Construct Education is becoming OES. New name, same team, and same commitment to online learning excellence.
Construct Education is becoming OES. New name, same team, and same commitment to online learning excellence.
Imagine starting an online course eager to learn, but find the content difficult to navigate, videos lack captions, and assessments rely solely on a single-timed test that doesn’t reflect your strength. Frustrating, right? For many learners, this is a daily reality.
Research shows that the number of students with disabilities attending institutions of higher learning is growing, and these numbers might even be understated because “students with disabilities, like their peers, typically develop their independence and build their identities during college” and therefore, “want to avoid pity, embarrassment, and stigma by disclosing personal information.” (Lomellini et al., 2025).
This makes accessible learning design an increasingly important consideration in course development.
Effective learning design isn’t just about delivering content. It’s about shaping how learners engage with, process, and apply knowledge. As the educational landscape continues to grow and evolve, it is imperative that we intentionally design learning experiences that support all learners. A research-driven approach rooted in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility best practices can ensure that learning is not only accessible but also equitable, empowering, and impactful. This framework, developed by CAST, helps create flexible learning environments that are adaptable to different learners’ needs.
To support diverse online learners, instructional design must move beyond compliance checklists. It needs to actively embrace and develop inclusive, flexible, and personalized learning experiences. Grounded in UDL, this approach ensures learning environments adapt to varied abilities, learning preferences, and backgrounds, fostering a more equitable learning experience.
UDL was built on advances in neuroscience and technology, and is based on three core principles:
Not all learners are motivated by the same experiences. Inclusive learning design provides varied ways to engage with content to foster motivation, persistence, and a sense of belonging. A 2010 case study by Marie E. Leichliter, from a leading university in West Virginia found that implementing various engagement strategies led to positive student reception and increased engagement.
The following are practical applications:
Learners perceive, process, and retain information differently, making it important to provide content in multiple formats. This improves understanding and makes learning more accessible for the learner.
Some practical applications:
At Construct Education, we recently implemented a comprehensive corporate training program that features multilingual subtitles and AI-driven real-time transcripts. According to client feedback, this initiative has proven to be a game-changer, and has led to increased course completion rates among non-native English speakers.
Traditional assessments, such as timed exams or essays, can pose barriers for many learners. Inclusive learning design allows for flexibility in how learners demonstrate understanding, allowing them to showcase their knowledge in ways that work best for them.
Useful applications include:
Accessibility is often seen as a compliance requirement, but if you proactively design for inclusivity, you will gain a significant competitive edge.
Courses that prioritize accessibility:
The future of education and corporate training lies in learning experiences that meet the needs of all individuals, regardless of ability, background, or learning style. UDL principles and accessibility best practices enable you to create flexible, effective, equitable, and future-proof online learning experiences for all learners.
Ready to make your courses more inclusive? Start by evaluating your current learning materials. Where can you integrate more choice, multimodal content, or flexible assessments?
At Construct, we go beyond compliance. We design learning solutions grounded in a research-driven approach to create equitable, transformative, and meaningful online learning experiences for diverse learners.
We aim for AA-level compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 (WCAG 2.2) ensuring that every learner has the opportunity to succeed. Join us in building a more inclusive future for education and corporate training.
