To support the increased diversity in the college classroom, it is vital that research-based practices are used to ensure student engagement and success. Faculty must approach online instruction with a willingness to implement teaching practices that have proven to be effective in the virtual environment. One framework for supporting the needs of all learners and enhancing student motivation is Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a proactive instructional framework that is designed to make the curriculum accessible for all students through multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression. College faculty can use the UDL framework as they plan for interactions with students, design instructional modules, and create student assignments and assessments. This chapter will provide an overview of UDL in the online college classroom, a synopsis of the relevant research literature, and practical examples from the chapter authors' online courses.

As college faculty who prepare future teachers, we strive to teach our students through instruction and modeling best practices in teaching. We constantly evaluate our teaching and make adjustments to include updated knowledge about effective instruction. The evaluation and adjustments made to our courses lend themselves to action research. We take what we learn from our research and make appropriate changes to better meet the diverse needs of students. This article provides an overview of a final project that used Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for assessing student knowledge. This research focused on the principle of Multiple Means of Action and Expression and the impact the UDL final project had on student learning as well as overall perceptions of the project. Results indicate that participants enjoyed the final project and that it impacted their learning. Students reported enjoying having choice in how they demonstrated their understanding of the content.

Today's classroom is more diverse than ever; it is imperative that universities find solutions for meeting these diverse learning needs. One potential solution is Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which is a promising practice in the K-12 classroom. UDL is a framework for teaching and learning that is based on the idea that diversity among students is predictable and systematic adjustments to the curriculum should be made based on that predictability. While there is strong research supporting the use of UDL for traditional K-12 classrooms, there is little research regarding its implementation in the online university teacher preparation classroom. This action research study explores the use of UDL for increasing student engagement in the online Special Education teacher preparation courses for one university faculty member. The authors seek to better understand the use of UDL in the university setting by examining the impact of engagement strategies in online Special Education teacher preparation courses. Results of this action research, as well as implications for the authors, are discussed.

The asynchronous online discussion board is a vital means of engaging learners and providing high quality instruction for students. In the past, these discussion boards have been primarily text-based, but online faculty are increasingly implementing discussion formats to increase student engagement and learning. Evidence-based online discussions include (1) both whole-class and small group discussions, (2) debates, (3) sharing products, (4) video-based discussions, (5) word cloud-based discussions, (6) jigsaw discussions, and (7) student choice in response format. In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of the literature regarding asynchronous discussions, as well as personal experience and recommendations based on their combined eight years of online instruction.

Remote classrooms have become increasingly prevalent and may continue to be utilized widely in the future. It is imperative to explore how to best meet the needs of students with disabilities, particularly those with executive functioning (EF) needs. EF is a guideline in the universal design for learning (UDL) principle of action and expression and can be addressed in the other two principles: representation and engagement. Traditionally, individualized education programs (IEPs) are written with the assumption that students will be attending school in person, and accommodations may not easily translate to remote environments. There is the added challenge of supporting students with EF needs through cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control while learning remotely. These needs cannot always be addressed using traditional face-to-face strategies because of the nature of the remote setting. However, there are tools and supports that can address students' needs.