Experience-Based Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Applications: Building Bridges to Overcome Barriers

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the autobiographical memory narrative through which graduate teacher candidates (TCs) identified (1) barriers to learning, (2) Universal Design for Learning (UDL) checkpoints to remove these barriers, and (3) strategies for addressing the UDL checkpoints to remove the barriers. This study explored lived experiences among graduate TCs in relation to (a) UDL training in the graduate teacher preparation programs, (b) barriers to learning among their past experience, and (c) UDL checkpoints’ applications to removing the self-identified barriers to learning. Emerging themes and subthemes indicated that the participants used specific UDL checkpoints to overcoming specific types of barriers to learning in the past experience in K-16 education. This indicates their recognitions of specific types of barriers to learning, identifications of specific UDL checkpoints for overcoming the barriers, and considerations of specific strategies based on the identified UDL checkpoints. Implications for the future study includes having autobiographical memory narratives as a practical learning tool for graduate TCs to put themselves into perspectives of (A) students experiencing barriers to learning and (B) teachers applying UDL checkpoints to removing the barriers to learning.