What is Next for Universal Design for Learning? UDL 3.0 and Implications for Diverse Settings

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework guides educators and instructional designers in planning for learner diversity as a core facet of curricular design. Following an extensive four-year process, a revised UDL 3.0 framework was released in 2024 that expanded considerations for learner diversity and attended to exclusionary systemic biases. This refresh of UDL brought marked changes in guideline language that incorporated complex concepts such as learner identity, intersectionality, learner-centeredness, and interdependence. Through a conversation cafe during the International Conference on Education Quality, global educators dialogued about how they interpret these changes in terms of their understanding of UDL and its implications for inclusive education practice in their local contexts. Participant feedback on the revised framework revealed varied perceptions of the strengths of the UDL 3.0 language and applications for practice in differing settings, such as early years, formal school settings, tertiary education, and alternative education contexts, and potential challenges related to cultural and linguistic differences.