Title: Application of the guidelines
Course: UDL & online special education > Section: 5. Lesson model

The guidelines are very comprehensive and cover all relevant guidance for implementing the UDL method in any course.

The UDL Guidelines are not meant to be a "recipe", but a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to instructional design to reduce barriers and maximize learning opportunities based on specific learning objectives. As educators, many of us already adopt aspects of the Guidelines in our own practice; however, there may still be barriers in our teaching-learning experiences that we have not noticed or have not yet encountered. The UDL Guidelines offer a systematic framework for addressing these barriers and for consciously planning achievements in relation to learners' needs. To meet the needs of all our learners, we must be assertive, proactive and thoughtful in our planning, constantly referring to the Guidelines as we plan our learning experiences. The Guidelines should not apply to just one aspect of the curriculum or to just one group of students. Instead, they constitute a tool to support the development of a shared language in the design of objectives, assessments, methods and materials that lead to accessible and inspiring learning experiences for all.

There is no set order for using the Guidelines. They are meant to be combined and harmonized according to specific learning objectives. Over time, however, we have experimented with different provisions of the graphical organizer of the UDL Guidelines, in order to facilitate the understanding of the UDL by operators in different sectors.

The development of the CAST UDL Guidelines has been, and continues to be, a dynamic, collaborative and developmental process. After the first version of the Guidelines, the feedback from operators in the sector increased. This type of feedback, together with the expanding research in the different fields of UDL, pedagogy, cognitive science, psychology and neuroscience, has led to the development of several adaptations of the Guidelines. None of these should be considered a corrected or more complete version; on the contrary, each of them has a particular goal and describes our learning not only as an organization, but also more generally in the specific field. In this sense, the various exhibitions proposed here have a more practical and didactic purpose.

There have been some changes in the latest version. Initial versions of the Guidelines begin with "Providing multiple modes of representation". Instead, in the most recent versions, it starts from "Propose different ways of involvement". This change is intended to highlight the essential role that participation plays in learning and is attributable to both literature and teacher input. We have maintained the classic structure in our exposition, as we understand that involvement, from the point of view of applied pedagogy, needs a good knowledge of the techniques and it is assumed that the main gaps in teacher training may concern these aspects, in particularly when it comes to stimulating the use of IT platforms and the digitization of educational resources.

Many tools and resources can be used in support of a learning objective and may coincide with various UDL Guidelines and indicators. These tools and resources can include the latest digital technology or even use low-tech or non-tech tools. However, the resources and tools themselves are not what make a lesson or learning experience "UDL". Instead, UDL is an approach to thinking about how different tools and resources can be leveraged to reduce barriers and support all learners in committing to adopting an inspiring way of thinking. We hope that the Guidelines will help educators develop and internalize a UDL mindset to proactively place tools and resources in the service of clear and precise learning objectives.

Feedback can be sent to CAST to share questions, research, resources and ideas. Your perspectives are critical to the future development of the UDL guidelines, as we work to make this tool more thoughtful for expanding research and insights into the field.