Optimize Student Performance with Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) recognizes that variability exists in student populations along many spectra, and guides the design of learning experiences that present as few barriers to success as possible. For background on the concept of Universal Design for Learning, see the Teaching Resources Page: Reaching All Students with Universal Design for Learning.
This article addresses one of the UDL Guidelines from CAST.org, the leading proponent of UDL. The guideline covered by this article is “Multiple Means of Action and Expression.”
UDL and performance
“Learners differ in the ways they navigate a learning environment, approach the learning process, and express what they know.”
CAST.org
Using UDL to optimize performance targets “how” of learning and assesses whether there are artifacts of an assignment tasks or peripheral skills and tasks that have nothing to do with the learning objective of the course that might get in the way of optimal performance. Potential obstacles to optimal student performance can be categorized into at least four areas:
- The physical abilities a task requires
- Thinking processes a task requires
- Untaught or assumed knowledge and skill a task requires
- Executive function a task requires
Factors are arbitrary when an your activity or assessment is requires a task or skill that lies outside of or on top of mastery of the stated learning objective in order to succeed. To apply this principle, an instructor must examine their assignments through a lens that looks for hidden, unstated requirements.
Consider the physical abilities a task requires
In the cartoon at left, a crow, a monkey, a penguin, an elephant, a goldfish, a seal, and a dog are lined up in front of a tree, facing their teacher. The teacher has asked all the animals to demonstrate their physical strength through one means – by climbing a tree. He figures that it’s only fair that they get the same test.
Clearly, some of these animals are not going to be able to complete this task, and it has nothing to do with their strength. Other obstacles exist that are will cause them to be unsuccessful.
How might this illustration apply to a college course other than health and exercise science?
Consider a lab activity, performed at a bench, that requires standing for long periods of time while a process runs. A student who can perform the lab tasks might struggle for other reasons…maybe they have difficulty standing for long periods of time. Likewise, a student asked to write an exam in a bluebook might struggle due to an injured hand or arm. Much the like the animals in this cartoon, these students performances would not demonstrate what they can do because there are arbitrary physical obstacles to completing the task.
A course designed with UDL would allow multiple means of action and expression, so students would have more than one way to demonstrate their knowledge and skill. If one given task presents obstacles for them, students would be able to select a different task that does not.
On a related note, a course designed following UDL principles would have assessment materials that are fully compatible with assistive technology. Images used in assessments and assignments must be of high resolution so they are clear and students with low vision can zoom-in on them if needed. All must include captions or transcripts. See the Quick Couse Content Checklist to examine the basics of making sure your assessments follow standards of digital accessibility.
Consider the thinking processes a task requires
Demographic data from the Disability Resources Office show that a majority of registered disabilities have to do with brain or mental functioning, including ADD, ADHD, mental health, neurological issues, learning differences, brain injury, and autism spectrum disorder. Indeed, the most requested and granted disability accommodation across NC State is more time to complete assignments and tests. Even learners without a disability have off days where they are mentally sluggish or foggy. Either permanent or temporary brain function factors can affect one’s performance at a given time, and certain conditions can worsen these effects.
Ask yourself: does succeeding in your discipline require completing tasks perfectly the first time, quickly, and on demand? Or does this expectation create an artificial obstacle to success?
Consider a course where the achievement of a learning objective is measured through a multiple choice exam administered during one scheduled class period for which no partial credit is awarded.
A student who knows the content might struggle due to
- the time constraint
- anxiety caused by the pressure of a high stakes exam
- having to sit still and quiet for a long period of time
- Having not slept well that day
- Feeling under the weather that day
- Food insecurity or hunger
- Having come off of a long shift at work.
Additionally, for this multiple choice exam, a student who can perform each task at 80% will still receive 0 points if no partial credit is given.
