2019 Keynote presentation to the faculty and staff at the University of Houston for their Innovative Teaching and Learning at a Distance (ITLD) Conference

1. SET YOUR
CONTENT FREE
Online Course Design for Active
Learning within the UDL Framework
UH ITLD Keynote 2019
Sandra Annette
Rogers, PhD

2. OUTLINE
Definition & purpose;
Examples;
Setting the stage;
Instructional strategies;
Assessments & feedback loops;
Discussion formats, roles, & monitoring; and
Learner strategies.

3. DEFINITION & PURPOSE
Active learning engages students directly in the
learning process through instructional activities
with differing degrees of interaction, whereas
passive learning generally occurs indirectly and
without interaction.
Gain or refocus students' attention.
Give students agency over their learning.
Students use what’s learned.
Trigger cognitive functioning.

4. Active Learning Examples of Instructional Strategies
Studio model
Problem-based learning
Groupwork
Debates
Gaming & Simulations
(Meta)Cognitive
Strategies
Assessments (analysis,
synthesis, evaluation)
Think-Pair-Share: (3 mins.)
Which ones do you use on this list?
On Mentimeter Poll, share other
types to add to list.
Teacher or peer observations with feedback
(e.g., writer’s workshop, art, portfolios)

5. UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR
LEARNING (UDL)
Universal Design - Consider the needs of persons with
disabilities in regards to physical spaces, objects, and
tasks.
UDL - Recognize accessibility needs for course design
and reach all learners. Set content free by providing
multiple means of engagement, representation, and
action and expression (CAST, 2018).
Flexible learning - “…a state of being in which learning
and teaching is increasingly freed from the limitations
of the time, place and pace of study”(Naidu, 2017, p.
269).

6. UDL EXAMPLES
Audio Lecture Object, Place,
Person, or Thing
Text-based
Content
Video Lecture
Podcast RSS for
mobile access
Digitized version
for mobile access
Audio for
mobile access
Narrated
PowerPoint
saved as MP4
Transcripts
(Example 1)
Replicas PDF
(Example 2)
CC
(Example 1)
Described media
& Translations
Translator, ASL
Interpreter,
Tactile
Interpretation
Translations Described
media &
Translations
UD of space eases
movement for all
Headers Built-in pauses
for reflection

7. ENGENDER A COMMUNITY OF
INQUIRY (COI)
Use the COI framework to ensure students are engaged
with the content, each other, and the instructor to maximize
learning. Social presence (e.g., student-student
interactions), cognitive presence (e.g., analysis), and
teaching presence (e.g., feedback) are the essential elements
of the communication loop for an online COI (Garrison,
Anderson, & Archer, 2000). Active leaning provides a
mechanism for this framework.
UDL: Foster collaboration and community; provide options
for comprehension, communication, and executive functions
(CAST, 2018).

8. SET THE STAGE FOR ACTIVE
LEARNING
Share course expectations in a ‘Getting Started’
folder (e.g., syllabus, schedule, protocol for
interactions, tech guides). Ensure students know
how to use the learning system prior to high-stakes
assignments in the following ways:
Take a quiz on the syllabus.
Introduce themselves in discussion.
Submit a document (e.g. acknowledgment form).
UDL: Provide a welcoming course climate and
predictability of tasks (CAST, 2018, Checkpoint 7.3).

9. SET THE STAGE FOR LEARNING
VALUES
Consider addressing the growth mindset (versus
fixed mindset) to ensure students establish
attainable learning goals, apply effort, and are open
to corrective feedback.
Explain the difference between the two, ask how
they can self-regulate toward a growth mindset,
praise their persistence, and acknowledge their
selection of challenging tasks and struggles (Dweck,
2009).
UDL: “Promote expectations and beliefs that
optimize motivation” (Cast, 2018, Checkpoint 9.1).

10. TYPOLOGY OF INSTRUCTIONAL
STRATEGIES
Diversify your instructional strategy selection to go
beyond content-centered lessons, which are
generally passive, discussion of content being the
exception. UDL: Select multiple means of
engagement and expression.
Activity-
centered
Experience-
centered
Learner-
centered
Content-
centered
Analyze case
study
Participate
in a
simulation
Peer-review
papers
Write an
essay
Which types of instructional strategies do you
use? Take Mentimeter poll to select all that
apply.

11. ONLINE ASSESSMENTS FOR COI
Engage learners in higher order thinking skills with
alternative assessments (e.g., projects, e-portfolios,
recorded performances, products, live presentations).
These don't need to be end-of-term assignments.
Formative assessments serve as ongoing comprehension
checks and subsequent student feedback. They can be
formal, as listed above, or informal (practice tests, 1-
minute reflections, polls). This is in contrast to
summative assessments of cumulative knowledge on
topic at term’s end.
UDL: Provide options to recruit interest through choice
& authenticity (CAST, 2018).

