UDL Tips for Designing an Engaging Learning Environment

In UDL Guidelines 2.1, which appeared in the first edition of Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice in 2014, engagement appears in the first column, emphasizing its essential role in the perception and strategic action necessary for learning. In a UDL space, learners are engaged through deliberate design of the learning environment. How can educators design learning environments that support the growth and development of purposeful, motivated learners?

UDL Tips for Designing an Engaging Learning Environment

• Support risk-taking.
• Offer time for active reflection on learning and engagement.
• Share examples and non-examples.
• Increase opportunities for collaboration.
• Ensure resources and supports meet the demands of a task.
• Incorporate authentic and relevant examples.
• Provide frequent, formative feedback.
• Present flexible assessment options.
• Minimize distractions.
• Create clear, specific goals.

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CAST (2016). UDL Tips for Designing an Engaging Learning Environment. Wakefield, MA: Author. Retrieved from https://www.cast.org/resources/tips-articles/udl-tips-designing-engaging-learning-environment/.