Instructors and learners may face multiple challenges accessing online material.

• Some communities do not have sufficiently robust infrastructure to support every instructor and learner online simultaneously. 
• Instructors and learners may also face challenges from their equipment, and/or may need some additional ways to access and participate in courses in an online format. 
  

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can reduce many of these barriers for all instructors and learners. Instructors and learners can work together to design multiple ways for learners to demonstrate that they have achieved mastery of course concepts and are moving toward and completing course objectives.

These ideas may also help to address challenges caused by many people attempting to access the internet simultaneously, as scripts for lectures and videos are often smaller information packets while lectures or videos are much larger information packets. Including alternate ways for learners to access information and to demonstrate progress toward and mastery of learning objectives also accommodates instructors and learners who find multiple modalities for accessing information and achieving course objectives helpful.