Considerations Regarding Final Mode of Delivery

Universal Design for Learning

One of the most essential principles in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), if not the most essential principle, is the principle of customization. There is no true average that will fit everyone, but giving people the ability to adapt and customize different aspects of whatever is being designed ensures the most usability and accessibility across the board.

Therefore, as you consider the teaching materials you design — whether websites, Canvas or other LMS modules, videos, lectures, worksheets, handouts, or instructions — the place to start is to consider how you can let students use the materials according to their preferences, devices, resources, abilities, and time. If the materials include a website or a Canvas module, how does it work on a mobile device? How does it work in the Canvas app? If the materials include an activity sheet, does it have to be printed in hard copy and written on using actual pencil, pen, or marker, or is there another way to distribute the materials digitally in a way that students can interact with the materials without interfering with what their peers see? Or do you want them to interact with the materials and their peers?

How you would like the students to use the materials is the first consideration. How the students are likely to use the materials is a second. And the goal should be to make it as convenient for students to adapt the materials to their own preferences and ways of learning whenever possible.

Modes of Delivery

Many of the minimum standards for accessibility discussed in this Guidebook mention UDL or giving audiences options. For instance, captions for videos should ideally be closed captions that students can toggle on and off rather than permanent captions (open captions) which may distract some learners. We assume digital distribution most of the time, as technological standards such as read-aloud have become more standard and digital materials are inherently more customizable. For instance, a student with dyslexia may be able to transform the font of an assignment sheet or add a color overlay to their screen to better read and follow instructions.

Print copies may help some learners and be easier for certain in-class activities or formative assessments, of course. But providing an additional electronic version of a document (via a shared Google Drive, by providing a link on Canvas, etc.) makes sense from both a pedagogical and accessible viewpoint.

When considering what platforms to use — Word vs. Google Docs, for instance — or whether to use an analog or digital version of an instructional material, or both, determine how the students need to use it in or outside of class, what device they are likely to use, and how the materials perform on various devices.

If you’d like students to work as groups to complete an activity, how could you distribute an unchanging handout to each group and have them finish it themselves? If you’d like students to collaborate, what type of editor works well? Whatever you choose, do your best to provide multiple modes if possible and digital versions if you have to choose between digital and analog. Keep in mind the principles discussed in the rest of this book (regarding styles, captions, alt text, links, and tables, primarily) and you’ll be fine.