Designing Universal Design for Learning Experiences: Teacher Education Candidates' Perceptions in Active Learning within Inclusive Special Education Courses

Overview & Synopsis

Although higher education is becoming increasingly diverse, the widespread adoption of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) remains limited. UDL provides a curricular framework designed to reduce barriers, account for learner's intersectional identities, and address variability. Using quantitative and qualitative measures, this research showcases inclusive special education undergraduate courses that utilize UDL design to meet the diverse needs of teacher education candidates. This study addresses the following research question: How do undergraduate students perceive and experience UDL within a face-to-face class throughout the learning process? Both qualitative and quantitative research provided the basis of this study. Qualitative research methods were used to examine the experiences through a variety of methods, including reflections, surveys, and focus groups. Quantitative data came from the surveys and reflections. Through focus groups, surveys, and reflections, data were obtained from 57 completed student data points. The findings suggest the importance of the use of diverse learning opportunities, learning output, and application to the real world as critical to learners' success and making a classroom more accessible. Implications for proactively meeting needs within inclusive higher education using UDL coupled with disability studies in education orientation are discussed. This study extends the limited research on UDL in higher education, showing that intentional UDL integration supports student inclusion by offering diverse learning opportunities, multiple means of expression, and real-world application.