Universal Design for Learning Second Principle
Multiple means of engagement
Contents
- Introduction
- Diverse learning activities
- Chances to try, then improve
- Topics In-Depth
- Interest and motivation
- Universally Designed Lectures
- Active Learning
- Collaborative learning
Introduction
The second prong of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) paradigm calls for educators to provide students with multiple means of engagement with course content. This principle applies in two respects to the design of the learning activities of a college course:
- The universally designed course features a variety of types of ways for students to learn, practice, work with, implement, evaluate, analyze, and integrate the skills and knowledge associated with the course; and
- When feasible, students can choose among alternative ways to engage with the course content.
This page and the documents to which it links offer suggestions for both types of design practices.
Diverse learning activities
Robust learning is most likely to occur in contexts that provide students with frequent opportunities to work in some way with what they are learning. The efficacy of one or another learning activity varies according to the goals sought, the degree of motivation of the student, her/his level of interest in the topic, proficiency and comfort with the activity’s medium (e.g., writing, concept-mapping, discussion), available time, and many other factors. This is why it is so important to maximize both the diversity and flexibility of the learning activities: The more variety in types and conditions of activities, the more likely that every student will be sufficiently engaged by enough activities to reach the learning objectives for the course.
For instance, lectures, during which students mostly listen to the instructor and take notes, can be an effective way for students to access foundational knowledge. However, a course in which lecture is the only learning activity would risk low student achievement. Suppose, though, that the professor incorporates frequent small-group discussions during which students apply theories they are learning to real-life scenarios. These discussions add an additional means of engagement with the course content.
But there are further universal design opportunities within the small-group discussion framework. Where and how those discussions occur will affect which students benefit from them. If all discussions take place in person – either in class or outside of class -- certain students may be barred from adequate participation. These include those with weak spoken English skills, shyness or social anxiety, chronic illness that interferes with attendance, a demanding work schedule, and those who process speech relatively slowly, cannot hear well, or take extra time putting thoughts into words.
A more universally designed structure would vary the location and medium for such discussions, and/or would give individuals a choice to join a group that prefers one or another set of conditions. Thus, the discussions may be scheduled alternatively during class and between classes. The latter could take place via electronic discussion board (asynchronous), blog, or chat (synchronous). Variety is crucial, because there will potentially also be students for whom electronic discussion poses a significant barrier: for example, those with limited access to a computer, those with poor typing skills, and those for whom the mechanics or process of written communication are especially challenging.
The instructor in this example can further enhance the universally designed quality of her/his course by finding other ways for students to discover the implications of the theories they are learning. At the point where students are first being introduced to several theories, this may take the form of a jigsaw activity: a subset of the class could investigate one particular theory in some depth, consolidate their understanding by collaboratively producing a brief account of the theory, then break out to work on a problem in heterogeneous groups with “specialists” in the other theories. A late-semester activity could require students – individually or cooperatively (whether they have a choice depends on the particular learning objectives for the task) – to evaluate all the theories they have learned in light of a particular question in the field, identify the most useful, or formulate a new one.
Chances to try, then improve
Giving students a variety of different opportunities to try out what they are learning helps them to create and strengthen a network of cognitive pathways to the information and concepts they need. It also encourages them to firmly integrate their new knowledge and skills with what they already have. Both of those processes depend in part upon the quality of feedback the student receives about his/her work.
Regardless of the types of learning activities you provide your students, therefore, be sure to give them timely feedback about their performance on those activities. The feedback need not be formal, written, or personalized, but should give each student a sense of how well they succeeded with the task, where s/he made errors, and how s/he could improve. Such feedback should be focused, supportive, and encouraging, even when critical. The primary goal at all times is to facilitate student progress.
Topics In-Depth
The following series of documents explores particulars topics related to promoting student engagement through universal design of learning activities. Each link will open a separate Word document.
