Universal Design Checklist and Resources.doc

Universal Design Checklist The following are some considerations when creating and delivering a universally-designed course. These suggestions are not comprehensive, AND ARE MEANT AS A STARTING POINT FOR DESIGN; much of what faculty can do to make their courses universally-designed will be specific to their preferred teaching style, their philosophy of teaching learning, their content area, their mode of instructional delivery, etc. It is important to remember, however, that universal design for learning is not intended to respond to specific needs within a cohort of students. Rather, it is a model for considering the needs of any future course participant, regardless of their learning styles, preferences, life experience, prior knowledge, personal dimensions, disability, etc. Multiple Means of Engagement activities, etc.) Perform pre-assessment to determine students’ “starting point” Scaffold instruction around prior knowledge Get to know your students Be available and receptive Model empathic and ethical behavior Encourage active learning and student feedback Use listserves, discussion boards, email, social networking sites, or other communication tools to keep students informed Clearly align evaluation with instruction Provide rationale for evaluations and assignments Multiple Means of Representation (Instructional Delivery) Provide all print materials with digital option or flexible access Provide captions for all audio Provide educationally relevant descriptions for images and graphical layouts Present material in redundant ways (e.g., slides presented with verbal reinforcement and online version for later reference) Provide captions and educationally relevant descriptions/transcriptions for video Consider implications of field-based experiences Use texts available in both print and digital formats Use web pages to provide relevant course materials in digital formats (e.g. PowerPoint’s, handouts, syllabi, notes, articles, etc.) Incorporate images