Universal Design for Learning

Higher Education Institute: June 2009

What do we mean by

Universal ?

Universal

Universal

Innovations emerge from the margins, not from the center or mainstream of the industry

Universal

Universal, But not uniform:

The power of individual differences

Differentiating Individual Differences: Beyond IQ

Individual Differences in the Means of Expression

Individual Differences in the Means of Representation

Students with Williams syndrome

Students with Down syndrome

Students with Williams Syndrome

Students with Down Syndrome

Individual Differences in engagement

Student with Williams Syndrome

Student with Down Syndrome

Once upon a time when it was dark at night, the boy had a frog. The boy was looking at the frog, sitting on the chair, on the table, and the dog was looking through, looking up to the frog in a jar. That night he sleeped and slept for a long time, the dog did. But the frog was not gonna go to sleep. The frog went out from the jar. And when the frog went out, the boy and the dog were still sleeping. Next morning it was beautiful in the morning. It was bright, and the sun was nice and warm. Then suddenly when he opened his eyes, he looked at the jar and then suddenly the frog was not there. The jar was empty. There was no frog to be found.

The frog is in the jar. The jar is on the floor. The jar is on the floor. That’s it. The stool is broke. The clothes is laying there.

(Matched for IQ)

What do we mean by

Learning?

Cognitive Neuroscience

Learning is not one thing:

a) Differs according to what is being learned?

Posner and Raichle, Images of the Brain

PET scans by Lawrence Parsons, Peter Fox, and Donald Hodges Universty of Texas, San Antonio

Left panel: the harmony condition activated the left side of the brain more than the right. It also activated inferior (or lower) regions of the temporal cortex as compared to the melody condition

Center panel: the melody condition activated both sides of the area called the temporal cortex (which is known to represent sound) to a much greater extent than did the rhythm and harmony conditions.

Right panel: much of the brain activation observed during the rhythm condition was in the cerebellum.

Word Reading in the Brain

Learning is not one thing:

b) Differs according to who the learner is

FMRI -Dyslexia

From Shaywitz et al.

Learning is not one thing:

d) Differs according to when the learning occurs

When reading emotion, teens (left) rely more on the amygdala, while adults (right) rely more on the frontal cortex.

Deborah Yurgelon-Todd, 2000

Learning is not one thing:

c) Differs according to when the learning occurs:

experience

What learning looks like*

What learning looks like*

Vygotsky in the Brain

Understanding Three Broad Types of Learning

Recognition network

Strategic network

Affective network

Learning networks

Recognition networks

•Takes information in from the environment and transforms it into knowledge

Strategic networks

• Set goals and strategies for action and expression

Affective network

• Interprets emotional and affective significance or importance

What do we mean by

Design?

Design

Ron Mace introduces concept of "universal design" in architecture.

The design of all products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life.

1941-1998 Ron Mace, founderand program director of The Center for Universal Design

What is the problem?

What’s the solution?

Assistive TechnologiesRemedial EducationTherapies Alternative placements

What’s the problem, v.2.0?

Education: Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning• Three Domains: Cognitive, Psychomotor, Affective

Psychology: Vygotsky• Recognition of the information to be learned • Application of strategies to process that information • Engagement with the learning task (Vygotsky, 1962). 

Not access but Learning

Knowledge Skills Affect

Neuroscience

But if this is the problem….

Circa 1450 – 1990

The Advantages of Print were most prominent:

standardization, permanence, uniformity

Compared to New Media

The Disadvantages of Print became more prominent

standardization, fixedness, uniformity

Designing for individuals

Adjustable Challenge and Support

New Media

A foundation for flexibility

The virtue of NIMAS or XML

NFF

Flexible display

Flexible Display: Multiple Representation

Tale of Two Cities

…It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of

Multiple representations

Multiple representations

In this modern context:

It is print that has disabilities.

Textbooks: Disabled in who they can teach

Textbooks: Disabled in what they can teach

Textbooks: Disabled in how they can teach

Textbooks: Disabled in when they prepare students

Meeting the challenge of Diversity

Differentiation and UDL

Differentiation in how information is presented

Differentiation in how knowledge is expressed

Differentiation in how user is engaged.

Design Guidelines

Affect

Skills

KnowledgeMultiple representations of information

Multiple optionsfor expression

Multiple meansof engagement

Learning in T-560

KnowledgeMultiple representations of information

What are these applied to?

Goals

Media and Materials

Methods (Lectures)

Assessment

KnowledgeMultiple representations of information

What are these applied to?

Goals

Media and Materials

Methods (Lectures)

Assessment

KnowledgeMultiple representations of information

What are these applied to?

Goals

Media and Materials

Methods (Lectures)

Assessment

How to make Lectures that are more universally designed.

Thinking about Lectures

Using the Guidelines to think about lectures

First: What is the Goal of the Lecture?

The idea of construct relevant and irrelevant features

What are the media and Materials of Lectures?

Auditory MediaHuman Voice semantics

pragmatics syntax

Visual MediaGestureFacial ExpressionSlides/imagesHandouts

1) Sensory/Perceptual Requires excellent hearing, auditionRequires good vision.

2) LinguisticRequires English fluencyRequires relevant vocabulary Requires processing of linguistic structure.

3) CognitiveRequires background knowledgeRequires selective listeningRequires listening comprehension skillsRequires excellent working memory

information is impermanent, sequential, un-reviewable

What are the construct-irrelevant demands?

Potential Solutions: UDL Guidelines

Auditory Information audio amplification live ASL translation

automated ASL automated speech to text captions for video

Visual information image expansion image description

Potential Solutions: UDL Guidelines

Think aloud

Potential Solutions: UDL Guidelines

Background KnowledgeSituated Stories

Links on blog

Highlight Critical Features

Powerpoint illustrations

Voice emphasis

Options that guide information processing

Concept maps. Slide headers

Support Memory and Transfer

Video of lecture

Printed handouts

Notetakers

Berkowitz

Cox

Goldsmith 1 pt 2

Sallen

Parker

Miranda

Kim

Roberti

How do the students express what they know?

How do the students express what they know?

How do the students express what they know?

Large group participation

Small “leveled” Discussion Groups

Online Threaded Discussion

Networked Blogs

Multimedia Assignments

How do the students express what they know?

Google Docs

Blogs

Bookbuilder

VoiceThread

Dreamweaver

Flash

How do the students express what they know?

Models from prior years

Mentoring Labs

Agents in BB

How do the students express what they know?

Project Proposal

Rubrics

Individual Consultation

Current Grade Estimate

KnowledgeMultiple representations of information

What are these applied to?

Assessment

Bookbuilder

Voice Thread

Curriculum Lesson