The second largest group of responses focused on how instructors could incorporate more technology into their teaching. Students told us they want their instructors to increase use of mobile devices in the classroom and to use technology to increase student engagement; they also want training for both themselves and their instructors to use technology more effectively.

"Letting us use our laptops in class makes it easier to follow along with the lectures."

Students with disabilities hold the same attitudes as their peers when it comes to using technology in the classroom: they want to use their personal devices to enhance their learning, and, more specifically, they want to take notes on their mobile devices. Students who offered reasons why they want to use their laptop or tablet for note-taking told us that they could take notes faster and keep up with the pace of the lectures. A fourth-year communication student told us:

Make use of laptops more and always allow laptops to take notes. It's unfair when you're expected to handwrite all of the notes but the instructors go so fast and don't put the slides up later. You're asking your students to fail.

A student studying social sciences discussed how faculty should accommodate students' preferences on the basis of what works best for the students:

I think that students should be able to take notes using whatever method is most comfortable to them, whether that be on paper or on a laptop or tablet.

Similarly, some students who said they want to use their phones for note-taking brought up the issue of lectures being too fast to keep up with using pen and paper. Respondents also told us they want to follow lectures while accessing online materials, make notes directly into online PowerPoint slides, record lectures, take photos of any items on the classroom's board, or make voice memos.

A few students also stated that using mobile technology in the classroom could increase engagement and offer students additional learning opportunities during class time. A student suggested, "Have [technology] be more accessible and acceptable to research concepts in class to further the discussion." Finally, a student working on a bachelor's degree at a doctoral institution summed up a crucial issue when it comes to mobile-device bans in the classroom:

Stop telling me about studies that say using technology in classrooms is a distraction. Adaptive technology seems to be overlooked often in this constant speech.

This last comment brings up an often overlooked aspect of the tech ban debate: Where is the acknowledgment that students with disabilities might need to use adaptive technologies to aid in their learning?1  For example, iPads and other tablets are widely used by people without disabilities, but they can be particularly useful among students with visual impairment because of the devices' dictation and font adjustments.2  Bans on mobile devices have been shown to disproportionately affect students with disabilities, who consider these technologies critical for their learning.3  And if an instructor bans personal devices, students who have otherwise "invisible" disabilities and who use these devices as part of an accommodation are then "outed" to the rest of the class, essentially terminating the confidentiality and privacy these students are guaranteed.4 

Adhering to UDL principles so that all students can use technology in the classroom on the basis of what works for them is an approach that offers the best strategy for inclusiveness. Allowing students to engage with course materials this way and offering options for enhanced perception of materials adheres to UDL while also providing an environment in which all students have opportunities to succeed. This approach is literally at our fingertips, since mobile devices have built-in features such as the ability to increase text size and use voice commands, both of which can increase inclusivity. Implementing UDL principles also ensures that students with disabilities are not left without the tools they need for learning. One student who was allowed to use a smartphone in a course commented, "Integrate smartphones more, because the few professors who did really stood out, and it helped keep me engaged." Before banning mobile technologies in their classrooms, faculty should identify whether this could do more harm than good for their students' engagement and learning.

"Spend time teaching how to use the technology properly."

Instructors shouldn't assume that students have the skills to use the technology needed for their courses. And without the appropriate skills, no amount of software or computing power will increase student engagement or contribute to student success. So although students with disabilities are likely familiar with assistive or adaptive technologies (such as screen readers for students with low vision), their responses reflected a need for training on the technologies that all students at their institution use, either general tools, such as the LMS, or course-specific software. One student suggested, "Go a little slower for students who are newer to using laptops, Blackboard, Word, and PowerPoint." Many simply wanted to generally increase their skills, as illustrated when this second-year AA student studying communications told us:

I would have liked to receive some more instruction than I did about how to use the technologies that are available on campus. I'm a nontraditional student who doesn't use much technology. If they could maybe give lists of terms or simpler explanations about some of these apps and whatnot, I would appreciate it!

Students wanted very clear instructions on how to use the technology available on their campus and how to use technology to achieve their academic goals. A student suggested that instructors could "better explain assignments that use technology that students are unfamiliar with." Such responses suggest that students have gaps in their knowledge on how to use technology for their courses.

Students also wanted specific training in how to use technology to complete course requirements, such as accessing texts and completing assignments:

Teach us how to use online textbooks—how to get it to work.

Explain the ways programs and online assignments work better.

Have the homework system better explained rather than have me fumble through it.

Explain how to go about submitting assignments in more detail.

Some students wanted training on how to use software specific to their courses in order to complete assignments. For example, a respondent suggested, "Show demos of how the software works." Another student said that even more foundational instruction was needed: "Understand how to download software so we don't have to figure it out by ourselves." Another respondent suggested, "Have at least one day dedicated to teaching us how to use specific programs and tools." Based on these responses, students want to use the technology that's available, but they need explicit direction to successfully do so. Finally, a second-year education major at an MA institution outlined what she wanted from her instructors when it comes to providing effective instruction:

Have clear-set expectations and guidelines for the ways in which they will be using technology, how they want us to use the technology, and how much technology we are able to use.

