SEEdS:
Universal Design in Engineering Classrooms

Seminar Description

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers a proactive framework for designing courses so that all students can access, engage with, and demonstrate learning. This seminar condensed core UDL principles – multiple means of engagement, representation, and action & expression – and showed how small, practical changes can make engineering courses more inclusive without requiring full redesigns.

This presentation was part of the Fulton Schools of Engineering Education Seminar (SEEdS) series, a monthly virtual speaker series that engages community members in discussions on engineering education. Learn more about SEEdS here.

From the discussion

Here are a few key takeaways from the session:

Start small – purpose first, principles second

When applying UDL, don’t try to use every guideline at once. Start with your purpose – what do you want students to learn or practice? Then choose one UDL principle (engagement, representation, or expression) that supports that goal. Purpose-driven design keeps UDL practical and sustainable.

💡 What is the single learning objective you’ll target with a UDL adjustment this week?

Feedback is a tool for motivation

Action-oriented feedback – naming what worked, what to improve, and the next step – helps sustain engagement and build student confidence. Reusable feedback comments save time while maintaining quality.

💡 How might you structure feedback so it guides students’ next steps?

Practical myths – and reality checks

• “UDL only matters if I have students with disabilities.” UDL benefits all students and anticipates needs you may not yet see.
• “Implementing UDL means a full course redesign.” Start small: micro-changes (clearer wording, optional deliverable formats, reusable feedback) can have a high impact.
• “It won’t work in large lectures.” Some strategies are harder at scale, but many (e.g., short written rationales, one-slide explainers, clicker-followed writeups) scale with simple scaffolds.

💡Which misconception about UDL most holds you back – and what’s one tiny experiment you could run to test it?

Guest Speaker

Dr. Rachel Figard is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and the Engineering Education Transformations Institute within the University of Georgia’s College of Engineering. Her research explores accessibility and user experience, sociotechnical design and learning, student experience, engineering culture, and broadening participation in engineering.


Missed a session? Access recordings of past SEEdS topics on our YouTube channel or those in the ASU community can explore our SEEdS resource folder.