What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? 

For me, the UDL is an advanced and fairly designed learning framework for all types of students. Under the three-network model, the course or education system following this principle gives every type of learner a equal chance to develop education. Under this cirrculum principle of educating, it gives all learners mutiple way to access the resources, learn, and express the learning result. An expeienced educator could build a UDL learning environment using not only high-tech method, but also low-tech physical teaching method like face-to-face teaching, to fulfill all the needs from students.

Ensuring Accessibility in Online Settings: 

Normally, to successfully ensure the accessibility in online learning, we should consider offering various way of delivering knowledge. This could include videos, alt text for the images, captions for the videos, and properly navigated website. Also, a qualified education accessibility should also make sure that every learner can understand the knowledge in their own way. Like mentioned in the article”Universal Design for Learning Additional Information (UDL)“: “The purpose of education is not to make information accessible, but rather to teach learners how to transform accessible information into usable knowledge.” –Introduction to the UDL Guidelines (CAST, 2012). UDL principle focus on not only the accessibility of getting knowledge, but also an equal change to express and react on what they have learned.

Ethical Challenges of EdTech and ethical consideration: 

Under the UDL principle, the online learning website should prioritize students’ well-being and their learning experience. The website should first ensure all the register information from the learners safe and sound, commercialization is stongly forbbidened. And it is the educator’s job to ensure that the learners who use the online learning resources can get equally knowledge and focusing on the accessibility for all types of students. As a learner, my responsibility will be not spreading any learning resources illegally, and respect other learners’ personal privacy. During the digital interaction, stay civilized and respectful is also important, this also includes avoiding addemic integrity, being honest in my work.

Applying UDL and Accessibility Principles: 

During the 2020 pandemic, most of my course were taken as online course, although the instructors tried their best to follow the UDL principle, but there were still many acedemic integrity happened. Some students copied others’ work as their own, some cheated during the online final exam. The courses were also lack of accessibility, students from different time zone often missed important schedule and notes, and their recorded videos were sometimes lack of captions or alt texts.