- Practical Implications of UDLI in Higher Education
- AACU Employer Survey
- Perry, William G., Jr. (1970), Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years: A Scheme (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston).
- Perry, William G., Jr. (1981), "Cognitive and Ethical Growth: The Making of Meaning", in Arthur W. Chickering and Associates, The Modern American College (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass): 76-116.
This week I had the good fortune to speak with Nigel Davies, an instructional technology consultant at Appalachian State University. Nigel has been an educator at various levels for more than 30 years in both K-12 and higher education. I had the pleasure of seeing Nigel present at the Lilly Conference in May on Universal Design for Learning and Instruction. In this episode we discuss Nigel's approach to UDLI and the benefits and challenges he's experienced in approaching his teaching in this way.
Show Notes:
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![]() Years ago when I was teaching high school U.S. History, I had a challenging student in my class – let’s call him “Michael”. I could tell that he was a bright kid, but I couldn’t get him to really engage with the course content, discussions, projects, and especially tests. To make matters worse, he was a natural leader. Unfortunately, because he wasn’t engaged, this meant that his apathy was contagious. It wasn’t until one day that I noticed him doodling on his desk that I was able to reach him. Rather than simple graffiti on the desktop, he had drawn what I would characterize as a very insightful political cartoon, connecting a course topic (I can’t remember what now) with current events. I came to find out that he had a notebook full of similar kinds of doodles. As time went on, I subtly tried to encourage Michael to continue his drawings and to share them with me. We had several conversations after class about what he found interesting – always with a focus on connecting what we were learning inclass to issues and events that were important to him. By the end of the year, he would regularly share some of his drawings with the rest of the class. He once even gave a mini lecture on a topic he was particularly interested in. What was the difference? He became engaged in the learning process. I was able to tap into his interests and encourage him to make the learning relevant. As discussed in the initial post in the series, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework to help educators consider ways to engage diverse learners with course content and experiences. The UDL Center offers three principles to accomplish this challenging approach: provide multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. In the last two posts in the series, I explored principle 1 and principle 2. In this post, we tackle the final principle – multiple means of engagement. Increasing student engagement The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) outlines three strategies for educators to use to provide multiple means of engagement:
5 strategies to provide multiple means of action and expression
While engagement is clearly important, the specific strategies can be harder to put your arms around. These guidelines from the UDL framework can help to provide some concrete directions to draw more of the “Michael’s” of the world into the learning experience. How do you try to draw students into the learning experience in your courses? Please post your comments below. ![]() My high school English teachers helped me build confidence in my writing. While handling course material in my undergraduate program challenged me, I was at least confident and proficient in my ability to express my ideas in writing. For many students, however, written work may not allow students to accurately convey their mastery of course content. With the increasing availability of digital tools that enable students to create content in multiple forms, why not expand the means by which students can present their work? As discussed in the initial post in the series, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework to help educators consider ways to engage diverse learners with course content and experiences. The UDL Center offers three principles to accomplish this challenging approach: provide multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. In the second post in the series, I explored principle 1. In this post, we tackle principle 2 – multiple means of action and expression. Flexibility in engagement and production The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) outlines three strategies for educators to use to provide multiple means of action and expression:
5 strategies to provide multiple means of action and expression
There is nearly no limit to ways that students can express their understanding and learning to monitor their own thinking and work. The ideas expressed here merely scratch the surface. I hope, though, that they get you thinking about what might work to support the students in your courses. What strategies do you use to provide students with multiple ways to express their understanding or take control of their learning? Please post your comments below. ![]() How is course content typically offered for students in college courses? At the risk of oversimplifying, text and lecture come to mind. This is a common pattern in both K-12 and university classrooms. This singular view of sharing course content is both unnecessarily limiting and can create barriers from many students. As we better understand the science of learning, we recognize that offering new information in multiple formats can be helpful for students. How then can we operationalize this idea systematically in our teaching? As discussed in the initial post in the series, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework to help educators consider ways to engage diverse learners with course content and experiences. The UDL Center offers three principles to accomplish this challenging approach: provide multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. In this post, we tackle principle 1 – multiple means of representation. One Message – Multiple Means The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) outlines three strategies for educators to use to provide multiple access points to course content:
5 strategies to provide multiple means of representation
These ideas are meant to be illustrative rather than exhaustive. Many of these strategies are probably not new to you. I hope, though, that the organizing framework of UDL will help you to more strategically and systematically provide multiple means to offer course content. What strategies like these do you use in your teaching? Please post your comments below. ![]() Students in our classrooms today are increasingly diverse – in all senses of the word. In terms of age, professional experience, cultural and linguistic background, socioeconomic level, and even in their rationale for obtaining a university degree – students vary in many important ways. Add to this demographic diversity the fact that every student has a unique profile of learning styles, preferences, abilities, and challenges. I’m not sure it has ever been more challenging to be an educator at any level. That said, this challenge can be invigorating as well. When we acknowledge and work to capitalize on this diversity in our classroom, we are challenged to reconsider how we teach in ways that will require us to be creative and innovative in our teaching practice. But where do we begin? It can be daunting to consider the magnitude of this challenge. Fortunately, as with 21st Century Skills and the 21CLD framework, CAST and the National Center on Universal Design for Learning provide numerous resources on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to help educators at all levels to address student diversity in the classroom. This approach to planning learning experiences encourages educators to plan in advance for different learning styles and preferences to meet the broadest range of learner needs possible in the classroom. The framework is centered on three core principles:
UDL Guidelines from CAST.org (2009) CAST provides a handy interactive chart to explore these three principles. They essentially challenge educators to consider how they might present content in multiple modes and formats to students (e.g., lecture, video, animations, simulations, etc.), provide students with multiple ways to express their understanding of course content (e.g., papers, performances, presentations, community outreach), and multiple ways to engage them in the learning process (e.g., to connect course concepts to current events in the community). It is not necessary (or perhaps even possible) to include all this variation in each class session, but the more diversity in learning and assessment during the course of the semester, the more likely you will tap into each students’ individual strengths, while simultaneously challenging them to stretch themselves in other ways. While initially developed for K-12 education, UDL has been implemented effectively in higher education as well. In recognition of the unique opportunities and challenges of UDL in higher education, CAST has created the UDL on Campus portal for higher ed faculty. There you will find resources on assessment options, policies and legal information, selecting media and technology, course planning, and teaching strategies. In the next three posts on Luminaris, I’ll explore each of the three UDL principles (provide multiple means of representing the content, multiple means of expressing understanding, multiple means of engagement). In each post, I will go more in depth on the principle, strategies for implementation, and how digital tools and resources can help you to implement them more efficiently and effectively in your classroom. This is a work in progress for me, but something I’m committed to exploring – both to improve my teaching and my students’ learning. If you have any experience with or questions about UDL in the classroom, please leave a comment to start a conversation. |
AuthorI'm Mark Hofer, a Professor of Education and Co-Director for the Center for Innovation in Learning Design at the College of William & Mary. I share research and practice on teaching in higher education. Categories
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