connect ideas, take action, and demonstrate skills. These networks are active when learners apply what they have learned and show their understanding through activities or assessments.
Affective Networks
Affective networks are located in the center of the brain, where the limbic system is.
Affective networks relate to motivation and engagement. They help learners assign personal meaning to new information and influence what captures their interest. These networks play an important role in keeping learners attentive and motivated throughout the learning process.
No One Thinks Exactly the Same
Understanding how these brain networks support learning helps explain why people do not all learn in the same way. Some learners perceive information differently, connect ideas in different ways, or assign different meaning to what they learn. Universal Design for Learning embraces these differences. Its principles and guidelines encourage flexible instruction that supports a wide range of learners.
The video below from Perkins School for the Blind provides an overview of UDL and the principles that guide it.
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Video Transcript
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[NARRATOR:] The name “Perkins” carved in stone. Below a gothic tower, a boy navigates with a cane.
A title. Perkins Presents: Universal Design for Learning with Elizabeth Hartmann, Ph.D., Lasell College.
The following webcast is based on the UDL principles and guidelines developed by CAST.
[ELIZABETH HARTMANN]: So once you’re on board with the UDL framework, and you really understand that it’s not the child that needs to be fixed, but rather the curriculum, the UDL principles help you think about how you can make curriculum that’s smart from the start that basically meets the needs of all learners in your classroom from the very beginning.
And this is in contrast to taking an existing curriculum and constantly retrofitting it, which often is what’s done now, and can help provide students with disabilities, students with visual impairments, and multiple disabilities, and deafblindness.
Also, there’s a lot of research that has been done, even many years ago, that seems to just nicely fit with this way of thinking, nicely fit with the UDL framework. The people who created the framework really were trying to take the best practices, the strong research base in neurobiology, in education, and technology and to come up with a different way of thinking about supporting all learners.
So it’s already on a strong foundation. But as UDL is implemented and enacted in schools, there are studies now that are showing that both teachers and students are benefiting from it.
[NARRATOR]: For more information and resources about UDL visit the National UDL Center at CAST. www.udlcenter.org
Fade to black. A graphic of the Perkins logo swoops across the screen, revealing a chapter heading, “Multiple Means of Representation.”
[ELIZABETH HARTMANN]: There are three principles that help you really look at curriculum, and make it smart from the start so it meets the needs of all learners, especially those who have visual impairments and multiple disabilities, including deafblindness. These three principles can help you to see how your curriculum is providing options or really optimizing learning for these learners. And, in doing so, can provide them with more meaningful and authentic access and engagement with learning that goes on in the classroom.
I think that if we think about learners with visual impairment and multiple disabilities, including deafblindness, often in a typical classroom, the concepts are represented through print or through the teacher presenting them to the classroom. And these learners often just don’t have basic access to that information because of how it’s presented. It’s usually tailored to this idea of the average student.
[NARRATOR]: In a photograph, we see examples of multiple means of representation being used to present the concept of multiplication. On a large purple index card, the equation two times three is written out. Below are two groups of three brightly colored fabric balls. A large yellow index card displays the equation four times two. Above it are four groups of two of the same fabric balls.
[HARTMANN]: So the first principle, multiple means of representation, it allows us to kind of take a step back and think, “How can I present…” “How can I represent what I am trying to teach my class so that it meets the needs of all learners, including that student who has a visual impairment, including that student who has deafblindness.”
And in doing that, you start to come up with different ideas, different ways to represent that actually benefit the entire classroom.
[NARRATOR]: In a photograph, a group of first graders walks on a sidewalk through a manicured garden. A sign identifies it as the Garden for the Blind.
[HARTMANN]: Maybe instead of just using a textbook to talk about something abstract like weather, you have the students go outside and experience weather. It works well for the student with deafblindness, and the student with visual impairment and multiple disabilities. But it also really works well for all the learners in the classroom.
[NARRATOR]: A graphic lists the first principle, provide multiple means of representation, has these three guidelines. Provide options for perception. Provide options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols. And provide options for comprehension. Fade to black.
Multiple Means of Action and Expression.
[HARTMANN]: With the second principle, multiple means of expression, you’re really looking at what is the goal of the lesson? And what do you want the students to really learn? And then how do you find ways for students to show that they have actually learned that? And I think this is in contrast to typically what happens sometimes in schools where you get into a routine, there’s just been a certain way of doing things.
You present a certain lesson in a certain manner, and then the students will do a worksheet to show what they know. Or the students will do a paper or take a test.
And the second principle challenges us to really say, “How can we get to understanding?”
[NARRATOR]: In a photograph, we see examples of multiple means of action and expression that students have used to illustrate their experiences on a field trip to the beach. One student wrote a short report on a word processor, and included pictures of fish and a sea turtle. Another student collected shells in a small box labeled “Ryan’s Shells.” A third student painted a picture of the beach, showing the sand, the ocean with two red fish, and two birds flying in sunny skies.
[HARTMANN]: How can we really figure out what a student knows about a concept or a lesson that we’ve taught? And providing different ways, so that we’re not just focusing on one way to assess a student or one way for them to show that they understand. And for the student with visual impairment and multiple disabilities, or the student with deafblindness, this is essential. And any educator in the field of deafblindness, or in the field of visual impairment, is very used to doing this already.
[NARRATOR]: In a photograph, we see a large piece of brown paper in the shape of a leaf. Various real leaves and branches that a student collected have been glued to the paper, some colorful, others dry and brown.
