Audiovisual and IT Services: Support Models and Practices (2021-22)
Universal Design for Learning in the Asynchronous Online Classroom
A Two Day Workshop on Universal Design for Learning in the context of Asynchronous Learning.
The first session would model and discuss essential concepts within the Universal Design for Learning framework including but not limited to: instructor and student relationship building, Identifying the unique needs of different segments of online learners, producing student-centered assignments, special attention to software tools that are accessible to all students, and the explicit use of multiple modes of communication in student-centered assignments. The first session would model and discuss the essential elements in asynchronous online course design including but not limited to: diagnostic tools for learning students' foundational knowledge, achieving strong instructor presence, choosing software tools that allow student collaboration in pair, group and whole classwork, and assessment techniques specifically for asynchronous environments.
The first comprehensive hands-on activity would be for small groups of instructors and instructional designers to create a sample collaborative UDL-based asynchronous assignment that achieves the learning objectives of one of their courses.
The second session would model and discuss effective formative and summative assessment practices for UDL-based asynchronous collaborative activities. We would discuss 1) how to create model collaborative activities for students, 2) how to produce rubrics to assess those collaborative activities and 3) how to give effective feedback specifically for UDL-based collaborative asynchronous activities.
The second comprehensive hands-on activity would be for small groups of instructional designers and instructional designers to produce a rubric that fits with the collaborative assignment that they created in the first session and model some effective student feedback that could help students to improve their competencies in a specific academic area of focus.