Practical Applications of Universal Design for Learning

1. Practical Applications of Universal Design for Learning Bryan G. Cook Professor, University of Hawaii

2. Objectives Participants will • understand theneed to universally design instruction • learn theguiding principles of universal design for instruction (UDI) • learn practical UDI procedures

3. Overview of Presentation • Introduction to UDI • UDI Approaches • Syllabi • Curriculum and Instruction • Assessment • Empirically Validated Instructional Techniques Consistent with UDI • Guided Notes • The Pause Procedure • Graphic Organizers • Conclusion

4. The Need for UDI • Increasingly diverse college student body • 40% age 25 or older • 31% racial/ethnic minorities • 34% attending college part-time • 20% increase in international students from 1998 to 2004 • Students with disabilities • 2.3% in 1978 to 9.8% in 1998

5. The Need for UDI • Increased emphasis on student retention • Shift in pedagogy from delivering instruction to promoting learning • College students report: • Unclear expectations • Textbooks inaccessible • Lectures thatrequire extensive notetaking • Assessments that don’t reflect their learning • Difficulty attaining accommodations

6. Origins of UDI • Buildings designed for the “average” person • Require retrofitting to accommodate others • Retrofits expensive, call attention to user, solveone problem at a time

7. Origins of UDI • Universal design considers “broadest possible range of users from the beginning” (Ron Mace, architect) • E.g., Ramps, curb cuts, electric doors, TV captions, easy grip tools • Increases access for many unintended users

8. What is UDI? • “The design of instructional materials and activities that makes the learning goals achievable by individuals with wide differences in their abilities” (Council for Exceptional Children) • Essentially, proactive instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners

9. Equitable use Flexibility in use Simple and intuitive Perceptible information Tolerance for error Low physical effort Size and space for approach and use A community of learners Instructional climate Principles of UDI (or L or E)(Scott, McGuire, & Shaw, 2001)

10. Another View of UDI’s Guiding Principles • Multiple/alternative means of: • Representation • Engagement • Expression

11. Syllabi

12. Common Problems with Syllabi • Sometimes not handed out • Important information often left out • Not always followed • dates, readings, assignments, grading criteria changed • Syllabi often confuse students

13. Clarity • Basic information • objectives, prerequisites, contact info., textbooks • Course schedule • Disc. topics, exam dates, assignments, readings • Grade calculation • Course policies • Tardies/absences, late assignments, test/ assignment make-ups, academic misconduct • Additional materials required • Avoid being “text-heavy” • More can be less

14. Adherence • Syllabus only effective when it guides course • Stick to syllabus • If changes are necessary, clearly inform students • Necessitates significant planning

15. Accessibility • Disseminate electronically/ post online • can be read aloud by a screen reader, magnified, saved as an MP3 audio file, transferred to a Braille file, translated into another language • Include a disability statement • http://www.hawaii.edu/kokua/faculty.htm#syllabus • Invite students with disabilities and other learning needs to meet with you privately

16. Examples • http://www.portals.emory.edu/emory_udi_syllabi.html for examples of UDI syllabi

17. Curriculum and Instruction

18. Need to Universalize C&I • Predominant mode of instruction is lecture • Comprehending and taking notes simultaneously difficult for some • Students have trouble discerning important information • Content can get lost in instruction that is not clear

19. Focused Curriculum • Identify critical concepts and organize course around them • Less can be more • Provide multiple exposures to key concepts

20. Multiple Means of Representation • Use varied instructional methods • E.g., lecture with a visual outline, group activities, hands-on activities, web-based discussions boards, video clips • Provide class materials in different formats • Electronic versions can be translated into various formats • Record lectures and make available as podcasts

21. Multiple Means of Engagement • Provide practice opportunities (online, in class) at different levels • Provide examples that highlight diversity and different ways of thinking • Allow students choice in class activities

22. Tips for Maximizing Student Learning • Provide/ stimulate background knowledge • Highlight critical concepts • Repeat critical concepts, using multiple means • Avoid unnecessary jargon, complex terms • Provide lots of examples

23. Class Climate • Welcome everyone • Model and demand respect • Be approachable and accessible • learn students’ names • seek out and value students’ points of view • Motivate students • be positive and challenging • select relevant materials/assignments