Overall, student confidence in their technology use has been positively associated with their engagement in computer-based learning.5  Students with disabilities are requesting the training and direction necessary to foster this confidence, and this skill-building is one important factor that all students need for engaging with technology. A way to ensure that students receive appropriate direction and training is for faculty to model the behavior for their students.6  Showing their own expertise through demonstration can increase students' ease and confidence.

As stated earlier, students with disabilities want increased use of the LMS, but they also want instructors to use the LMS effectively, as there are gaps in instructors' knowledge of how to use the LMS and other software. Therefore, some student responses indicated that some faculty need training. The most prominent suggestion, accounting for nearly half of responses in this category, was that students want faculty to increase their skills in using the LMS. One student suggested, "We use Canvas, but some of the teachers still do not quite understand how to operate it, so it would be cool if they had to take at least one class about it."

If faculty increase their expertise in technology through professional development and training, they can confidently demonstrate to their students the most effective ways to use the technology at hand. By showing students that technology such as the LMS can be used simply and productively, instructors can contribute to their students' comfort and confidence in using a new software or device for their course.

"Use technology to play videos to help me learn."

When it comes to harnessing technology in the classroom, students want their instructors to use videos, images, or other visuals to make face-to-face classes more engaging. This also opens the door to presenting course content in varied ways, which can aid students with disabilities. A student told us, "I would prefer if they varied the teaching methods with technology by using more videos, music, or things like that to keep our attention. PowerPoint slides get boring after a time." A few students also requested that instructors embed videos into PowerPoint for more engaging lectures and that they also use more videos in online classes. One student's response captured the essence of this approach when she told us, "Use visual aids alongside auditory lectures to support students of all learning abilities and preferences."

Most students told us that using video can assist in increasing comprehension and understanding of the course materials, and some reported that they could learn better with this medium. For example, a student said, "Visuals help me learn, and seeing related pictures and videos of what we are learning in class is a great help to me." A third-year humanities student told us how the use of videos in class could assist her, given the challenges she had with comprehension:

I have a reading disability, which means that having assignments where we have to read eight chapters of a book is very hard for me. I would love it if more assignments involved watching videos or documentaries.

As with the other suggestions from students with disabilities, these requests to use video centered on addressing the needs that apply to all students. They also reflected a UDL approach to assignments and presentation of material; students want course material presented in multiple formats. A second-year education student at a BA institution said, "I would like the teacher to use technology to make homework varied. I would like professors to assign lectures for us to watch or podcasts to listen to instead of just having us read from a textbook."

"Make it more interactive than just a PowerPoint."

Students want "more interactivity," more "hands on" activities, and more "engagement." And when students suggested technological solutions to increase engagement, they did not mean increasing visual presentations, such as PowerPoint, or as one student put it, "death by PowerPoint." Our respondents had very specific engagement strategies in mind. Some recommended educational software, such as Kahoot, to implement games, quizzes, and polling in class. A first-year health sciences student told us:

I feel that if time allows, professors should use websites, like Poll Everywhere, Kahoot, etc., in class after teaching to see if students actually pay attention and remember what the professor said during lecture.

Although these types of activities can be done on laptops, another student suggested that instructors encourage their students to use other mobile technologies for these activities: "Do in-class learning check quizzes where students answer questions on their smartphone and the instructor can see live updates of answers."

In particular, having students use their phones for these types of activities can likely assist in decreasing off-task use of mobile devices, particularly if students are collaborating via team competitions during in-class quizzes. Using mobile devices already in students' hands also supports an inclusive "bring your own device" (BYOD) approach that doesn't penalize students for not owning a laptop. These types of in-class activities have been found to increase achievement and engagement, as well as decrease test anxiety.7  Additionally, using interactive learning software also supports UDL principles because it provides different learning modalities that offer immediate feedback and interactivity with the instructor and peers. A student reflected on this, stating, "I would like [instructors] to continue to implement interactive quizzes to make sure we understood what was just taught." Students with disabilities have a strong opinion of what can increase engagement in class, not just for themselves but for all students. A third-year education major did not offer suggestions but instead provided details on what was working to keep class engaged:

My teacher already uses our technology to the fullest extent during class time—such as playing YouTube videos, making it where we can see her screen (it's a WebEx class) and where we can chat with each other during class to get answers from our fellow classmates.

The type of classroom that many students with disabilities in our sample desire is one in which there are high levels of interaction, collaboration, leveraging of technology, application of knowledge, and immediate feedback. And adopting UDL is an effective way of offering learners multiple means of engaging in a course and demonstrating their knowledge, which makes room for learning variability. Faculty also need to take into account that providing students with choices allows them to select what works best for their own learning and personal situations. In effect, UDL acts as a valve that expands the impact of teaching with technology and opens opportunities for greater academic success (figure 2).

If faculty teach with the technologies and strategies students with disabilities have suggested to us, then they can offer additional ways to achieve academic success not only for students with disabilities but for all students.