UDL Tip of the Month

UDL Principle 2: Multiple Means of Representation

Last month’s teaching tips from CITL’s Universal Design for Learning (UDL) team centered on the first principle of UDL: Providing Multiple Means of Engagement. This month’s tip extends the UDL framework overview to focus on the importance of addressing diverse learning styles and needs by Providing Multiple Means of Representation, the second of the three major UDL principles.

This principle acknowledges that learners vary in how they perceive and comprehend information. Providing multiple means of representation is also crucial for ensuring equitable access to learning materials and thus overlaps in several ways with accessible course design practices. Overall, offering content in multiple formats and mediums can go a long way in helping create a more inclusive learning environment for students. Providing multiple means of representation is broken up into three areas in the UDL framework: 

1. Perception: ensuring information is equally perceptible to all learners.
2. Language and Symbols: ensuring key terms and symbols have other ways to show what they mean.
3. Comprehension: providing scaffolding to help learners process information.

Here are some example strategies in each of these areas:

Perception

• Captions for video and text transcripts for audio (e.g., podcasts)
• Alternative text description for all informative images, graphics, and animations
• Accessible text that is discoverable and searchable as text instead of an image of text (e.g., a screenshot image containing text or a PDF that is a scanned image) Note: our university has a campus license for SensusAccess, a text conversion tool that converts documents into a range of alternate media. The service also converts inaccessible documents such as image-only PDF files, JPG pictures, and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into more accessible formats.

Language and Symbols

• Clarifying vocabulary through a list of key terms and/or a glossary
• Presenting mathematical equations in an accessible format for all users, including learners who use screen readers and other text-to-speech assistive technology. Note: our university has a campus-wide license for EquatIO which provides accessible math conversion
• Enabling speech-to-text in Canvas with the Immersive Reader

Comprehension

• Pre-course surveys and self-assessment tools to activate prior knowledge
• Infographics, diagrams, and charts to help visualize complex concepts or relationships
• Study guides focused on key concepts and ideas central to the learning objectives
• Interactive models or simulations that help learners visualize complex concepts
• Step-by-step guides or tutorials for complex tasks
• Case-based assignments where students can apply knowledge learned in one context to solve problems in diverse settings
• Project-based assessments that require students to utilize learned concepts in designing solutions or creating products applicable to different situations

As with last month’s examples, these lists are by no means exhaustive. Tune in next month when we look at some examples of how we can provide multiple means of action and expression, the third principle in the UDL framework.

Selected Resources:

• CAST Professional Learning. UDL Tips for Accessible Educational Materials.
• CAST. Provide Multiple Means of Representation.

Contact Information

If you’re looking to enhance the accessibility and inclusivity of your course design, CITL's Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Team is here to help! You can reach us at CITL-UDLTeam@illinois.edu.