IV.3 Instructional materials are provided in multiple modalities to facilitate different learning styles and are incorporated into the design of the course.

◌ Recommended Standard

Expectations

• 1. Because students learn in different ways (auditory, visual, kinesthetic), relying upon content in a single format can make learning more difficult for certain students. That said, materials should be provided in a variety of modalities (formats) to facilitate the various learning styles.

  2. Students often benefit from learning via simulation and gaming, so if applicable, the course should incorporate these tools.

Examples

Accommodating different learning styles will help students be more successful in the course:

• auditory learners - learn through listening

  • lectures

  • videos with audio annotations

  • sometimes need charts/graphics/pictures described

• visual learners - learn through seeing

  • lecture slides with audio annotations

  • videos

  • charts/graphs/pictures

• kinesthetic learners - learn through interacting with content

  • gaming¹

  • simulation²

  • practical application

^1,2According to the 2014 ECAR Student and IT Survey, in 2011, only about 15% of student were interested in using simulation and gaming in courses. By 2012, this jumped to 55%, and since that time, has held steady at around 50%. This clearly demonstrates that students are interested in simulating and gaming, and the research demonstrates that using such tools has a pedagogical benefit to students.

References:

• • IDEA methods 2,10

  • QOLT 3.5

  • ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology