UDL Tips for Developing

Learning Goals
Goals are the foundation of any effective learning experience — whether it is a face-to-face
class, a remote learning opportunity, or other kind of learning interaction. When we clarify what
we want learners to accomplish, then we can select flexible assessments, methods, and materials
that effectively support that goal.

Start with a clear goal.

It is critical that learners know the intended
goals of the learning experience. This is the Ask yourself:
first step to developing flexible and accessible
opportunities. Make sure the goals are • Do my learners know what the goal is
crafted using language that is easy for your and what the goal means?
learners to understand. Each should know • Are my learners able to visualize and/or
exactly what they are working to achieve describe the goal in their own way?
— whether it is independent, remote, or
collaborative team work.

Share goals in multiple ways.

Sharing the goal in multiple formats ensures
learners can access what it is they are working Ask yourself:
to achieve.
• What options do my learners have to
perceive the goal?
For example, you may share the goal
verbally, have it posted at the top of a digital • Do all of my learners know where to
handout, or ask learners to restate the goal find the goal of the learning experience
in their own words. and reference it at any point during
their work?
Frame goals with expert learning in mind.
Disciplinary habits of mind, college and career
readiness, and other standards articulate Ask yourself:
what the educational community values.
Reflect on how the goals support all learners • How are my goals encouraging
to gain meaningful and challenging learning challenging disciplinary expertise or
opportunities — whether you are designing habits of mind?
for a face-to-face environment or a remote • How are my selected assessments,
learning experience. materials, and methods encouraging
expert learning?
For example, use CAST’s Expert Learner
Characteristics to reflect on how your goals
support the development of expert learners
in your learning environment.

Separate the goal from the means.

Where possible, separate the goal from the
means, or “how” learners can achieve the Ask yourself:
goal. When there is flexibility in the means,
it empowers learners to make choices that • How have I offered flexibility in how
maximize their strengths and support their my learners can work toward the goal?
learning needs. When there are clear goals, • How have I empowered learners to
we can open the door to flexible choose the means they will use to
methods, materials, and assessments, achieve the goal?
whether we’re designing for an in-person or
virtual experience.
Prepare your assessment with the
goals in mind.
Aligning assessments to the goal ensures that
the assessments are measuring what you’ve Ask yourself:
intended. Make sure you’re aware of and
attempt to eliminate elements within your • Does my assessment align with my
assessments that are not essential for the learning goals?
learning goals. • What barriers are there in my
assessment that may impact my
learners’ abilities to show what they
For example, if you are measuring know?
reading comprehension, there can be
flexibility in how learners can access the • How could flexible assessment
required content, such as through text or options reduce those barriers?
audio options.

Include opportunities for personal connections

to the goals.
Affective goals, such as developing enthusiasm
Ask yourself:
for learning and finding meaningful
connections, are also important for learners
in any context. Engagement strategies not • In what ways can my learners
only recruit interest, but make it more likely personally relate to and engage with
learners will sustain effort and persistence this goal?
through challenges. • Have I provided opportunities for
learners to articulate their own
For example, you could work with learners personal goals within a learning
to discuss how the goal connects to real experience?
world challenges and relevant examples.
Divide large goals into sub-goals or objectives.
Breaking larger, long-term goals into smaller,
short-term goals makes the learning process Ask yourself:
feel obtainable. It also provides opportunities
to celebrate milestones or to reduce barriers • Are my goals manageable for the time
along the way. This is important whether period allocated?
learners are working independently in remote • Have I provided opportunities
settings or together in a shared space. for learners to create their own
milestones and long-term goals?
• Are there resources to meet the
demands of each subtask within a
long-term assignment?

Consider the process as well as the end product.

The process of learning can be just as Ask yourself:
valuable as the end result. Mistakes are an
opportunity for reflection about what it takes
• In what ways does my goal encourage
to achieve a goal.
learning skills and processes, as well
as content?
For example, standards such as the • How are learners able to self-reflect
Common Core State Standards, the Next on their learning process?
Generation Science Standards, and the
ISTE Standards explicitly call out process- • Are there opportunities for feedback
oriented goals. along the way?

Provide models and examples.

Offering examples of what excellence looks
like (or “sounds like” or “feels like”) gives Ask yourself:
learners a clear model of what to work toward.
Use models and non-models to highlight the • Are there clear examples for learners
critical features so learners have a baseline for to understand what constitutes
their work. This is especially important when excellence?
learners are working remotely or if they have • Are there checklists or rubrics with
not had previous background experience with clear expectations, so learners can self-
the concept. evaluate their work toward
the goal?
Make time for reflection.

We’re busy. Whether we are working

asynchronously online or together in the same Ask yourself:
learning space, there is always a lot of curricular
ground to cover. It is important to pause and • Have I given learners opportunities to
encourage time for learners to reflect on reflect on their experiences in relation
how the goals and design of the experiences to the goals?
supported — or did not support — their learning • What barriers did learners face in
and goals. the goals that could be adjusted
next time?

Additional Resources
• Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning
by David H. Rose, Anne Meyer, Nicole Strangman and Gabrielle Rappolt
• UDL Quick Tips from the ACCESS Project at Colorado State University
• Key Questions to Consider When Planning Lessons from CAST
• Making Goals SMART from Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ
• Critical Elements of UDL in Instruction from the UDL-IRN
• Universal Design for Learning in British Columbia
from the legacy of the BC UDL Project
• Heighten salience of goals and objectives from the UDL Guidelines
• Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance
from the UDL Guidelines
• UDL Instructional Planning Process from the UDL-IRN