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The universal design of instruction (UDI) framework is gaining increased attention and application by educational researchers and practitioners at K-12 and postsecondary levels. UDI means that, rather than designing for the average student, you design instruction for potential students who have broad ranges with respect to ability, disability, age, reading level, learning style, native language, race, and ethnicity. Regarding students with disabilities,��UDI challenges the instructor to go beyond legal compliance to proactively make all aspects of instruction, including class climate, interaction, physical environments and products, delivery methods, information resources and technology, feedback, and assessment.

Components of the UDI Framework include��scope, definition, process, principles, guidelines, and practices. You can flesh out this framework to build a toolkit for applying UDI. The scope of UDI comprises all facilities, curricula, pedagogies, activities, and technologies used to help students learn.
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A definition that can be used for the application of the UDI, modified��from the basic��definition of UD, is the��design of teaching and learning products and environments “to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”

UDI Process

To apply UDI, instructors should consider the potential variation in individual skills, learning styles and preferences, age, gender, sexual orientation, culture, abilities, and disabilities as they select appropriate content and strategies for the delivery of instruction and then apply universal design to all course activities and resources.��Specifically, an instructor needs to

1. Identify the course and evidence-based teaching practices.��Describe the course, learning objectives, and content. Adopt overall teaching and learning philosophies (e.g., constructivism) and evidence- based practices (e.g., active learning).

2. Consider the diverse characteristics of potential students.��Describe the population of students eligible to enroll in the course and then consider their potential diverse characteristics—with respect to gender; age; ethnicity; race; native language; learning preferences; size; abilities��to see, hear, walk, manipulate objects, read, speak—and the challenges they might encounter in your course.

3. Integrate UDI with evidence-based teaching practices.��Apply UDI strategies (underpinned by relevant UDHE principles) in concert with evidence- based instructional practices in the choice of teaching methods, curricula, and assessments as well as to all teaching practices and materials to maximize the learning of students with diverse characteristics.

4. Plan for accommodations.��Learn campus procedures for addressing accommodation requests (e.g., arranging for sign language��interpreters) from specific students for whom��the course design does not already provide full access. Include information about how students can request accommodations in the syllabus.

5. Evaluate.��Monitor the effectiveness of instruction��through observation and assessments of learning and collect formative feedback from students.��Make modifications based on the results. Return��to step 3 if your evaluation suggests further improvements to your course should be made.