As instructors we know that individual students process information in unique and different ways. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles enable faculty to effectively design their materials and instruction delivery to benefit students with diverse learning needs. Universal Design is an approach to products and environments, including instruction and pedagogy, that takes into account students diverse abilities, their multilingualism, multicultural backgrounds, reading skills, ages, and other special needs. Complex assignments that require critical thinking, self-regulation, and organizational skills can present a steep learning curve for college students sometimes unprepared for university or graduate level work. In this project, I sought to deepen accessibility to the content of a course I teach in the Teacher Preparation program of the Department of Education at California State University, Chico.
The course, Early Literacy Methods, represents a learning challenge for the novice student teachers who are required to take it. One of the most difficult assignments in the course is the case study. This case study requires student teachers focus upon the literacy ability of a child in kindergarten through second grade. The student teachers must assess the child’s literacy ability analyze and report the assessment data and then write an instructional plan to address the child’s needs. They identify a child to study, administer up to nine literacy assessments, analyze and report the results; Then, write an instructional plan that demonstrates their thorough knowledge of early literacy. This is a lengthy assignment around which the entire course is built. Students usually need to refer to the assignment description many times as their understanding of what they must plan for, enact, and report upon evolves. Regardless of the detailed and thorough syllabus introduction and the subsequent assignment description handed out to the students, in addition to referring to it each class session during the course of the semester, students typically ask the same questions over and over. How many assessments do I give? Who will I assess? Ho do I write the report?
I began by evaluating the way I deliver course content keeping in mind the three main Universal Design Principles: Representation, Engagement, and Expression.
I thought about Representation:
How was I providing access by using Multiple methods and modes of course content delivery (visual, graphic, verbal, auditory)
Were my materials accessible (websites, captioned videos, e-textbooks)
Did I provide sample assignments and activities
I looked at my Website in Vista where I post information to be used in the class. I made sure I had available the syllabus which contains the initial reference to the assignment. Here I have the syllabus available and they can view or download to print.
I also made sure I had the assignment description available for student teachers to review (all of these I also make available in my class notes that they buy at the bookstore when they purchase their texts. I had been providing samples such as these that the students could click on and review as they were writing their drafts. I uploaded multiple samples for students to view.
They could see the format of the assignment and how the content was written, in what style, how it was organized.
The second is Engagement:
Were my methods varied? (Did I provide lecture, small group, large group, discussion, student presentation, online discussions).
Did I organize support systems? (study buddy, partner work, study groups).
Did I provide multiple/alternative ways for students to participate and complete work.
The third is Expression:
How did I Provide clear feedback, allow resubmission? Students are always allowed to begin sending me their drafts for feedback since it takes them the course of the semester to compile the data and write it in segments.
Did I provide multiple ways to show what they know(oral presentation, written, project)?
How did I Encourage assistive, adaptive or other technologies?
Did I Provide clear guidelines and rubrics?
I decided to improve accessibility by using a screen capture technology, called Camtasia, to provide another means for students to understand the Case Study assignment. Camtasia Studio (TechSmith) is a software program that allows the user to create, edit, and publish screen videos of any computer mediated presentation, for example, a PowerPoint presentation, word document, or web site exploration. When activated Camtasia begins videotaping a PowerPoint presentation as it is seen by the viewer. With the use of a microphone, a professor may talk through his or her PowerPoint presentation while clicking each slide just as the presentation would be given to an audience. Camtasia will record the voice over and video the screen presentation. Even the pointer (manipulated by the mouse) and its movement around the screen will be videoed. If the presenter wants to follow a link to a website and discuss the site, this would also be recorded as part of the presentation. I am using Camtasia, in fact, to present my project to you. When students view the Camtasia video available on the website support system, they can watch the PowerPoint presentation of the assignment guidelines and hear the my voice discussing each slide. The student can stop, start, and rewind the presentation or view it repeatedly as needed.
Using Camtasia, I designed a powerpoint presentation using slides to break down the assignment description into manageable chunks. The PowerPoint presentation was used as a visual support of a verbal description of the assignment, highlighting the most important points to remember while preparing for the assignment, and underscoring other important tasks for which to plan ahead.
The Camtasia video of the assignment description was provided for students to use as a supplement to the face-to-face course work, lectures, and activities. Posted in the assignments collection in the WebCT shell for the course, students could access it and watch or download it onto their desktops for future reference. When questions arose while reading the assignment description, students could revisit this explanation while viewing the PowerPoint slides in the video format that Camtasia provided. They could watch it at the beginning of the semester when first introduced to the assignment, during the semester as they were collecting their data for the assignment, and at the end of the semester when they were starting to compile the data and write their report. Having the Camtasia video overview of the assignment with my explanation provided the support students needed while eliminating class time spent with the professor answering the same questions repeatedly.
With these multiple means for my students to access the information about this assignment, the assignment description, the samples of the assignment, and the Camtasia presentation, student teachers have consistently reported that the assignment seems clear and manageable as a project. The papers they have submitted have consistently been better and more clearly written and I have had fewer frustrated question and answer periods. I will continue to use the Camtasia support. It seems to provide just the right kind of balance between paper materials and visual/voice access.
To conclude, in a diverse society, college professors and classroom teachers need to know how to design lessons that encourage active student involvement to meet all their students needs (Thorsen, 2006). Learning support technologies that assist in information sharing can be fun and interesting for professors and students to use, motivating them to take a more self-directed role in their learning.
If you are interested in talking more about how to use Camtasia in your classroom, go to the CSU,Chico Department of Education website. You will find me in my office in the Tehama 439, you can phone me at 530-898-6402, or email me at pselvester@csuchico.edu.