Using UDL to Develop an Online Course

I have been busy the past few weeks redesigning the course that I teach (Information Technology) to incorporate a lot of what I have been learning in my Online Teaching and Instructional Design program. A lot of what I did ties very nicely into the UDL instructional design model. Below are a few of the ways that UDL has come into play in my course design, and some areas that I need to work on:

I.                 Provide Multiple Means of Representation

a.      Because my content is so timely, I decided to go textbook free this semester and rely completely on Internet resources. Content is supplied to the student using Blendspace (click for example), and is a mix of text, videos, graphics, and Prezis. I tried very hard to match the content to the style of presentation. They “read” the textbook by working through the different parts of the Blendspace.

b.     I have had a lot to do to put this course together and not a lot of time to do it in. For this reason, much of the content (within Canvas, the LMS) is given in text format. I hope that by the next time I am teaching the course I will be able to have audio or video content as well.

c.      When I am teaching how to use the application software (Excel and Access), explanations are given in text format, with video demonstrations, so that the students receive the material two different ways.

II.               Provide Multiple Means of Expression and Action

a.      For most of the assignments in the class, students are given several options for what format they will use to complete the assignment. Depending on the nature of the assignment, these options include screen casts, word documents, presentations, podcasts, or infographics. The choice is up to the student, although they are encouraged to “mix it up” and make different choices for different assignments.

b.     Each unit of the course begins with the students being given a (link to) a sheet explaining the desired outcomes for the unit. This includes skills and  knowledge outcomes.

III.             Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

a.      Students are treated as IT interns for the company of their own choosing, all assignments are given from me their boss and serve a purpose for the company.

b.     Once the foundational units are completed, students are allowed to work through the course in whatever order and pace they choose (Note: a sample schedule was provided to help the students with pacing). They also have control over the grade that they receive

c.      The class employs mastery based learning. There are no 0’s allowed. All assignments must be completed at an appropriate level to receive credit. The student’s grade begins at a 0 and builds. There is a list of assignments that must be mastered to earn a C. There are additional assignments required to earn a B, and even more for an A.

One area where I haven’t really had any success is with fostering collaboration and community. I believe that in part this is due to the mindset of many students who take online courses, and in part due to the content that I am covering. The self paced way that I have set up this class also makes collaboration difficult. It is an area that I am looking to do better with in the future. One thing that I have tried with this course is to have 2 pinned discussion boards where the students can discuss what is happening in the class and ask questions and current events related to course content. Participation is completely optional, but they were told that participation in these forums could help to bump up a grade that is on the bubble.

I also looked at the syllabus evaluation rubric and realized that while my syllabus makes the grade in some areas, there are others where it could stand to be improved upon. I basically used the syllabus template provided by the University to create the content in my syllabus. I had hoped to improve upon that to make it more inclusive and interactive, but since it had to be complete before the class started last Wednesday, I ran out of time. I am keeping a copy of the rubric to help make my syllabus a better tool for my students in the future.

I really feel like the course that I am teaching this summer could be a case study for the use of UDL in the classroom, based on all of the positive things that I read when I was investigating UDL for this blog post, I am optimistic that it will have a good outcome for my students.

When I was looking at information for this blog post, I got most of it from the links that were provided as part of the assignment, however, I found an interesting blog that looks at UDL and the flipped classroom. It doesn’t directly apply, since you can’t truly “flip” and online course, but I am looking to use the same content when I teach my course face-to-face in the fall and am wanting to flip it when I get there. Below is a great graphic that illustrates how the two can work together from the blog post UDL and the Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture (link).