We’re excited to share a new open-access publication from the CARES Lab, recently published in the Journal of Adult and Continuing Education: “You Were Accomplishing Learning Goals Without Even Realizing It”: Student Perceptions of Universal Design for Learning in Professional Education.
This study explored how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies shaped student engagement, participation, and learning in an undergraduate social work course redesigned using UDL principles. UDL is a framework to teaching that aims to reduce barriers to learning by building flexibility, accessibility, and choice directly into course design. Rather than expecting students to adapt to rigid learning environments, UDL encourages educators to design courses that anticipate learner variability from the beginning.
In this study, students described how strategies such as recorded lectures, flexible assessments, structured discussions, multimodal materials, and interactive activities helped them feel more engaged, included, and supported in their learning. Several students also spoke about how these approaches reduced stress and barriers without requiring them to formally disclose disabilities or request accommodations.
One of the things that stood out most in the findings was that students often described learning as feeling more natural, interactive, and meaningful. As one participant explained, “You were accomplishing learning goals without even realizing it.”
The paper also highlights an important tension in professional education: while inclusive classroom design can improve accessibility and participation, many students continue to encounter barriers in field placements and professional training environments. The findings point to the need for broader institutional and structural change beyond individual classrooms.
This work was a collaborative effort with an incredible team: Jordan Hollahan (Department of Archaeology), Sean Fardy (Faculty of Education), and Rose C. B. Singh (School of Social Work). The article is open access, so it’s freely available to read and share.
Read the paper:
Goulden, A., Hollahan, J., Fardy, S., & Singh, R. (2026). “You were accomplishing learning goals without even realizing it”: Student perceptions of universal design for learning in professional education. Journal of Adult & Continuing Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/14779714261441833