Frameworks, Examples and Strategies for UDL
A Framework for Universal Design for Learning
If you're a learner (like me -Caleb) who prefers to have a mental framework for understanding a complex concept, these UDL Guidelines adapted from the Center for Applied Special Technology may be useful. Notice the repeated use of the keywords Multiple Means and Options. UDL is all about providing students with choice and options that can meet the needs of a diverse population of learners.
| Provide Multiple Means of Engagement |
Provide Multiple Means of Representation |
Provide Multiple Means of Action & Expression |
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Options for recruiting interest
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Options for perception
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Options for physical action
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Options for sustaining effort and persistence
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Options for language
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Options for expression and communication
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Options for self-regulation
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Options for comprehension
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Options for executive functions
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| Result: Purposeful, motivated learners | Result: Resourceful, knowledgeable learners | Result: Strategic, goal-directed learners |
Adapted from CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org Links to an external site.
Six Example Strategies for Online Teaching Aligned with UDL
Before we get overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of Universal Design for Learning, let's look at some specific, actionable examples of UDL. We aren't looking to start from scratch and rebuild our entire course and curriculum. We can start by adopting one practice, rethinking one assessment, or reimagining just one piece of curriculum. These ideas are adapted from an excellent 2019 article by Hollingshead and Carr-Chellman, from eLearn Magazine (external link) Links to an external site..
1. Weekly written communication with students.
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Try It! Use the Announcements tool in your Canvas course to create weekly instructor messages. Reference student work from the previous week, highlighting common themes or common struggles. Remind students of upcoming deadlines or potential roadblocks. You might also want to encourage students to set up instant Notifications for when a new Announcement is posted in one of their courses Links to an external site.. |
Weekly communication builds a stronger sense of community and strengthens connection between the instructor and learners. It shows the learners that their instructor is equally committed to learners’ success and engaged in the online course. Weekly messages from the instructor can motivate learners to stay on task and help them refocus on the online course.
To further align with UDL framework, weekly correspondence could include multiple formats so the students have a choice in how they engage with information. For example, instructor’s written message could also contain a link to a brief video and/or audio recording conveying the same message. Additionally, a weekly check-in from an instructor may encourage learners to respond with any questions or requests for clarification they would not otherwise voice. For the instructor, a weekly calendar reminder to send a message to the learners is an easy strategy to ensure consistency in communication.
2. Note takers for synchronous sessions.
Many online instructors prefer to offer weekly or monthly synchronous sessions to ensure all learners participate in a lecture or group activities and have an opportunity to work together via video conferencing software like Zoom. And this year, a huge number of courses are relying on synchronous Zoom meetings to deliver content. But due to the nature of video conferencing it may be challenging to gauge how much learners are actually learning during synchronous sessions and how engaged they are.
One option for increasing engagement during Zoom sessions is to assign a new student each time to take notes during the synchronous session. This strategy puts a responsibility on a selected student to provide notes to all classmates after a synchronous session. That way, other students can focus on actually engaging with the activity or lecture knowing that they will be able to supplement their notes with the ones from an ‘official’ note taker. Moreover, the instructor should supplement the written notes from an “official note taker” with audio and video recording of the synchronous session so the students have a choice of format.
Additionally, assigning a different note taker for each synchronous session allows each student to have a sense of responsibility for their peers’ learning and participation. In larger classes, an instructor can either assign groups of note takers or seek volunteers for note taking as an extra credit assignment or engaging students in name drawing to select note takers.
3. Posting flexible presentations.
The majority of online content consists of assigned readings, assignments, and content-rich presentations. Many UDL proponents argue that instructor’s presentations are more accessible to students and ultimately more effective if they consist of multiple ways of representing the content. They suggest instead of posting static slides, instructors should provide students with a combination of slides with text, links to video clips, audio recordings, and graphics. This way, a learner has autonomy to decide whether to learn from written text, a video representation, a graphic, or a combination of all of these formats.
4. Improve the accessibility of digital materials.
Online learning revolves primarily around digital materials. With the intention of overcoming barriers to instruction and supporting learners with diverse needs, instructors need to ensure that all digital materials are accessible to learners. In situations where a student in a particular course has a documented accommodation request, the instructor is obligated to provide accommodations that can include video captioning, transcripts, or alternative formats.
Digital materials are more accessible when presented in multiple formats. For example, a digital textbook should be accessible through enlarged font, contrasted text color, or through text-to-speech application. Fortunately for us, our Canvas system includes an integration with Ally accessibility software, which assists in improving the accessibility of online content by assessing instructor’s materials as well as providing students with options of a variety of formats.
5. Choices in demonstration of knowledge.
The most fundamental yet complex strategy aligned with the principle of multiple means of action and expression requires instructors to offer their learners choices in how they demonstrate knowledge. Learners benefit from more than one option for demonstrating their skills and knowledge. Having a choice in expression may benefit the student by leading to a greater sense of ownership of learning.
In practice, it means that for each assignment an instructor provides more than one way in which students can show their learning. Instructors need to realize that allowing options for student knowledge and skill demonstration does not lower the rigor of the assessment. For example, learners may have a choice to either write a 10-page paper, or prepare narrated slides, or create a website, or submit an audio recording of answering the assignment questions.
Depending on the assignment, the number of learners in a course, and other contextual factors, an instructor may want to provide students with a menu of three to five options or leave it completely open-ended. As with any assignment, it is more beneficial to the learner when a rubric accompanies any given option for assignment submission to clarify instructor’s expectations and ensure consistent assessment criteria regardless of a chosen submission format.
6. Interactive online discussions.
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Try It! Canvas Discussions already allow students to record and post video or audio clips into their discussion posts. Try explicitly giving students the option of replying in the form of an audio or video clip as an alternative to a standard text post. Here's a simple video showing how to post audio or video in a Discussion Links to an external site.. Check that your existing Discussion instructions and grading criteria are written to allow alternative formats! |
One of the typical components of online coursework includes peer-to-peer discussion. Traditional online discussion has a risk of being static and inauthentic, and instructors may want to explore alternatives that give learners’ more options for expressing themselves.
Canvas discussion boards include options for creating posts as written text, but students and instructors can also record and upload video or audio from their web browser directly into a discussion post. Students can also embed images (and animated gifs!) into discussion posts.
Having a variety of means to express oneself builds a more authentic conversation around a topic posed by the instructor than a traditional discussion board would provide.
Click Next to start implementing UDL in your practice!