12. ONLINE FEEDBACK & GUIDANCE
FOR COI
Learning requires different feedback loops. Feedback
can come from intelligent tutors through computer-
adaptive programs, instructors, TAs, peers, &
professionals. For example, use MS Word track
changes, Google Docs suggested edits, or Turnitin
PeerMark for writing feedback and guidance.
UDL: Mastery-oriented feedback promotes sustained
effort and persistence (CAST, 2018).

13. ONLINE FEEDBACK LOOP FORMATS
FOR COI
Rubrics establish the criteria and scale for various tasks
and make expectations explicit. They provide
consistency and speed with grading. (Ex. Google forms or
LMS rubric)
Scaffolded instruction provides content in meaningful
and manageable chunks of information. For example,
break large tasks into phases of the writing process (e.g.,
outline, lit review with 5 citations, rough draft, paper) as
consecutive assignments.
Peer feedback requires guidelines, a clear project
description, instructions for tools used, & rubric for
criteria.

14. ONLINE ASSIGNMENTS FOR COI
Highly effective tasks are those that are situated within the
actual task (authentic or simulated) or end goal for your course
for near transfer of information to long-term memory.
Groupwork - Provide the parameters, roles (e.g., team leader,
researcher, writer, presenter), & peer evaluation forms to
ensure full participation.
Presentations - Students should share their media
presentations (e.g., narrated PowerPoints, podcasts, video) with
other students in the LMS media site and obtain feedback.
UDL: Provide multiple means of engagement (CAST, 2018)

15. TECHNOLOGIES FOR ONLINE
CONTENT DELIVERY
Provide ways for students to interact with your lecture,
demo, or direct instruction of skill for active learning.
For example, with video lectures, consider
using EdPuzzle, PlayPosit or Camtasia Studio to engage
learners with questions to answer prior to the next
segment.
For hybrid courses, consider pausing to allow the use of
web-based (e.g., Mentimeter, Socrative, Google Forms)
or hand-held student response systems. These require
advance setup of questions.
UDL: Activate affective (why), recognition (what), and
strategic (how) networks (CAST, 2018).

16. ONLINE DISCUSSIONS FOR COI
To increase engagement in large e-courses, use short targeted
discussions, role assignments, & subdivision of course material
for dialogue (e.g., jigsaw).
Roles - Provide structure and student agency by assigning roles
(e.g., starter, responder, wrapper) & rotating roles throughout
the course.
Media - Use the audio or video recording features to share
responses besides the text-based option to provide novelty and
multiple means of representation. Ask student to produce an
image to illustrate their understanding.
Monitor - For equity, create a matrix of teacher-student
interactions to track your response efforts over the course of the
semester. Pair-share novel approaches to discussions. (3 min.)

17. EMBED LEARNING STRATEGIES
Learning strategies engage students with course
readings and other content to monitor their
learning. Cognitive learning strategies include
concept mapping, mnemonics, overlearning,
metaphors, and similes. Add these to your
instructional activities to build students’ brain
schema on the topic and its relation to other
subjects for long-term memory.
Tying learner strategies to your instruction will
make it more inclusive. (See handout.)

18. PROMOTE METACOGNITIVE
LEARNING STRATEGIES
The difference between cognitive and metacognitive
strategies being concreteness versus meta-
awareness respectively. Most students are likely
familiar with the structurally cognitive ones such
as concept maps but may not be familiar with
metacognitive ones (e.g., elaboration, visualization,
rehearsal). (See handout.)
UDL: Guide self-reflection (CAST Professional
Learning, 2017).

19. CONCLUSION
For active learning within the UDL framework,
students need the following:
Prep for learning events,
Participatory practices for near transfer,
Multimodal and flexible content,
Cognitively stimulating interactions,
(Meta)Cognitive strategies for learning,
Formative assessment as feedback loops, and
Alternative assessments to demonstrate mastery.

20. CONTACT
Sandra Annette Rogers, Ph.D.
Instructional Designer
srogers@online.ucla.edu
Twitter @Teacherrogers
Blog:
https://teacherrogers.wordpress.com/

21. REFERENCES
CAST Professional Learning. (2017). Top 5 UDL Tips for Fostering Expert
Learners. Retrieved from http://castprofessionallearning.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/08/cast-5-expert-learners-1.pdf
CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2.
Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Dweck, C. (2009). Developing Growth Mindsets: How Praise Can Harm,
and How to Use it Well. [Presentation]. Paper presented at the Scottish
Learning Festival, Glasgow. Retrieved
from http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/video/c/video_tcm4565678.asp
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-
based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The
Internet and Higher Education 2(2-3), 87-105.
Naidu, S. (2017). How flexible is flexible learning, who is to decide and
what are its implications? Distance Education, 38, 269–272.
doi:10.1080/01587919.2017.1371831