The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 Guidelines have been released! To update the UDL Guidelines, the organization CAST used an inclusive, community-driven, research-based process to address systemic barriers to learning opportunities and outcomes. To address barriers, including gaps and biases, updates to the 3.0 Guidelines support designing learning experiences where every learner is welcomed and honored. This means the new guidelines are even more aligned to Relay's focus on culturally responsive and inclusive teaching!
Here is a list of the major changes in the UDL Guidelines (this does not include changes to individual considerations – formerly called "checkpoints" – within each guideline; see also the full list of side-by-side changes and the rationale for each change):
Overall Changes
Throughout the guidelines, there is a greater focus on identity as part of learner variability; the “who” is now emphasized along with the “why” (engagement), the “what” (representation), and the “how” (action and expression)
Individual, institutional, and systemic bias is acknowledged as a barrier to consider across engagement, representation, and action and expression
"Provide Options" has changed to "Design Options" to indicate that the UDL guidelines are a tool that can be used by learners as well as educators and to support the shift from educator-centered to learner-centered language
The goal of UDL has changed from developing "expert learners" to focusing on "learner agency" to reduce the connotation of learning as finite, to emphasize students learning together and sharing their experiences, and to recognize the brilliance inherent in every learner rather than implying assimilation
The left hand row labels of Access/Build/Internalize have changed to Access/Support/Executive Function to better clarify and emphasize the interconnected nature of executive functions
"Checkpoints" are now called "considerations" to clarify that the UDL guidelines are not meant to be a checklist, but a list of prompts
Engagement
Guideline 7: "Recruiting Interest" is now "Welcoming Interests and Identities" to more fully honor students' identities and assets and to include joy and play
Guideline 9: "Self-Regulation" is now "Emotional Capacity" as "self-regulation" can be connected to assimilation and compliance
Representation
Guideline 3: "Comprehension" is now "Building Knowledge" to clarify that the meaning goes beyond comprehension of text to multiple ways of building knowledge
Action & Expression
Guideline 4: "Physical Action" is now "Interaction" to clarify that it includes interaction with the content, environment, and other individuals
Guideline 6: "Executive Functions" is now "Strategy Development" to more accurately describe what is in this specific guideline, since "executive functions" actually encompasses all guidelines in the bottom row