Experience-Based Co-design of Universal Design for Practice Learning Guidelines to Enhance Nursing Practice Placements

Background: Inclusive practice learning environments are essential to supporting nursing students’ engagement, wellbeing, and professional development. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers a framework for enhancing accessibility and flexibility, yet its use in clinical practice education remains limited. Aim: To co-design UDL-informed guidelines that enhance the inclusivity and accessibility of nursing practice learning environments. Methods: An Experience-Based Co-design (EBCD) approach was used. Nine nursing students from General Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, and Integrated Children’s and General Nursing programmes were recruited via expressions of interest and screening interviews. Participants completed UDL training and took part in co-design workshops centred on emotionally significant practice learning experiences, structured around the three UDL principles. Draft guideline components were refined with UDL experts and reviewed during an implementation workshop with practice placement educators. Results: The co-design process generated a set of practice-oriented UDL guidelines addressing engagement, representation, and action and expression. Students’ lived experiences shaped recommendations that were feasible across diverse practice settings and responsive to learner diversity, including disability-related needs. Conclusion: Co-designing UDL guidelines with students and educators offers a practical route to strengthening inclusivity, clarity, and consistency within nursing practice learning environments.