Multiple Means of Action & Expression

Multiple Means of Action & Expression

Actions & Expression is the "HOW" of learning, or as we saw in the video, the Skills and Strategies part of the brain network. This guideline address how students physically navigate their courses and course work, and how they are able to participate in their courses. This guideline addresses some of the more traditional accessibility issues that you have already faced in your classroom.

The expression part of this guideline also includes how students may express their knowledge of learning. For example, does a course only allow students to express or show what they have learned by answering multiple choice questions or completing short answer questions? Could there be an opportunity for students to express their knowledge through multimedia submissions, non-traditional means of demonstrating that they know what they know? This is not just from an accessibility standpoint, but a student may struggle with writing for various reasons. If every assessment requires that they write what they've learned, they may not be fairly assessed (unless, of course, it is a writing course). However, they may be a great presenter or verbal communicator, so if they were able to create a presentation or record a video response to a question, they may be able to better demonstrate that they have met the objectives of a module or assignment.

Some of these barriers my be physical, mental, language, emotional, or others. Students will need to approach their learning activities in different ways in order to participate fully and be successful in their learning.

Ways to address this guideline might include providing students with multiple media options for communicating, adaptive technology or software, assistive technology, and providing practice opportunities in order for students to build both skills and confidence.