[HARTMANN]: So the teacher, if they’re using multiple means of expression and action to really get at what a learner understands about weather, you could think about how that learner experiences the world and then create a journal or an experience box that collects these different experiences that the learner has with weather.
If the learner has some residual vision or hearing, you could take videos, or pictures. You could collect artifacts like leaves, sticks, flowers, plants. Basically anything that that learner connects to and really uses to understand weather, which is a very abstract concept.
[NARRATOR]: The guidelines for the second principle, provide multiple means of action and expression are… Provide options for physical action. Provide options for expression and communication. Provide options for executive functions. Fade to black.
Multiple Means of Engagement.
[HARTMANN]: The third principle is all about trying to create a learner that’s very purposeful, and a learner that’s very motivated. And I think what brings you joy or brings you quality of life is very individual, it’s very personal.
So there are many different things that a teacher needs to do to have a classroom where their learners are engaged. But one of the most powerful things they can do is get to know their students and really provide the whole class with very various options, different levels of support, different levels of challenge, so that it’s not this one-size-fits-all mentality.
I think that’s probably the biggest thing that kills motivation and engagement in a classroom is when students are told we are doing this one thing today, it has to be done in this way, and that’s that.
I think in the field of deafblindness especially, the teachers know that you really need to get the attention of the learner.
[NARRATOR]: In a photograph, a young girl stands in the center of the classroom with her classmates seated around her in a circle of chairs. At her feet is a black and white service dog. She is demonstrating some of the dog’s abilities to her classmates, who watch intently.
[ELIZABETH HARTMANN]: You really need to find a way to get them to connect with what you’re trying to teach them. And often what teachers will do is build lessons or units around a particular student’s interest, something that they really enjoy.
For example, if we go back to this idea of teaching weather concepts. And you have a learner with deafblindness in your classroom who really likes certain friends. Perhaps their experience journal or experience box can be completed with… in collaboration with that peer that they really love to hang out with.
[NARRATOR]: In a photograph, a young girl sits at a classroom table with two schoolmates. The girl, who wears glasses, and sits in a chair which provides some additional support, is gluing colorful squares of paper onto a large paper butterfly. The paper butterfly is attached to a slant board on the table in front of her.
[HARTMANN]: Or those pictures of the student experiencing different weather conditions can include the peer in the picture or the video with them and their peer together. That might be one way to have more engagement in a lesson.
[NARRATOR]: The graphic lists the third principle of UDL, provide multiple means of engagement, and the three guidelines to keep in mind. Provide options for recruiting interest, provide options for sustaining effort and persistence, and provide options for self-regulation. Fade to black.
The UDL Approach to Curriculum.
[HARTMANN]: In the UDL framework, curriculum is defined in four components. There are goals, materials, methods, and assessments. And so it’s a pretty standard definition of what curriculum encompasses.
I think the more important point is that curriculum isn’t a static body of knowledge, but really curriculum should be about the mastery of the act of learning itself.
So we’re not learning calculus. We’re not learning about different plants. But, really, we’re learning about the kind of skills that will sustain us through our entire life.
And this is not to say that calculus or learning about plants isn’t important. That’s actually the content of where our learning takes place. But really what we need to focus on are the kind of skills, the kind of knowledge that will help us to learn anything as we continue this journey of being lifelong learners and not overly focus on the content.
[NARRATOR]: In a photograph, we see a group of young students planting an herb garden in a raised bed. Another similar bed is visible in the background. The shot then dissolves to two young adults who are shown working in the greenhouse of a large nursery. The boys, both of whom are wearing hearing aids, are repotting plants.
[HARTMANN]: You know, and I’ve been using this example of weather and how to use the three principles to support learning for a learner with deafblindness. But when you take a step back and you really think about what the goal is for an elementary school classroom that’s learning about weather, all these ideas that we know in the field of deafblindness work so well for our learners actually are fabulous for all the learners in the classroom.
They work well for learners who are English language learners, they work well for learners who might have more mild disabilities, learning disabilities, specific language impairment.
And they also work really well for students who don’t have any disabilities.
So by using these UDL principles and thinking about the learner with visual impairments and multiple disabilities, or the learner with deafblindness, we’re really making a curriculum that’s smart from the start for all learners. We’re really optimizing curriculum for all the learners in the classroom.
So instead of seeing a learner with deafblindness being put into a classroom as a challenge or as a problem, it’s now turned around.
It’s a resource, it’s something that’s going to help that teacher, help that classroom, help all those students learn and live a better quality of life after they leave that classroom.
[NARRATOR]: Fade to black.
The Case for UDL in Curriculum Design.
[HARTMANN]: For people to really embrace the UDL framework, they… you know, you have to spend some time to get to know it, and really buy into this conceptual shift that it’s the curriculum that needs to be fixed.
And really, you have to think about how the curriculum can be fixed from the start and not constantly retrofitted. Because I think in the field of visual impairment and deafblindness, we’re very used to retrofitting curriculum.
We’re working to support learners. And if they’re in a general education classroom, we’re given the curriculum that’s often used in the classroom and based around this average student. And then we’re constantly after the fact trying to fix it, trying to make it so that our student gets access to what’s going on in the classroom.
But the UDL framework challenges us to really think about how we can develop and implement curriculum that’s smart from the very start. So really challenging people who create curriculum, challenge people who are implementing curriculum to instead of going through the process of retrofitting — which is timely and it’s exhausting — really thinking upfront about how we can provide all these multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression and action, and multiple means of engagement from the very beginning.
[NARRATOR]: For more information and resources about UDL visit the National UDL Center at CAST. www.udlcenter.org
Fade to black.