What is the definition of UD?
According to the Center for Universal Design,
UD 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." To narrow the scope, this definition can be
modified. For example, to apply UD to teaching and learning activities,
this basic definition can be modified to "the design of teaching and learning
products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest
extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design."
Characteristics of any UD product or environment are that it is accessible, usable, and inclusive.
What is Universal Design for Learning and why should we be interested? CAST - http://www.cast.org/udl/ - is a good place to start:
"Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn.
UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.Why is UDL necessary?
Individuals bring a huge variety of skills, needs, and interests to learning. Neuroscience reveals that these differences are as varied and unique as our DNA or fingerprints." [from www.cast.org/udl/ 11 Sept 2011]
On Howard Gardner, father of the theory from Smith, Mark K. (2002, 2008) 'Howard Gardner and multiple intelligences', the encyclopedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm.
