Universal Design

Abstract

Universal design (UD), a concept that grew from the field of architecture, has recently emerged as a paradigm for designing instructional methods, curriculum, and assessments that are welcoming and accessible to students with a wide range of characteristics, including those related to race, ethnicity, native language, gender, age, and disability. This proactive approach holds promise for more fully including underrepresented groups in computing studies and for decreasing the need, and thus costs, for academic accommodations for students with disabilities. This article summarizes the history and development of UD, references research and practices that support the UD approach, provides examples of the strategies that apply UD to instruction and assessment, and recommends topics for future research. Although the application of UD to teaching and learning is in its infancy, the potential of UD to improve computing instruction should not be ignored. Further research could test the efficacy of specific UD practices in promoting learning in computing fields.

Assistive Technology Instruction in Teacher Professional Development

“…The teacher must understand when technology is used as an accommodation to a disability or when it is implemented to assist all students in the classroom. Burgstahler (2011) differentiates between accommodations made for students with special needs and the use of UDL in the classroom. An accommodation is a reactive approach to providing access for students.…”

The Digital Pedagogy Competence Scale (DiPeCoS): development and validation

“…Empirical research has shown promising results from UDL adoption in terms of academic performance and learner perceptions (Burgstahler, 2011;Rao et al, 2014). For example, the literature suggests a positive relationship between the application of UDL and student interest and engagement (Smith, 2012) as well as the potential of UDL to improve students' academic and social outcomes (Ok et al, 2017).…”

Tecnologías y Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje (DUA): experiencias en el contexto universitario e implicaciones en la formación del profesorado / Technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL): experiences in the university context

“…El concepto de DU, acuñado por el arquitecto Ron Mace, fundador del Centro para el Diseño Universal (CUD), implica que aquellos productos diseñados para un colectivo también son utilizados por el resto de usuarios, incrementando la accesibilidad de todos. Mace y su equipo definieron siete principios para guiar el diseño de entornos, productos y servicios accesibles, que sirvieron de base para el desarrollo de posteriores planteamientos que pretendían trasladar y aplicar el paradigma del DU al ámbito educativo (Burgstahler, 2011(Burgstahler, , 2012aMc Guire, Scott y Shaw, 2006).…”