Incorporating Universal Design Principles and Evidence-Based Practices for Learning to Construct ADA Compliant Online Learning Environments in Higher Education
Welcome. This website is meant to be a resource to introduce Universal Design (UD) principles and to provide guidance for how to incorporate them into online learning environments. The goal is to choose principles and practices that enhance student learning. It is aimed primarily at community college faculty who teach diverse populations.
The recommendations of this site were developed by researching the various Universal Design frameworks and then focusing on those principles that could be associated with empirical research and current theories about how students best learn. A comprehensive list of resources consulted is available on the Works Cited page.
Although this site is designed to progress through the topics in a linear fashion, each section can also be used independently of the others. Each section provides a bit of background information about the topic, as well as suggestions and samples.
Efforts were made throughout to design this resource using the very practices promoted so that the entire site can be used as an example of employing Universal Design. I encourage you to use the modality of your choice to peruse the information.
Intro to Universal Design Principles
This section provides an overview of Universal Design and how it has been applied to higher education. It briefly describes the various Universal Design frameworks and provides links where relevant to websites devoted to the frameworks. It also introduces the three Universal Design principles that can be linked to current theories.
Intro to Accessibility and ADA Compliance
This section provides a brief overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and current recommendations for complying with the law in online learning spaces. It describes the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in layman’s terms and provides examples of ways to implement these guidelines. It also discusses the limitations and critiques of relying on checklists, both from a curriculum development standpoint and from an ideological standpoint.
Applying Universal Design to Curriculum Delivery
This section provides a brief introduction to the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia learning as it applies to the Universal Design principle (and WCAG standard) of ensuring that digital information is perceptible for all users. It briefly summarizes the literature on the Multimedia principle and the Redundancy principle and provides two samples of curriculum delivery: a lecture designed for an online History Course, and instructions for completing a final project in a History Course.
Multiple Means of Demonstration: Student Choice
This section provides a brief overview of Learner-Centered Pedagogy and Multiliteracies as it applies to the Universal Design principle of allowing students to choose how to demonstrate their learning. It briefly summarizes the literature on giving students power over their learning. Two main methods are examined: allowing students to use alternative modalities to demonstrate their learning; and involving students in determining segments of the course syllabus. It provides sample assignments with instructions and assessment criteria, as well as a sample method for involving students in developing the syllabus.
Assessment Strategies
One of the documented barriers to non-traditional assignments in higher education is uncertainty about how to grade them. This section will provide tips and strategies to effectively evaluate student learning, sample evaluation methods, and links to resources that can be adopted or adapted.