Five ways the NC State Moodle Mobile App Supports Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing learning experiences to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and be successful. One principle of UDL is to allow learners to choose and customize how they display, perceive and interact with information. The NC State Moodle Mobile App provides flexibility and choice in how students access and interact with your Moodle course site. This article details five specific ways that the NC State Moodle Mobile App supports UDL. Want to learn more about Universal Design for Learning? Read the Teaching Resources article, “Reaching All Students with Universal Design for Learning.”

Introduction

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing learning experiences to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and be successful. UDL is based on the concept of Universal Design, a term originally defined in 1988 right here at NC State by Ron Mace and colleagues. They defined Universal Design as “usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation of specialized design.” UDL is this design philosophy applied to an educational setting. The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) has developed UDL principles and guidelines for designing educational experiences that emphasize flexibility and choice and are more effective for all learners. 

One principle of UDL is to allow learners to choose and customize how they display, perceive and interact with information. Learners have different needs and preferences when it comes to how information is accessed, so displaying or providing information in only one format may present a challenge for some students. The NC State Moodle Mobile App provides flexibility and choice in how students access and interact with your Moodle course site. By designing your course in a way that is compatible with the Moodle Mobile App and making students aware of the app as an option for accessing your course, you can ensure that more students are able to participate in a way that works best for them and allows them to be successful.

Five specific ways that the NC State Moodle Mobile App supports UDL are by

  • facilitating access on the go and from a variety of devices
  • providing push notifications
  • ensuring compatibility with built-in assistive technology
  • supporting easier navigation and display of content, and
  • integrating with many enterprise instructional tools.

Mobile Access On-The-Go

UDL Considerations Supported

As an application built for mobile devices, the NC State Moodle Mobile App promotes flexibility and expands access to Moodle content. It gives learners the option to access their course content from more places, at more times, and from more devices.  

A unique feature of the NC State Moodle Mobile app is that it downloads content so it can be accessed in case of a lost or poor internet connection, making it a great option for those who need to access their courses while on public transportation or in remote locations where there isn’t a consistent cell signal available. It will even save a draft of any unfinished forum posts, allowing a student to continue working on it later if they lose connection or need to close the app. These features make it easier for users to determine how, where, and when they access their courses.

Push Notifications

UDL Considerations Supported

UDL emphasizes the importance of providing scaffolding and support to decrease cognitive load and allow students to do their best work. UDL recommends that a course or learning environment provide a variety of tools, resources, and supports to keep students on track and motivated in a way that works for them. Prompts, reminders, and schedules posted in obvious places help support students in reaching their learning goals. With customizable push notifications and an integrated calendar, students can customize the Moodle Mobile app to keep themselves on track with the level of support they want, including adding reminders to their phones or tablets where they may be more likely to see and respond to them.

Assistive Technology Compatibility

UDL Consideration Supported

Some learners rely on assistive technologies to access course information, and have configured these technologies on their mobile devices. Examples include screen-reading software, display settings and voice control. The NC State Moodle Mobile app is compatible with these technologies, ensuring full and easy interaction with course information for all students, regardless of their needs.

Optimized Display for Moodle

UDL Considerations Supported

The NC State Moodle Mobile App offers unique features that are optimized for the mobile environment and that provide flexibility in how information is displayed and accessed. For example, activity descriptions are displayed in a truncated format with the option to expand them, giving the user greater control over the display of information and allowing for easier navigation and less scrolling. The app also allows users to isolate and enlarge images for a better viewing experience.

Helpfully, the app automatically opens on the current module based on the calendar, reducing the need to scroll and making navigation more efficient. Navigation is further optimized for mobile delivery by utilizing a paginated format, instead of a continuous scroll.

Tool Compatibility

UDL Considerations Supported

The NC State Moodle Mobile App integrates with a number of other instructional tools and platforms, allowing for a seamless experience between different components of the course. Users can easily access the Panopto, Google Assignment, and PlayPosit through the Moodle Mobile app. Many SCORM packages display well too, and some, like those created with Articulate Rise, are even better on the app because they are already optimized for mobile display. Just like the desktop browser version of Moodle, the NC State Moodle Mobile app makes it possible to utilize a variety of media formats and tools. In addition, within the app users always have the option to open these tools in a browser window, maximizing compatibility and allowing them to be accessed in the format that works best.

Limitations

While there are many advantages to using the Moodle Mobile App to support UDL, there are some situations where the NC State Moodle Mobile App is not the best tool and the desktop version of Moodle is the preferred version:

  1. The NC State Moodle Mobile App provides limited instructor tools and doesn’t allow for course editing, so building and updating a course can’t be done from the app.
  2. Because it allows for off-line viewing, user activity in the Moodle Mobile app is not always reflected in the Moodle activity logs.
  3. Not all quiz features are compatible with the NC State Moodle Mobile app, for example questions that require a file to be uploaded or those that have time or IP address requirements. 
  4. While many external tools are compatible with Moodle Mobile, some are not, or display better in a desktop browser environment.

More information about NC State Moodle Mobile App

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