Student Success
Services for Students with Disabilities
Universal Instructional Design
Universal Instructional Design (UID) is a method of designing course materials, content, and instruction to benefit all learning styles. The principles of Universal Instructional Design promote equal access to learning for students from a variety of backgrounds, abilities, and learning styles. UID encourages a range of instructional methods, evaluation methods, and technology to remove barriers to education while maintaining high academic standards.
Students who can benefit from UID include students with disabilities, students who speak English as a second language, older students, and students whose learning style may be inconsistent with a professor’s teaching style. In short, all students may benefit from UID.
Some Principles of Universal Instructional Design
Create a welcoming classroom environment that encourages students to identify their needs.
Provide varied instructional methods: lectures, videos, text, diagrams, and charts.
Provide a variety of ways for students to demonstrate knowledge: tests, papers, oral presentations, multi-media presentations.
Provide natural supports for learning: study guides, discussion groups, practice tests, websites.
Encourage faculty-student contact: interactive learning activities, mini interviews, conferences.
Use technology to enhance learning and to increase accessibility: PowerPoint and Smart Board presentations; videos that are closed-captioned; web-based materials and lecture notes that are accessible to screen readers.
The easiest way to begin using UID to increase access for students with disabilities is to include the following statement on your course syllabus:
Students with disabilities may be eligible for reasonable accommodations in this course. Please contact the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities in the Disability Services Center, College Hall 131, at (215) 641-6575 or 6574 for more information. At the West Campus, contact the Coordinator of Disability Services, Student Success Center (W-152), at (610) 718-1853.
Universal Instructional Design Web Sites
Please visit these web sites for information on implementing Universal Instructional Design in your courses.
