Universal Designs for Learning (UDL)

Universal design for learning is an educational reform approach aimed at improving student learning. The key elements in universal design include accountability standards, teacher accountability to ensure all students succeed, learner differences and effective uses of technology, opportunities to use communication technologies to reach diverse learners, and instilling flexibility to maximize learning for all students. Using this approach, instruction can be structured so that the majority if not all learners are reached on some level. I see it as similar to the multiple intelligences theory, which advocates for instruction that employs different abilities. If a teacher uses the multiple intelligences theory to guide her instruction, then he/she is almost sure to incorporate universal design for learning and likely to help all students learn in ways most compatible with their abilities. This would mean that instruction would include lessons and activities that touch on logical, linguistic, spatial, bodily, naturalistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal abilities. Incorporating the use of technology could complement any of these intelligences and be used as a method for reinforcing or adding to the concepts presented. Technology can also be used as the primary tool and one or more of the intelligences can be incorporated to complement the technology and ensure that the student(s) is learning in the method more conducive to their abilities.

PowerPoint can be used as a tool in the universal design for learning because it uses technology and usually does not impose particular or strict boundaries on student creativity. Students can be given an assignment that requires the use of PowerPoint, but as long as the there are no boundaries placed on how or what the students can do with PowerPoint, multiple intelligences and other more personal aspects of learning can be used in the assignment. For example, a musically smart person may choose to use audio in their presentation while a linguistically smart person may choose to use poems, stories, and other written forms of expression in their presentation. Using PowerPoint in combination with UDL principles such as ensuring all students succeed and addressing diverse learners and learning abilities along with multiple intelligences, the instructor can assess student knowledge and comprehension without stifling creativity, but yet highlight individual abilities.