UDL | Teaching Approach of Maastricht University

With teaching large-scale lectures and practicals, Roy Erkens, a plant biologist with a focus on evolutionary biology, experienced too little connection with his students. Therefore, he made the switch to small-scale biology education within the Maastricht Science Program (the University College for Science in Maastricht). This program was in its start-up phase at the time. Erkens got to work with the curriculum, trying to design his own courses in accordance with the UDL principle. During an interview, he talks about the added value of UDL for both students and teachers.

Reason for the application and the why behind UDL

“The UDL idea meshed well with the way I like to teach and think how education should be. […] We stick too much to lectures and final exams. It’s not always good to do it that way. In the current system, the teacher mainly does the work, then the student jumps through a hoop.”

“Within UDL education, the responsibility lies more with the student. And I, as a teacher, reap the benefits of that in the long run”

Small-scale and intensive education

Because the curriculum of the Maastricht Science Program offers much room for teachers’ own interpretation, teaching and its form differ within the program. Teachers within his program, in Erkens’ view, struggle to a lesser extent with bureaucratic processes and fixed plans, frameworks and requirements. Erkens experiences a lot of room within the program to experiment, despite the fact that the goals within the subjects are fixed and the quality must be high. “Some colleagues are familiar with the UDL principle, some are not. The common denominator in their teaching is small-scale and intensive. That is in the DNA of education; a personalized approach that ensures low student dropout rates,” Erkens said.

UDL teaching enthuses its students, making them learn more, both in terms of content and 21st-century skills. It helps students get the most out of themselves and learn more than Erkens could impart as a teacher. Thus, teaching according to the UDL philosophy makes Erkens more effective as a teacher.

“Because the students decide for themselves how to engage with the material, it better matches their interests and the theory sticks better.”

More room for personal learning experiences

Instead of the traditional form of examination, students made their own answer key based on the textbook and notes. The students were allowed to review the test themselves and could use this to reflect on their own answers. This made them think more about the material and their answers. This form of test gave more room for personal learning experience, according to Erkens. “UDL also provided a solution for offering courses that are both online and physically ‘proof’ and where you increase students’ freedom of movement, Erkens adds.

To create another final assignment, students were given free rein to showcase what they had learned in a way that was fun, relevant to them. For example, with a presentation, written piece, poster or video. This also made the teacher’s work more enjoyable. Also included here were elements such as peer feedback and self-reflection. The students indicated in the final evaluation that they would like more assignments like this. For them it made the material more accessible and relevant and motivated them even more. Erkens also agrees that the students in his courses work hard, not because he wants them to, but because they want to.

“With UDL, you become more effective as a teacher. You can focus more on supporting the learning process.”

Change approach

The corona crisis was the momentum for Erkens to make his teaching more UDL-proof. Because of time and complexity, he is implementing changes incrementally and seeing if it works. In this way, Erkens responds to opportunities while keeping the core of education the same. His approach is reasoned and substantiated, so he can explain all his choices to an examination board, for example.

Erkens believes it is important for the individual student to get the best out of himself. In his assignments, the learning objectives are clearly described, making the assignment very clear. The form of the assignment is secondary if it contributes nothing to the learning effect. This allows students to choose how they show that their learning objectives have been achieved.

Erkens is constantly looking for educational improvements that will allow him to activate and engage students. For example, in addition to ordinary tables and chairs, he has arranged standing tables. Erkens also provides work formats with small groups of students. This lowers the threshold for active participation in education. Erkens thinks that all teachers can get along with UDL, despite the fact that teachers are also very diverse. But it is precisely this diversity in providing education that benefits students. “To convince teachers that UDL works, sharing best practices offers a solution, because you can learn from good examples,” Erkens said.

What UDL delivers

“Education becomes more of the student’s because they get to decide how they learn.”

Erkens’ course is largely attended by international students. With that, everyone is easily a minority within the program and diversity is sometimes not noticeable because it is the norm. Erkens makes no exception in his education for students with support needs. In fact, there is no explicit need to do so. In his UDL teaching with a lot of personal attention, he prefers to find a way for all students to show what they can do. In specific cases, this can include pushing back a deadline. Erkens thinks that despite UDL teaching, you will always have to deal with exceptions. Thanks to UDL, he has more time and space to think carefully with these students. He also notices that his students are motivated for his courses. They work hard, ask extensive questions about the material and often turn in more than he has asked.