UDL Tip of the Month

October 2025

UDL Tip of the Month Series

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Designing Workshops for Everyone: A UDL Approach

by Marc Thompson

This month's Tip of the Month article considers UDL from a professional development perspective; specifically, how we can apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to design and deliver workshops that engage everyone, whether they’re new faculty, seasoned staff, or graduate instructors. UDL can help us anticipate participant variability and offer flexible ways to engage, understand, and respond, making our workshops more inclusive and impactful for everyone involved.

Here are a few practical strategies for applying UDL in the design, delivery, and post-delivery of your workshops.

Before the Workshop: Design with Flexibility in Mind
  1. Set Clear, Meaningful Goals. Define one or two SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Share them at the start so participants know what they’ll gain from the session (Thompson, 2024b).
  2. Anticipate Learner Variability. Consider who will attend and what prior experience, needs, or barriers they may bring. Plan content that works across preferences: visual, auditory, textual, and interactive (Yacapsin, 2024).
  3. Use Varied Materials. Gather content in multiple formats (slides, short readings, videos with captions, infographics, or audio clips). Share materials ahead of time, ensuring digital accessibility (e.g., readable PDFs, alt text, captions (Thompson, 2023b).
  4. Plan for Engagement. Build activities that spark interest and relevance. Include a mix of reflection, small-group, and large-group work, and connect topics to participants’ real-world challenges or goals (Thompson, 2023a).
  5. Build in Flexibility (+ 1 Method). Always add one more way to access or participate (Thompson, 2025c).
  6. Decide How Participants will Demonstrate Learning. Plan one or two flexible ways for participants to show what they’ve learned, such as a brief written reflection, a poll response, or pair-share summary (Thompson, 2024a).
During the Workshop: Deliver with Multiple Means in Mind
  1. Start with an Anchor Activity. Begin with a brief poll, prompt, or icebreaker that connects the topic to participants’ experiences. The aim here is to clearly communicate your goals and provide an overview of what’s ahead (Thompson, 2023a).
  2. Present Content in Multiple Ways. Combine visuals, narration, and text summaries. Take time to pause and highlight key terms and concepts (Thompson, 2023b).
  3. Facilitate Active, Flexible Participation. Mix large-group discussion, breakout groups, and individual reflection. Encourage both verbal and written contributions.
  4. Check for Understanding Frequently. Use quick tools like a thumbs-up/down, short polls, or “type one takeaway” prompts. Adjust pacing or explanation based on responses (Thompson, 2024c).
  5. Wrap up with Flexible Reflection. Summarize key takeaways aloud and on a slide or shared document. Invite participants to choose how to reflect (Thompson, 2025b).
After the Workshop: Extend Learning Accessibly
  1. Send a Quick Follow-up. Share a short summary or key resources by email or shared folder. Include both text and links to visuals or recordings (with captions).
  2. Invite Feedback in Multiple Ways. Provide several feedback options: e.g., survey, shared doc, or short voice memo (Thompson, 2025a).
  3. Reflect on What Worked. Ask yourself: Did the design anticipate different participation styles (Thompson, 2025c)?

Quick Reference: Three UDL Principles in Workshop Design (CAST, 2020)

UDL Principle Focus Workshop Strategies
Engagement
(The Why) 		Motivate interest, relevance, and sustained participation. Build Community and Choice: Offer flexible pathways for contribution (verbal/written) and connect content to learners' goals using real-world scenarios and optional reflection.
Representation
(The What) 		Present content in diverse, accessible formats. Offer Varied Formats and Scaffolding: Present information using a blend of audio, visuals, and text, and provide advance materials (glossaries, captioned videos) to support comprehension.
Action & Expression
(The How) 		Provide flexible ways for participants to respond or demonstrate learning. Enable Flexible Demonstration: Provide choices for showing mastery, such as written reflection, visual output (screenshot annotation), or verbal summaries, using collaborative and low-tech tools.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to overhaul your entire workshop to make it more inclusive. Start with one +1 addition, one extra option, one alternative format, one new way to engage. Those small changes compound over time, creating  learning spaces that model the same inclusive, flexible practices we aim for in every classroom and online course.

References

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.