‘So, you want me to read for my degree?’: A Universal Design for Learning approach to reading

It seems logical to those of us working in higher education that students need to read for their degrees. Yet both research and practical experience indicates this isn’t so obvious to students themselves. Even when students do understand the importance of reading, they may experience challenges in engaging with it, whether through physical or learning disabilities, or time-poverty (working long hours, commuting or care responsibilities). This article outlines a collaborative research project undertaken between Library Services and the School of Education at the University of Worcester aiming to address these issues. It utilised a Universal Design for Learning approach to enable all students to access reading materials in a variety of formats using accessibility tools. Our results explore how both students and staff have engaged with these tools and the impact on their learning and teaching experiences.