The quality, content, and effectiveness of digital learning materials can vary tremendously (Williams, Boone, & Kingsley, 2004), making it problematic for teachers to distinguish useful electronic programs and materials from flashy, graphics-intensive products that do little to promote learning.

By providing students with multiple ways to access content and multiple pathways for expressing what they learn, UDL, particularly when paired with instructional technology, can help educators devise approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment that are flexible and meaningful. The idea behind UDL is that by designing a flexible curriculum, educators can reach all learners by using varied approaches for student mastery of curricular content, such as guided practice, shared experiences, or problem-based learning. Educational technology provides a unique and robust set of tools to support the UDL model of instruction to scaffold and empower diverse learners.

Technology can provide new and exciting pathways for students to demonstrate their mastery of a topic or concept. In addition to conducting research, or writing and revising work, students can use digital technology such as interactive multimedia to demonstrate skills and competencies for real-life situations and real-world applications involving critical thinking and complex problem solving.