Use of Universal Design of Instruction: A Promising Practice for Industry-Trained Career and Technical Education Teachers

Date Updated: 
05/23/22

The Career and Technical Education Program (CTE) at Seattle Public Schools serves a wide variety of students with different learning needs. Through a collaborative grant from The Boeing Company, CTE staff worked with the Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) program to provide universal design of instruction (UDI) training to CTE instructors.

Many CTE instructors are hired directly from industry. Although they are experts in their craft, many are just beginning to develop instructional strategies. Over the course of one year, DO-IT staff worked with instructors in the classroom and provided information and resources to help them adopt UDI practices. Students with disabilities were engaged in the process, too, offering feedback on the universal design of specific activities.

The principles of UDI make course content and activities accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, ethnic backgrounds, language skills, and learning styles. Examples of where UDI methods can be applied include class climate, interaction, physical environment and products, delivery methods, information resources and technology, feedback, and assessment. The publication Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction contains a checklist of suggestions to integrate into the classroom.

Educators who participated offered the following comments about how they were influenced by the project.

  • I created a syllabus, which provides the big picture and small details to provide clear expectations.
  • I attempted to make content relevant. Now I tell them the ‘why’, and relate it to an industrial setting.
  • I rearranged my room to assist in student learning to foster team and individual participation!
  • I spent more time listening to the students to determine where I need to adjust my instruction.
  • I provided more details and gave more frequent feedback.

The use of UDI is considered a promising practice for industry-trained instructors, because it offers a process by which instructors can apply practical strategies to make courses more accessible for all students. Additional information about this topic can be found at Applications of Universal Design. You may also wish to consult the book Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit.