Perspectives on a Graduate Online Course that Modeled Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to Teach UDL

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran

The article examines instructor and learner perspectives from an online learning technologies course that modeled Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to teach UDL. Course development followed contemporary standards and frameworks, including ADDIE, Quality Matters Standards, and UDL. A qualitative study was conducted in Spring 2018 at the end of an online course titled “Universal Learning for Online Course Design” in the US. Findings guide continued improvement and offer practical ideas for other educators applying UDL.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Background and Foundation

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Effective course design in online and blended environments

Asian Journal of Distance Education [http://www](http://www.AsianJDE.org)[.](http://www.AsianJDE.org)[AsianJDE](http://www.AsianJDE.org)[.](http://www.AsianJDE.org)[org](http://www.AsianJDE.org) © 2018 The Asian Society of Open and Distance Education ISSN 1347-9008 Asian J D E 2018 vol 13, no 1, pp 59-87 Perspectives on a Graduate Online Course that Modeled Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to Teach UDL Julia PARRA New Mexico State University, USA [juparra@nmsu.edu](juparra@nmsu.edu) Azadeh OSANLOO New Mexico State University, USA [azadeh@nmsu.edu](azadeh@nmsu.edu) Carolyn RAYNOR New Mexico State University, USA [ctrussel@nmsu.edu](ctrussel@nmsu.edu) Sherry HAIR New Mexico State University, USA [hairs@nmsu.edu](hairs@nmsu.edu) Thomas KORANG New Mexico State University, USA [tkorang@nmsu.edu](tkorang@nmsu.edu) Cristina PADILLA New Mexico State University, USA [maguz33@nmsu.edu](maguz33@nmsu.edu) Suparna CHATTERJEE New Mexico State University, USA [suparna@nmsu.edu](suparna@nmsu.edu) ABSTRACT : The purpose of this article is to provide the instructor and learner perspectives of an online learning technologies course that used Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to support the teaching of UDL. Course design was based on current standards and literature related to online course design including ADDIE, Quality Matters Standards, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) . The qualitative study was conducted during Spring 2018 at the conclusion of an online course titled, Universal Learning for Online Course Design at a Southwestern University in the US. The instructor provided a design narrative and four graduate students who participated in the course provided learner narratives that were reviewed and analyzed by two external researchers. The findings from this study support continued improvement of course design for the next iteration of the UDL Course, as well as providing ideas for other educators interested in implementing UDL concepts in their courses. ASIAN JOURNAL of DISTANCE EDUCATION Keywords: ADDIE, Instructional Design, Quality, English as a Second Language, Learning Objectives, Participatory Design, Universal Design for Learning, UDL. INTRODUCTION : A university classroom, whether faceto-face or virtual/online, is comprised of learners from a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. This diversity is comprised of learners for whom perhaps English is a second language, who may be sight or hearing challenged, who have mobility limitations, who have experienced various degrees of trauma, and/or deal with many other different life circumstances. Thus, educators are confronted with moving beyond a learning design mentality of“one-size fits all”(Edyburn, 2010, p. 34) to one where learners are engaged via multiple means and modalities. The Universal Design for Learning framework as advanced by CAST (2018) with its three core principles and a variety of resources, “has captured the imagination of policy makers, researchers, administrators, and teachers” (Edyburn, 2005, p. 17), and has the potential to benefit all learners. UDL captured the imagination of an instructor and her students in Spring 2018, and this article presents their perspectives. The purpose of this article is to present both instructor and learner perspectives of an online learning technologies course applying the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to support the teaching of UDL. This qualitative study was conducted during Spring 2018, at the completion of an online learning technologies course titled, Universal Learning for Online Course Design that utilized UDL framework to teach UDL ata Southwestern University in the US. The course will be referred to as the UDL Course for brevity. The findings from this study support continued improvement of course design for the next iteration of the UDL Course as well as providing strategies and recommendations for oth

FAQs

What is the main focus of the article?

The article presents instructor and learner perspectives on an online learning technologies course that used UDL principles to support teaching UDL.

Which frameworks guided the course design?

Course design was based on standards and literature for online course design, including ADDIE, Quality Matters Standards, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

What do the study findings support?

The findings support continued improvement of the next iteration of the UDL course and provide strategies and recommendations for other educators implementing UDL concepts.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran