Running head: Inclusive Distance Education through Universal Design for Learning and Instruction 1

Development of Inclusive Distance Education Systems through

Universal Design for Learning and Instruction (UDL and UDI)

Dona Thanushi N. S. Hettipathirana

Liberty University
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Abstract

This paper provides a review of literature, examining the significance of universal design for

learning and instruction (UDL/UDI) in the development of inclusive distance education systems.

The key findings of this literature review suggest the following: universal design for learning and

instruction plays a significant role in transforming distance education into a barrier free and

inclusive form of education: inclusion education is comprised of diverse learners; technology is a

vital component of UDL/UDI; cultural diversity impacts learning differences; UDL fosters a

culture of diversity and inclusion; UDL facilitates the minimization of access barriers and

universal access to information and learning; UDL creates socially just learning environments;

UDL does not eliminate the need for all AT devices and equipment. The direction for further

research comprise of the following research questions: How significant is assistive technology in

universal design for learning and instruction? How does universal design address the modalities

of learning? How does universal design address cultural diversity? What role does cultural

barriers play in education, special education and universal design?

Key words: access barriers, assistive technology, cultural diversity; distance education, inclusive

education, learner diversity; universal design for learning and instruction,

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Advances in information and communication technology has opened the doors of

distance education to millions around the globe providing an opportunity to pursue a learner

controlled and personalized education in a learning environment of one’s own convenience. The

convenience of the education setting is of utmost significance to a student with disabilities and

thus, individuals with disabilities make ideal candidates for distance education.

Individuals with disability have overcome many access challenges that have been

preventing them from pursuing their education aspirations in the traditional classroom settings

with the help of cutting edge advances in assistive technology (AT) such as augmented

communication devices, apps and mobility equipment and computing and networking

technology, specifically the Internet and Web-based instruction technology, have made distance

learning much more accessible to a broad spectrum of diverse learners (Burgstahler, Corrigan, &

McCarter, 2004). Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and its 2008 amendments

mandates that no eligible individual shall be excluded from an education program solely based

on their disability (Burgstahler etal., 2004). Thus, AT in combination with the Internet and its

advances and legal mandates have made distance education a reality for many individuals with

disabilities and learning differences.

Universal design is a course design technology which facilitates flexible learning

environments, providing universal access for learning and information, irrespective of one’s

ability or disability or learning differences. Universal design for learning and instruction plays a

significant role in transforming distance education in to a barrier free and inclusive form of

education, providing diverse learner populations of the modern global community with an

opportunity to receive a world class education.

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The primary purpose of this review is to examine the significance of universal design for

learning and instruction in achieving inclusion in the field of distance education. This review

also focuses on: what is inclusion; what is UDL; diversity, access barriers and inclusion; role of

technology in the online education context; benefits of UDL; universal design for learning;

universal design for instruction;

Review of the Literature

The review of literature on development of inclusive distance education systems through

universal design for learning and instruction (UDL and UDI) lead to the discovery of several

emerging themes related to inclusive distance education and universal design. The themes

emerging from this review of literature are classified into the following categories: what is

inclusion; what is UD and UDL/UDI; benefits of UDL/UDI; role of technology in the online

leaning context; universal design for learning; universal design for instruction

Diversity, Access Barriers and Inclusion

Diversity in the simplest sense, is the state of being diverse, in other words being varied or

different. Diversity among humans in general could be found in many dimensions such as gender,

race, ethnicity, language, religion, class, physical and mental ability etc. Diversity in the classroom

comprises of differences in: mental and physical ability; worldviews and belief systems; language;

culture; social and economic status etc. (Burgstahler, Corrigan, & McCarter, 2004). Thus, diverse

learners in education comprise of subcategories of students with different instructional

requirements. There are three types of diverse learners commonly found in the education system

as: English language learners, students with disabilities and gifted learners. The creation of a

cohesive educational environment addressing all these diverse learners, in a single classroom

setting presents an educator with many challenges to do with lesson planning, learning modalities,
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instruction delivery, literacy and knowledge gap, and assessment and evaluation. The challenges

faced by diverse learners in one educational environment include issues to do with knowledge

acquisition, skills development, communication, interaction and collaboration.

Inclusion in education focuses on the facilitation of learning and instruction to all learners

including diverse learners, in one educational setting, accommodating to individual needs and

learning differences, providing universal access to information and learning irrespective of one’s

ability or disability. However, with respect to the development of truly inclusive distance

education systems, there still exists a technology gap when it comes addressing the challenges to

do with access barriers. Access barriers are the challenges faced by both educators and students in

meeting the needs of students in inclusive and diverse learning environments.

Learners with exceptionalities belong to a wide ranging spectrum of individuals with

disabilities, impairments and learning differences, which include “sensory, motor, cognitive,

linguistic, and affective abilities and disabilities” (Hitchcock and Stahl, 2003). Cultural diversity

or cultural variability becomes a source of learning differences due to the essential role played by

culture in the process of social learning (Chita-Tegmark, Gravel,De Lourdes, Serpa, Domings, &

Rose, 2011).

Due to the shifting tendencies in enrolment patterns showing more diverse learner

enrolment in higher education, there is an increased need for instructional design to integrate more

inclusive instructional practices (Rodesiler, & McGuire, 2015). Thus, there exists a requisite in the

field of education for the development of learning and instructional design which could assure to

all learners from coming diverse background with varied abilities, disabilities, learning styles, and

other characteristics with universal access to learning and information, which is referred to as

“universal design” (Burgstahler, Corrigan, & McCarter, 2004).

