Gemini. (2026) Gemini Notebook [Audio Overview generator] https://notebook.google/
Supporting Gen Z Through the ABCs
College students bring a wide range of experiences, expectations, responsibilities, and strengths into our classrooms. Many are members of Generation Z, a generation that has grown up with technology, instant access to information, and countless ways to communicate and create.
Of course, no generation learns in just one way.
That is exactly why Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can be so useful.
Rather than designing for an “average” student, UDL encourages us to anticipate learner variability and create multiple ways for students to engage with learning, access information, and demonstrate what they know. The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) describes the goal of UDL as developing learner agency while ensuring students can participate in meaningful and appropriately challenging learning opportunities.
That makes UDL a natural partner for our ABCs: Access, Belonging, and Community.
Access: More Than One Way Into Learning
Access begins with intentionally reducing unnecessary barriers.
For today’s learners, that might mean pairing a complex reading with a short video, adding captions and transcripts, providing examples of successful work, clearly organizing materials in Canvas, or offering information through more than one medium.
CAST encourages instructors to provide multiple ways for students to perceive information and to use multiple media to support understanding.
This aligns closely with our ABC definition of Access, which emphasizes creating options, flexibility, and opportunities so more learners can engage equitably. UDL is specifically identified as one strategy for putting Access into practice.
Faculty Takeaway: Look at one lesson students regularly struggle with. Could you add one additional pathway into the content—a visual, short video, worked example, transcript, diagram, or brief explanation? You do not need to create three versions of everything. Start by removing one barrier.
Belonging: Give Students Voice and Agency
Students are more likely to engage when they can see themselves, their experiences, and their goals reflected in the learning environment.
UDL encourages instructors to consider choice, autonomy, relevance, identity, and authenticity when designing learning experiences.
Sometimes that can be remarkably simple.
Let students select from several project topics. Invite them to connect a concept to their intended career. Provide choices in examples or case studies. When the format itself is not part of the learning objective, consider whether students might have more than one appropriate way to demonstrate their understanding.
These choices communicate an important message:
There is room for you here.
Our ABC framework describes Belonging as recognizing the dignity and value of every individual while making space for different voices and perspectives.
Faculty Takeaway: Build one meaningful choice into an upcoming activity or assignment. Let students choose a topic, example, question, or method of participation when that choice does not change the academic standard. A little agency can create a stronger sense of ownership and belonging.
Community: Learning With and From One Another
UDL is not only about how individual students access course content.
It also asks us to think about how students learn together.
CAST specifically encourages faculty to foster collaboration, interdependence, collective learning, belonging, and community.
That might mean using a quick poll and discussing the different responses, asking students to compare approaches to a problem, incorporating a brief think-pair-share, or creating opportunities for students to explain concepts to one another.
These do not have to be elaborate group projects.
Small, intentional interactions can help students move from simply occupying the same classroom—or Canvas course—to recognizing that their classmates are also resources, collaborators, and members of a learning community.
That aligns with our ABC definition of Community, which emphasizes connection, collaboration, and creating opportunities for people to learn and grow together.
Faculty Takeaway: Add one opportunity this week for students to learn from each other. Try a quick poll, pair-and-share, collaborative problem, discussion prompt, or peer explanation. Community can begin with five minutes of intentional interaction.
Start Small
UDL can feel like a large framework, but implementing it does not require redesigning an entire course.
Choose one lesson, one activity, or one assignment and ask:
- Can students access this in more than one meaningful way?
- Is there an appropriate opportunity for choice or student voice?
- Can students learn something from one another?
Those three questions provide a simple starting point for connecting UDL with Access, Belonging, and Community.
Turning Learner Needs Into Action
The ideas in this table are intended to move from theory to action. Each learner need is paired with a practical design response that can be incorporated into an existing module or course. Faculty might begin with one manageable change, such as adding a checklist, captioned walkthrough, assignment choice, authentic example, or structured opportunity for peer interaction.
| Learner Needs | UDL Connection | Practical Strategy |
| Digital and multimedia oriented | Multiple ways to access information | Combine readings with brief demonstrations, diagrams, or audio. Include captions, transcripts, and meaningful image descriptions. |
| Autonomous and flexible | Choice and planning | Offer appropriate topic or format choices. Provide weekly checklists, goal setting prompts, and clear milestones. |
| Purpose and relevance driven | Relevance and application | Connect objectives to workplace tasks or community issues. Use cases that require decisions and explain why the learning matters. |
| Social and interactive | Belonging and collaboration | Use structured peer exchanges, shared problem solving, and visible instructor communication to support meaningful participation. |
| Need structure and support | Feedback and progress monitoring | Keep navigation predictable. Supply rubrics, examples, practice, and actionable feedback before major assessments. |
For a more detailed exploration of these connections, see the full UDL Crosswalk PDF presented at the OLC Elevate 2026 event.
Resources
CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines 3.0 – The current UDL Guidelines include practical considerations for engagement, representation, and action and expression across disciplines and learning environments.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) – University of Oregon Teaching Support and Innovation website.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) – Carnegie Melon University Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation.
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