I Design Learning

You design learning through the choices you make about your course. Small design choices can reduce barriers for students and make everyday teaching a little easier—so you can spend more time on teaching, feedback, and working with students.

I Design Learning offers practical places to start. As you design or revise a learning experience, consider three things:

Access: Can students find, read, hear, view, and navigate what they need?
Action: Do students know what to do, why it matters, when it is due, and where to go next?
Flexibility: Where the learning goal allows, are there options for how students access, engage with, or participate in learning?

Can students access it? Can students act on it? Can students use it flexibly?

Four Everyday Areas of Design

Choose an area to explore practical changes you can make in your course.

Text & Information

Make course information easier to find, understand, and use.

Media & Visuals

Make visual, audio, and multimedia content easier to access and use.

Communication & Tone

Make expectations, support, and communication clearer and more welcoming.

Learning Environments

Help students access and navigate the different spaces where learning happens.

Text & Information

Quercus pages, syllabi, assignment and quiz instructions, rubrics, emails, slides, discussion boards, handouts, and shared documents all shape how students find and use course information.

Make it easy to access

Use headings, short sections, meaningful links, consistent formatting, and plain language to make information easier to find and navigate.

Make it easy to act on

Clarify what students need to do, why it matters, how their work will be assessed, when it is due, where to submit it, and what comes next.

Make it flexible

Provide supports such as summaries, checklists, templates, examples, or downloadable versions.

Media & Visuals

Videos, audio, images, diagrams, charts, slides, demonstrations, and other multimedia shape how students access and engage with course content.

Make it easy to access

Provide captions and transcripts for audio and video, alternative text or descriptions for meaningful images, sufficient colour contrast, and clear audio and visuals.

Make it easy to act on

Tell students what to pay attention to and what they should do with the media.

Make it flexible

Where appropriate, provide more than one way to engage with key content, such as combining media with text, audio, or visuals.

Communication & Tone

Announcements, emails, syllabus language, feedback, office hours, discussion boards, and instructions about where to get help all shape how students navigate and engage with a course.

Make it easy to access

Use clear, welcoming language and avoid assuming that students already know course conventions, disciplinary terminology, or how and when to ask for help.

Make it easy to act on

Be explicit about how students can contact you, what kinds of questions they can ask, and when they can expect a response.

Make it flexible

Where possible, offer more than one appropriate way for students to ask questions or seek support.

Learning Environments

Classrooms, labs, studios, online meetings, field trips, placements, workplaces, community settings, and other physical or digital spaces all shape how students access and participate in learning. While you may not control every aspect of a learning environment, consider what you can change or influence.

Make it easy to access

Provide useful information about the learning environment in advance, including location, technology, physical or sensory features, and anything students need to bring or prepare.

Make it easy to act on

Tell students what to do and who to contact if they encounter a problem or barrier in the learning environment.

Make it flexible

When the learning goal allows, consider different ways for students to participate or access the learning experience.

Start Small

You do not need to redesign everything at once. Choose one course element—a Quercus page, an assignment, a video, an announcement, or a learning activity—and ask: Can students access it? Can students act on it? Can students use it flexibly? One small change can make the learning experience clearer and more usable for students.

Need support? CTSI offers consultations to help you adapt strategies for your context. Reach out to us to start a conversation.

U Design Learning | Teaching and Universal Design for Learning at U of T