UDL：改变课程以提高学生的理解力
by Amy Beauchemin, Ed.D, Associate Professor of Sociology, Teaching Fellow, School of Applied Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

社会学概论 是一门100级的课程，许多学生在皇冠app的第一年都会参加。 多元化的学生群体 takes this course as required by many of our academic programs, including 护理 and 健康科学. 当我开始教授社会学导论时，学校为我提供了一套标准的课程，帮助我熟悉这门课程。 然而，我很快在课程的期末项目中发现了学生学习的障碍。

I noticed that the design and presentation of the final project did not allow students to 将可获得的信息转化为可用的知识, one of the many critical components of 通用学习设计 (UDL) — an academic framework focused on innovative instruction and learner inclusivity. In particular, the final project incorporated several impediments to UDL’s :表示理解 guideline.

As a 皇冠app学习创新研究所 (GUILI) teaching fellow, I knew I had to alter the assignment so that students could obtain the information they needed and enhance their overall learning outcomes.

分析任务中的障碍

最初，期末项目要求学生看几集电视节目，并从社会学的角度分析它们。 学生必须选择三个贯穿整个课程的社会学概念，并解释这些概念如何与他们选择的电视节目联系起来。 By integrating the TV show themes with sociological views, the intent was that students would ultimately “合成” their understanding of the course content.

The original project also tried to incorporate 脚手架 (a teaching method that supports learning by systematically building on student experiences and knowledge as they acquire new skills) by having students complete two worksheets. Attempting to 锚指令 and provide students with an “高级组织工具，” the first worksheet focused on details of the television show, while the second centered on sociological 概念. The worksheets were rather detailed, but the purpose was to 桥的想法 by helping students organize their thoughts and receive feedback as they prepared to write a paper on the project.

在我布置任务之前，学生们就质疑如果不看电视该怎么办。 Through the UDL 表示：理解检查点3.3, the framework’s recommendation to 为课程提供多个入口点和通过内容的最佳路径 further demonstrated a shortfall in the original project.

学生们在选择三个社会学概念时也很纠结； 他们不确定是否需要从文本中选择书籍章节或其他主题。 综合这三种社会学方法似乎是最大的障碍； 学生们不熟悉术语，也不理解作业的期望。

在批改项目的时候，我也注意到学生们并没有在整个课程中完全应用他们所学到的知识。 They provided basic connections but did not fully 对齐 the sociological 概念 to examples in the television show. Consequently, the assignment did not 启动，激活，或提供学习者的背景知识或相关性 they needed to make a more extensive connection.

通过调整任务来引领潮流

为了帮助学生，我对这个项目进行了批判性的审视，以消除障碍，使其更容易接近。 First, I thought, 为什么学生只能看电视节目？ 该项目是否可以与其他选项一起工作？ Then I wondered, 作业的目的是什么？ If the goal was for students to demonstrate knowledge of sociology through the lens of multimedia, then I needed to find ways to 指导勘探 and 支持信息处理策略.

我希望这门课能够轻松地将可获取的信息转化为可靠的知识，所以我对项目进行了有意义的修改。

• 来 设定明确的期望, I updated the project to focus on the three main theories in sociology: Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. Focusing on these three theories allowed students to 重新审视批判性思想 and 在新情况下概括学习.

• 来 通过内容提供最佳路径, I gave the students the flexibility to compare the sociological theories through the 他们选择的媒介, either a television show, movie, or graphic novel.

• 来 突出显示模式，引导理解，并提供明显的线索和提示在这堂课开始时，我向学生们介绍了这三种理论。 学生们被分配了各种作业来定义理论，解释观点，并将其与他们的生活联系起来。

• 来 provide 访问脚手架, I consolidated the two worksheets that students previously completed to prepare for the final paper into one. The worksheet 提示变得更加明确, guiding the students’ information processing.

• Students were given 有用的例子和模型 to empathize critical elements of the project through course announcements, videos, tutorials, and exemplars to support new understanding.

• 来 assist with the transfer of knowledge, I provided students with feedback, enabling them to 批判性的思考 about 在不同的设置中应用信息.

• Lastly, I revised the rubric to focus on the project’s content and added 跨学科联系 by incorporating writing and formatting parameters to ensure clarity of expectations.

通过UDL支持加强理解
According to the developers of UDL, 特种应用技术研究中心 (CAST), “All learners can benefit from assistance in how to transfer the information they have to other situations… and students need multiple representations for this to occur.”

通过消除学习障碍，学生可以通过相关媒介的镜头展示他们的社会学知识。 一旦我消除了这些障碍，对项目的询问就会减少，对项目期望的理解也会增加，学生作业的质量也会提高。 修改作业并将UDL指南应用于社会学导论的期末项目中，改善了学生的学习，使学习更有意义。

了解更多有关 皇冠app学习创新研究所（GUILI）和通用学习设计研究所。