10 Creating Online Content & Learning Materials

“UDL is not a special ed thing or even a general ed thing. It’s just an ed thing. It is a way to connect every student to the learning experience.” Marota (2018)

Designing for learner variability simultaneously supports inclusivity and recognizes student diversity.  You can practice inclusive design by considering the learner from multiple perspectives (e.g., academic, technological, cultural, financial, first-gen).

Let’s be clear, high expectations and rigor are non-negotiable. Students have to do their part and commit time and effort to coursework and seek help when needed.  Likewise, instruction must be strategic, integrating opportunities for choice and flexibility so all students can meet rigorous learning outcomes. Therefore, if course design is to support learner variability and recognize diversity, the learning pathways we design must be flexible.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), rooted in cognitive neuroscience research, contends that maximizing student learning requires course design considerate of learner variability.  In fact, human learning processes and patterns are as unique as our fingerprints (Meyer, Rose, and Gordon, 2014).

Three of the largest brain networks, Affective, Recognition, and Strategic, have been identified as those responsible for learning (CAST, 2018).  See the following video overview of these three brain networks:

Throughout this program, we will reference UDL, and you will be asked to activate the following three learning networks “as a way to connect every student to the learning experience”.

Source

For more information on UDL see UMN AccessibleU’s section on Inclusive Course DesignLinks to an external site.