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These days, we are demanding more of students than the acquisition of facts: We want them to ask questions, find information, and use that information effectively. We want them to learn how to learn.

CAST has drawn on the neuroscience of learning and the study of media to develop the concept of Universal Design for Learning. The central practical premise of UDL is that a curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied learning contexts.

UDL provides a framework that helps teachers differentiate their instruction through carefully articulated goals and individualized materials, methods, and assessments.

One of the benefits of student-led groups is that they model "real-life" adult situations in which people work together, not in isolation, to solve problems. Students working in groups learn to work with people from varying backgrounds and with different experiences, sharpening social skills and developing a sense of confidence in their own abilities.