24. Video clip • https://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/Wmv/temp/ea_udi.asx for a video-clip on applying UDI to post-secondary classrooms

25. Assessment

26. Need to Universalize Assessments • Many assessments measure reading and writing ability more than content being tested • Students often unclear on what is being tested • Many students with disabilities don’t request testing accommodations

27. Multiple Means of Representation • Represent problems in multiple ways • Unless testing is specific to a particular modality • E.g., Math problem expressed as word problem and graphically • E.g., Read written problems/prompts out loud

28. Multiple Means of Expression • Allow students different means to express mastery of the content • E.g., written paper, applied project, live presentation, narrated computer presentation, portfolio, multiple choice test • E.g., handwritten or on laptop • Or vary assessments

29. Multiple Means of Engagement • When appropriate, provide choices in focus of assessment • E.g., differentiate assessment based on specialty area • E.g., provide different essay or project topics from which students select • E.g., students select topic for reading/ writing assignment in foreign language class

30. Clarity • Test what you teach • Communicate what will be covered/ what is expected • Provide examples of model work • Give students scoring rubric as study guide • Provide plenty of “white space” on tests • Use vocabulary/ phrasing that is easy to understand • Minimize time constraints when appropriate

31. Formative vs. Summative • Use multiple, formative assessments • Examine students’ progress along the way • E.g., biweekly quizzes rather than one final exam • Provide frequent and meaningful feedback • Reteach/ review as indicated by assessments

32. Guided Notes

33. Need for Guided Notes • Dominant instructional mode is lecture • Demands extensive note-taking • Students typically take poor notes • Quality and completeness of notes strongly predict student outcomes

34. Guided Notes: What is it and How to … • GN = handouts that guide students through a lecture • Identify the most important course content • Less can be more • Delete key facts, concepts, and relationships from lecture outline • Remaining information structures and contextualizes notes

35. Guided Notes: What is it and How to … • Insert cues (*, ) to indicate where and how many facts/concepts to write. • Other symbols for adding own examples/questions for review (!) or emphasizing “big ideas” () • Leave plenty of space • Don’t require too much writing • Include additional resources such as URLs and references

36. Guided Notes: Rationale • Consistent with UDI principles • Improves accuracy of notes • Frees students from excessive writing • Actively involves students in constructing notes and following lecture

37. GNs: Research Highlights • Lazarus (1993): Collegestudents w/ LD increased quiz scores after using GNs • Russell et al. (1983): Positive effects of GNs when using case studies, not lecture • Austin et al. (2002): College students preferred using GNs

38. Pause Procedure

39. Need for Pause Procedure • In typical lecture, students given little opportunity to • Reflect on content • Discuss or process content • Even best students have limited attention spans

40. The Pause Procedure: What is it? • Short (e.g., 2-minute), periodic breaks to review notes and discuss content • Pause at natural breaks, app. every 15 ms. • Set timer for end of break • Pauses can • be independent reviewof notesand/or short writing assignment • be group (e.g., dyad) discussion of notes • include time for unresolved questions

41. Pause Procedure: Rationale • Consistent with UDI principles • Increases accuracy of notes • Provide students time to reflect, integrate, and ask questions • Provides students and instructor with breaks

42. Pause Procedure in Action … • Take 2 minutes and think about how you might use the pause procedure

43. PP: Research Highlights • PP=higher free recall and test scores (Ruhl et al., 1990) and more complete notes (Ruhl & Suritsky, 1995) for college students w/ LD. • Higher exam scores when using pauses(personal written or discussion)of students’ preference (Braun & Simpson, 2004).

44. Pause Procedure in Action • Write down ideas for how you might modify or add to the pause procedure when you use it (2 minutes)

45. Graphic Organizers

46. Need for Graphic Organizers • Discrepancy between texts and students’ reading level • Students complain not enough time to read and digest texts • Lectures often not effective • Students often study by memorizing facts, rather than understanding relationships

47. Graphic Organizers: What are They? • A visual and graphic display depicting relationships in course content • Advanced organizers, Venn diagrams, concept/spider/story maps, flowcharts, hierarchies • Not one-dimensional outlines

48. Spider Map