Postsecondary physics curricula and Universal Design for Learning: Planning for diverse learners

Federal legislation specifies equitable access to education for all students at all levels of education, including postsecondary. To explore how well the physics education research (PER) community is currently serving students who inherently vary in needs, abilities, and interests, four research-based curricula (Tutorials in Introductory Physics, Open Source Tutorials in Physics Sensemaking, Physics by Inquiry, and Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking) were compared with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. This framework originates in the education literature base and is composed of 3 guiding principles (1. Provide multiple means of representation, 2. provide multiple means of action and expression, and 3. provide multiple means for engagement) further described by 9 principles and 31 checkpoints. The UDL guidelines provide a framework for designing courses to be supportive of and accessible to all learners, taking into account variations among learners during curriculum development. Activities in these four curricula were analyzed for alignment between the in-class curricular elements and the UDL guidelines. Overall, all of the curricula aligned with two of the checkpoints: foster collaboration and community and support planning and strategy development. However, the curricula were unaligned with many of the checkpoints, specifically with regards to providing multiple means of engagement. Who we are prepared to teach indicates who we expect to participate in the physics community. We propose suggestions for modifications to existing curricula and for future curricula to better support all learners. We also argue that, if these research-based curricula do not meet federal legislative guidelines about accessibility for all students, the burden of creating an accessible environment and complying with these federal laws falls on the instructors, which could deter them from using the curricula. If we as a community want instructors to use high quality, research-based curricula, curriculum developers should prioritize supporting all learners.

Figure 1

Ranking of the alignment between the UDL checkpoints and the four selected physics curricula overall. Gray shading indicates unalignments due to implementation variability and nonapplicability.