I decided to dig deeper into UDL because while I understand the principles, I want to be able to have a better grasp of them. UDL’s three core tenants are using multiple means of action and expression, multiple means of engagement and multiple means of representation. Bringing these principles into the college in which I work as an EA (Education Assistant) instructor is what I would like to explore. While I am restricted in what I can change in regard to the syllabi, I do have some freedom in HOW I teach. Initially, I believed that ADDIE was only another instructional design model, but following further investigation, I discovered that ADDIE is a framework on/around which other ID models are based. ADDIE is a systemic, five-step cycle process applicable to both traditional and online education. Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation are the five steps.
Where ADDIE is the skeleton, UDL is the meat. The objective of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is to cultivate learners that are purposeful, motivated, resourceful, strategic, and goal-oriented, while ADDIE is the design model paradigm that provides an orderly procedure for creating the educational materials needed.
Design decisions in UDL are made based on the needs of the learners. It is not just good enough to teach the students, but to teach to the ‘margins’. This requires designing a curriculum that addresses as many diverse student needs as possible. However, this does not mean creating individual learning outcomes or materials for each student. Rather, UDL considers how important it is for students to be able to access the curriculum in terms of how they interact with the classroom environment, with how knowledge is represented, and with how they communicate their learning. Providing flexibility in how students engage, make meaning and represent their learning puts stress on the program design. The design needs to incorporate a variety of teaching and learning methods that are conceivable and achievable. Addressing the course learning outcomes directly, concretely, and realistically enables instruction that enhances students’ comprehension. Finally, both ADDIE and UDL emphasize frequent and varied assessments which should be low-stakes which provide students with regular feedback of the course material (Shelton & Saltsman, 2006).
Thus, UDL’s connection to ADDIE is fundamentally clear. In the Analysis phase of ADDIE, the course objectives, gaps, and the target audience are investigated. UDL also considers the needs of the learners in regard to their needs and In ADDIE, the syllabus is the focal point of the design and development phases; its proper preparation prepares the learning environment and prevents confusion and poor communication. In UDL, explicitly addressing expectations promotes actions that illuminate implicit understanding so that expectations are explicit, concrete, and practical. The implementation phase of the ADDIE model is simply to open the course and start teaching, whereas UDL forces us to take a closer look at how we teach and how we want our students to show what they know. As in UDL, ADDIE advocates that evaluation and assessment are important, but ADDIE states that they are the final steps of online teaching (Takacs, Zhang, Lee, Truong, Smulders, 2021). UDL, on the other hand, promotes evaluation and assessment as a cyclical process rather than a final one.
Personally, I have tried to incorporate some aspects of UDL in my teaching, but I am limited in what I can do because the syllabi for Education Assistant Program has been purchased from another college in Alberta. This makes the link between innovation and design out of reach. I have had, sadly, no part in course development as much as I see the need for changes to the design of the courses being offered and the willingness to make those changes, my hands are tied. However, I can augment the courses with my own materials and more importantly, I can change how I teach by using some of the principles of UDL. For example, when an assignment calls for students to present a particular concept or strategy for learning, I allow them to choose the format for their presentation. They can create a PowerPoint, make a poster or infographic, produce a video or even design a lesson. This is the principle of allowing for multiple means of action and expression, specifically, checkpoint 5.1: use multiple media for communication (CAST.org, 2022). Alternatives in how a learner demonstrates their knowledge not only minimize media-specific obstacles to expression for learners with a variety of needs, but also offer chances for all learners to build a broader spectrum of expression in a media-rich world.
Ultimately, I think that the better understanding I have of UDL the better I will be able to teach and my students to learn in a program that does not allow for changes to the design of its courses. However, upon reflection, while my goal has been to allow students to be able to determine how they would like to show their learning, I can learn from the UDL/ADDIE design processes that I have more control over the material than I initially thought. While I may not be able to change an assignment to truly reflect what I think the students should be learning and understanding, I can change how I represent the knowledge for that assignment. For example, I can display information in a flexible format so that the perceptual features are more visible or engaging such as the size of text, images, graphs, tables, or other visual content, the color used for information or emphasis, the speed or timing of video, animation, sound, simulations, or the layout of visual or other elements. Many of the PowerPoint presentations created for the various courses I teach are bland and boring. By adding voice over narration, colour, graphics and videos, these malleable options provide ways for enhancing the perceptual clarity and salience of information for a broad range of learners, as well as for accommodating the preferences of others. This is checkpoint 1.1, offer ways of customizing the display of information (CAST.org, 2022).
References
Shelton, K., & Saltsman, G. (2006). Using the Addie Model for Teaching Online. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 2(3), 14–26. https://doi.org/10.4018/jicte.2006070102
Takacs, S., Zhang, J., Lee, H., Truong, L., & Smulders, D. (2021). Universal design for learning: A practical guide. JIBC. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/jibcudl/
UDL: Use multiple media for communication. (2019, February 19). https://udlguidelines.cast.org/action-expression/expression-communication/use-multimedia