Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 in Action: Igniting Learner Joy and Agency

From access to belonging

UDL was originally designed as a framework for accessibility, ensuring that all learners, including those with disabilities, could access content and demonstrate knowledge. Over time, the model expanded to emphasize proactive design: embedding flexibility from the start so students can engage, represent, and express their learning in multiple ways.

CAST’s 2024 update continues that legacy but adds an essential layer. UDL 3.0 reframes learning as a dynamic process influenced by who we are and how we relate to others. Every learner enters our classroom with intersecting identities, cultural backgrounds, and lived experiences that shape how they see themselves and others. As CAST notes, “Learning is a social, emotional, and identity-based process.” This resonates deeply with the insights of Sarah Rose Cavanagh in The Spark of Learning, where she argues that emotion is not peripheral but central to attention, memory, motivation, and ultimately, learning itself. Cavanagh reminds us that the emotional climate we create (through relationships, trust, relevance, and purpose) significantly influences how students engage cognitively and socially. By combining UDL 3.0’s focus on identity and belonging with the science of emotion, we can ask: What does it look like to design learning so that every student feels they matter and are able to succeed?

The three UDL principles, reimagined

The updated UDL 3.0 framework continues to be organized around the three familiar principles but with a new emphasis on relationship-building, joy, and systemic awareness:

• Engagement,
• Representation,
• Action & Expression

Engagement: The why of learning

Traditional UDL encourages multiple ways to engage students. But UDL 3.0 pushes us to go beyond motivation toward meaningful connection. In this new lens, engagement isn’t about gamifying participation or adding fun activities; it’s about asking: What brings joy and meaning to learning?

Designing for engagement means creating learning experiences grounded in trust and motivation rather than compliance. So, what does this look like?

• Start with relationships. Whether your class has 20 or 200 students, build welcome rituals. Simple gestures like welcome videos, low-stakes introductions, or community-building discussions can establish belonging from day one.
• Co-create norms. Invite students to contribute to shared values and expectations, building community and accountability together. When students help shape the space, they’re more invested in maintaining it.
• Invite choice. Offer opportunities for learners to pursue topics or project formats that resonate with their identities or goals.

Creating relationships can be as simple as constructing a syllabus with the learner in mind.  Does the language invite student participation, or focus on what not to do?  Can you include “why this matters” notes in the course schedule that help students see how their learning connects to their daily lives? These small shifts can serve as an invitation to shared purpose, helping students see their learning as personal and relevant.

Representation: The what of learning

Representation has always meant offering multiple ways to present information: using text, visuals, and audio to ensure all students can access content. UDL 3.0 expands this by focusing on whose knowledge and perspectives are represented, and how we make content balanced and authentic.

In practice, this might mean:

• Multimodal Representation: Use multimodal materials (audio, visual, textual) that reflect diverse identities and worldviews.
• Disciplinary Norms: Examine disciplinary norms and ask: whose knowledge is missing? What context can I provide?

Imagine a public health instructor redesigning a module on diabetes education to include case studies from various cultural groups.  This would allow students to have a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by public health workers, but also raises engagement as students see their own communities reflected in the content.

Action & expression: The how of learning

UDL 3.0 challenges us to expand how learners can demonstrate understanding and value creativity, flexibility, and authentic expression.

That might mean replacing a traditional essay with a choice of:

• A podcast episode exploring key concepts;
• A concept map or infographic connecting theories;
• A collaborative portfolio showcasing process and growth.

Flexibility doesn’t mean lowering standards, it means opening pathways for students to meet them in ways that align with their strengths. Start by asking yourself why your assessments are designed the way they are. Is the format a crucial part of students’ future work and lives, or is there an opportunity to let students lean on their strengths to express their learning?

Joy as a pedagogical practice

Perhaps the most transformative update to UDL 3.0 is its focus on joy; not as a fleeting emotion, but as a condition for meaningful learning.

Joy in education emerges when students feel valued, connected, and capable of contributing to a shared purpose. Designing for joy means:

• Embracing curiosity and play as part of rigorous inquiry.
• Normalizing “failure as feedback” to promote resilience.
• Embedding moments of reflection, gratitude, or creativity into course flow.

When joy is not reserved for the rare day when everything goes right, but is built into the structure of a course, students begin to associate learning with belonging and growth. Giving learners space to take risks and recover promotes resilience that will serve them well beyond the classroom.

Challenging exclusionary norms

UDL 3.0 also calls on educators to challenge exclusionary norms or the hidden barriers that limit who succeeds in higher education. This involves reflecting on:

• Participation policies that may privilege certain communication styles or life situations.
• Course materials that assume shared cultural knowledge.
• Assessment practices that define success narrowly.

As one colleague put it, “We can’t talk about rigor without talking about care. When students feel safe to bring their full selves to learning, rigor becomes an act of empowerment, not exclusion.” So, ask yourself, are your deadlines flexible enough to account for the reality of today’s student lives?  Does participation favor those who are quick thinkers or confident talkers?  Are you bringing in viewpoints that are culturally relevant to all students?

Design for humanity

Universal Design for Learning 3.0 reminds us that design is never neutral. Every policy, activity, and assessment communicates values about who belongs and how learning happens. When we intentionally design for joy, agency, and care, we create classrooms where students succeed and flourish.

From theory to practice

Start small. Choose one element of your course to apply the UDL 3.0 lens. This could be a syllabus policy, assessment design, or even bringing in new culturally relevant course materials.

Ask:

• Does this design affirm learner identity and connection?
• Does it promote agency and self-reflection?
• Does it invite play, joy, or collective care?
  

The goal isn’t to do everything at once. It’s to move toward a culture of intentional design, where every decision—large or small—reflects the belief that all learners belong.

References

CAST. (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines (Version 3.0). Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org

Cavanagh, S. R. (2016). The spark of learning: Energizing the college classroom with the science of emotion. West Virginia University Press.