Designing options to support student learning :
Scaffolding skills for success
Key: formative feedback, tolerance for error, iterative design
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Tolerance for error: Formative feedback
Tolerance for error: Formative feedback
Another underpinning principle of UNIVERSAL DESIGN MODEL is the idea of tolerance for error, where tools and spaces are designed to allow for and minimize the risks and hazards of making errors or variability in performance.
The classroom: a safe place to make mistakes
The classroom: a safe place to make mistakes
The UDL classroom leverages errors to maximize student learning. Nursing simulation demonstrates this principle beautifully. The teacher set up a safe learning environment by explicitly stating: “The simulation lab is the place to make mistakes so we don't make them later with the patients,” and “what happens in the sim lab stays in the sim lab.” I try now to emulate this safe learning environment in my own lab.
Assessment as learning: collaborative exam & group quizzes
Assessment as learning: collaborative exam & group quizzes
The method:
The method:
The exam has two parts. Part 1 is taken alone by each student, and is weighted to 85% of the grade to mitigate any grade boosting effect. Part 2 is taken together by groups of 3-4 students collaborating over a single answer card and is worth 15%.
"Scratch and win" feedback
"Scratch and win" feedback
The "immediate feedback assessment technique (IFAT) cards pictured left provide a motivating dopamine hit along with teacher-designed feedback. Without direct teacher intervention, each student or group gains instant access to their results through definitive feedback on the card. Students are encouraged to keep trying until they get the right answer, and with group implementation, question-level feedback from their peers is built in as well, because students need to come to a consensus before choosing. Time required for quiz review later is diminished or eliminated; students walk out of the room already knowing how they performed, but also with a better understanding of the content.
Teacher and student perspectives: "Group work on steroids"
Teacher and student perspectives: "Group work on steroids"
Group assessments using IFAT was an instant and consistent success: my students cooperated with frenzied, almost conspiratorial whispers, intense discussion and the occasional high-five. Students were engaged, prepared, and enjoyed themselves. Leaving the room, one student declared: “funnest exam ever!”
While I don't have definitive data that the process helped retention, student feedback would suggest it: "I feel I really remembered the material from that collaborative exam" was one survey response on the end-of-term Classroom Assessment Technique Survey I have them complete.
Collaboration: fostering learning in an online environment
Collaboration: fostering learning in an online environment
Encourage students to:
Encourage students to:
Use multiple means of representation (multiple media, links to video, articles, etc.) - anything that helps them build a stronger/clearer representation of concepts
Include links to sources (students model research skills for each other)
Work online to increase efficiency, feedback, and collaboration
Here is an example of a collaborative student-created course glossary I am planning to implement for next year. I have modeled the principles defined above. Commenting ability allows for ongoing peer and teacher feedback.
Compatible with cognitive load theory, this translates to "removing UNNECESSARY physical and cognitive effort," so that students can focus their attention and energy on your/their learning objectives. For example, making our technological platform choices accessible and user friendly means students spend more time navigating our content than figuring out the tool.
Assistive tech: necessary for some, beneficial for all!
Assistive tech: necessary for some, beneficial for all!
We can't share information regarding assistive technology if we don't know it exists. Here are two tools I discovered this year through UDL available to ALL Dawson students. We think of assistive tech as tools to help our students with various types of disability access learning, but what used to be considered assistive technology is transitioning to widespread use for efficiency and effectiveness in online learning and working environments.
Read, write, gold
Read, write, gold
Available to all Dawson students and teachers for use on any device
Extension for google docs
Screen reader, OCR tool, and research assistant!
Literacy skills: Antidote 9.0 bilingual
Literacy skills: Antidote 9.0 bilingual
Valuable language learning tool, not just a spellchecker or grammar checker
Most useful for:
ESL/FSL students
Digital natives
Anyone who can benefit with support in creating quality written work in English or French
Scaffolding use of tech tools: fostering learning in an online environment
Scaffolding use of tech tools: fostering learning in an online environment
In the online tech sphere we need to consider accessibility. Use of technical media can make our courses more accessible, or less, depending on the choices we make.
The “Inclusion Solution Assistive Technology Lab” is a great resource at Dawson.
Here is an instructional video I made for students explaining how to make a new google doc from a template:
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