In this way, this exam might actually be testing not “Can you complete this task?” but “At any given time, regardless of your level of fatigue, hunger, or overall well-being, can you complete this task?” Assessments designed with UDL might widen the path to optimal performance by
- Removing time or scheduling constraints as much as possible
- Lowering stakes for a given assessment, perhaps by offering partial credit or the opportunity to retake it
- Encouraging stretch breaks or otherwise provide flexibility in the exam setting
- Creating alternative assessments that allow for demonstration of knowledge in other ways
- DELTA News Article: Alternative Assessment Resources for Teaching and Learning Online
- DELTA News Article: Meet them where they are: Creative alternative assessments
Consider the untaught or assumed knowledge and skills a task requires
Consider an assignment in a geology course in which one learning outcome is that students can explain the characteristics of the different layers of the Earth. To demonstration their knowledge, they are asked to create a video that clearly communicates visually and verbally this information to a non-scientific audience. This task does require the ability to explain the characteristics, but a good video also requires
- Knowledge about effective scientific communication
- Knowledge of how to technically create a video
- Knowledge of visual design and good script writing
- Fluency in spoken English
The learning objective as stated makes no mention of creating a video. And, unless the instructor has specifically taught these skills, they are not aligned with the instruction in the course. It is laudable to try to motivate students and create assessments that are more interesting for them to complete (for more on this topic, see the Teaching Resources article entitled Boost Motivation with UDL), but a course designed with UDL would design multiple options for expression.
Below is a possible rubric for evaluating whether a student has mastered this learning objective regardless of how they show this – whether through a story, a speech, an infographic, or a model. Note that the rubric evaluates achievement of the learning objective only and also provides choice and flexibility for how that achievement is expressed. For more information on creating and using rubrics see the DELTA Teaching Resources article “Rubric Best Practices, Examples, and Templates.”
| Key characteristics explained accurately | Layer of the Earth | Explanations need improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Crust | ||
| Upper Mantle | ||
| Mantle | ||
| Outer Core | ||
| Inner Core |
Other important considerations when examining assessments and assignments for knowledge-based obstacles include monitoring the language used in the assessment for acronyms, jargon and culturally-based idioms or figures of speech that might not be familiar to students of all backgrounds and levels of expertise. For more on this topic, see the Maximizing Comprehension section of the Teaching Resources Article entitled Elevate Your Content with UDL.
Consider the executive function a task requires
One specific skill that is necessary for optimal performance but is commonly undeveloped in college-aged students is executive function. According to a Psychology Today article “Executive function describes a set of cognitive processes and mental skills that help an individual plan, monitor, and successfully execute their goals.” The article goes on to note that much of this functioning relies on the prefrontal cortex region of the brain, and this region of the brain is still developing in college-aged adults. Notably, development of these skills can be more difficult in individuals with some genetic factors as well as childhood trauma. (Psychology Today, n.d.)
What kind of planning, monitoring and reflecting are necessary to succeed on a set of exams in a course? A student must
- create a plan to prepare for the exam
- monitor how well following that plan is preparing them
- adjust the plan as needed,
- reflect on their performance and feedback received
- create a better plan the next time around.
Students who have not had the opportunity to practice and hone these skills or whose executive functioning development is incomplete may not perform well in college even if they have the ability to learn the content. Providing some coaching to these students may optimize their performance. One possible tool to use in the case of exam preparation is some version of a Pre-Exam Planner, modified to fit the needs of your course. The basic idea is to coach students to reflect on their engagement with the material up to the time of the exam, set goals for preparation and performance, review the task at hand and create a plan to prepare, and monitor how their preparation is going. Just prior to the exam, students can reflect on the process and state how they expect to perform. After the exam, a Post-Exam Analysis and Reflection exercise can help students recall how their preparation went, analyze their mistakes and consider how they might adjust their engagement and learning strategies for the next exam.
Likewise, if an assessment takes the form of a major project or paper, helping students set milestones and pace themselves through completion of the task will help them perform better.
Conclusion
UDL can help optimize performance by helping us recognize that students vary in terms of their physical abilities, neurotype; peripheral knowledge and skill and executive function. By designing assessments and assignments that allow for this variation will optimize performance in your course. The key is to use your learning objectives as the anchor for all your assignments and assessments and monitor these for knowledge and skills required to be successful but not a part of the learning objective.
Workshop Information
Optimize Performance with Universal Design for Learning
- Register for an upcoming workshop
- Watch a previously recorded workshop (coming soon!)
- Attending this workshop will count toward the Exploring Universal Design for Learning Badge from DELTA.
If no workshops are available, you can request an instructional consultation from LearnTech about this topic.
References and Resources
- CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org
- Psychology Today, (n.d.) Executive Function. Retrieved Feb 22, 2023.
- UDL Tips for Assessment from CAST