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The advances in digital and communication technology has paved the way for Universal

Design for learning and instruction with the objective of facilitating all learners with the

opportunity of universally accessible and inclusive education.

What is Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning?

Universal design is a concept that emerged from the field of architecture where it is

required to accommodate the broadest range of users including individuals with disabilities when

it comes to accessing public buildings (Bernacchio & Mullen, 2007). Universal design in education

is “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent

possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” (Burgstahler et al. 2004).

Principles of universal design for learning (UDL) include: equitableness, flexibility, simple

and intuitive instruction, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, size and

space for approach and use (Bernacchio & Mullen, 2007; Hitchcock and Stahl, 2003).

UDL provides an educational framework grounded in a network-based perspective of

cognitive science to address the challenges of individual learner differences (Rose & Strangman,

2007). UDL addresses the differences in the three broad neural networks of cognition and learning:

recognition network; strategic; and affective network (Rose & Strangman, 2007). UDL framework

presents facilitation for the development of flexible curricular and learning and instructional

environments, offering a wide range of accommodations to individuals with diverse abilities and

learning differences to get enhanced access to information and learning (Bernacchio & Mullen,

2007; Burgstahler et al., 2004). Universal UDL provides a structural means for developing

inclusive instructional lesson plans encouraging current and effective inclusive teaching practices

(McGhie-Richmond, & Sung, 2013). There is strong evidence that UDL is achievable, practical

and quantifiable in online synchronous environments (Coy, Marino, & Serianni, 2014).
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Role of Technology in the Online Education Context

Integration of technology is a vital component of UDL. Assistive technology and advances

in computing and networking technology, specifically the Internet and Web-based instruction

technology, have made distance learning much more learner controlled and accessible to a broad

spectrum of learners (Burgstahler, Corrigan, & McCarter, 2004). UDL principles combined with

today’s digital technology facilitates the development of personalized curricular catering to

specific needs and preferences of individual learners. UDL utilizes technology to deal with the

challenges of learner diversity, access barriers and universal access to information and learning

and thus, technology is key in making UDL educational environments socially just learning

environments. Although, UDL technology provides built-in tools for some AT devices such as

speech-to-text converters and augmented communication devices UDL does not eliminate the need

for AT such as mobile equipment and visual and hearing aid (Hitchcock & Stahler, 2003).

Benefits of online learning include: flexibility in schedule, cost and pacing, interaction

with course content, increased teacher student and student-student interaction, availability of

varied resource material and modes of communication (He, 2014)

Benefits of online teaching include: Teaching: flexibility in schedule, cost and pacing,

interaction with course content, increased teacher student and student-student interaction,

availability of varied instructional tools, teacher-teacher interaction, ease of information and

resource sharing (He, 2014).

Benefits of UDL/UDI to Distance Education

Universal design for learning and instruction makes inclusion in distance education a

reality for all learners thorough accommodating a broad spectrum of learners including individuals

with disabilities and learning differences. UDL transforms educational structures facilitating
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enhanced access to simple and perceptible instruction “creates more equitable and socially just

learning environments” (Bernacchio & Mullen, 2007). UDL enhances the learning process in the

virtual learning environment by options for multiple means of representation, action and

expression, and engagement (Coy et al., 2014).

UDL focuses on the adapting curriculum to meet the needs, differences and preferences of

individual learners rather than on the individual with disabilities (Hitchcock & Stahl, 2003). UDL’s

promotion of responsive practices that are adaptable to individual needs, fosters an academic

setting that welcomes, accepts and embraces diversity shift instructional focus towards the

development of critical learning skills rather than on the disabilities and impairments (Bernacchio

& Mullen, 2007). Minimization of access barriers by focusing on instructional design for diverse

learners of all abilities, disabilities, learning differences, and other non-traditional learners increase

student retention (Tobin, 2014).

Universal design for instruction (UDI) embraces diversity in learners, encourages flexible

instruction practices, sets high expectations for all learners and creates a sense of community

encouraging instructor- instructor communication for information sharing on instructional

resources, practices, techniques etc. (Rodesiler, & McGuire, 2015). Flexibility in curriculum and

learning and instructional environments is addressed in three ways in terms of learning objectives,

learning material and instructional methods and assessment techniques while encouraging the use

of a variety of modalities for information presentation and student expression of knowledge and

competencies (Bernacchio & Mullen, 2007).

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Conclusions and directions for further research

Universal design for learning and instruction play a significant role in transforming

distance education into a barrier free and inclusive form of education. Universal design for

learning provides an educational framework grounded in cognitive science to address the

challenges of individual learner differences to facilitate a broad spectrum of diverse learners with

access to education without the need for modification or specialization. Diverse learners include

learners with varied abilities, disabilities and learning differences. UDL creates socially just

learning environments through utilizing technology to deal with the challenges of learner diversity,

access barriers and universal access to information and learning. UDL does not eliminate the need

for all AT devices and equipment such as visual and hearing aids and mobile equipment.

However, the empirical evidence based on scientific research related to UDL is

considerably limited, due UDL being an emerging technology. Therefore, further research and

study based on the following research questions would be of value in attaining a profound

understanding of the significance of UDL in inclusive education: How significant is assistive

technology in universal design for learning and instruction? How does universal design address

the modalities of learning? How does universal design address cultural diversity? What role does

cultural barriers play in education, special education and universal design?

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References

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