Module Link

This resource was originally developed with resources from the College STAR grant. That grant has ended and the College STAR modules will now permanently reside at the East Carolina University Office for Faculty Excellence.

Module Introduction

Aligned with adult education theories, enacting democratic practice can have a positive impact on student learning and engagement. Cervero and Wilson (2006) emphasize the role of power in the process of planning educational programs for adult learners; they theorize that the four key dimensions of the “planning table” at play are these: power relations, interests, ethical commitments, and negotiation. This is particularly important in higher education, where the teacher-student relationship is structured such that the teacher holds the power to assign grades and typically the teacher makes planning decisions prior to the course even starting. Putting theory into practice, each dimension can be considered as teachers plan for activities and assignments, course policies, course content, and student evaluation (Weimer, 2013). Educators have experimented with efforts to return power to students by collaborating with them in a range of higher education projects, such as the design of a cohort-based graduate degree program (Colin & Heaney, 2001), pre-service teacher education curriculum development (Enright et al., 2017) and redesign of a first-year undergraduate science course (Bengtson et al., 2017).

In this case study, I explore the role of power in curriculum and course design through considering approaches to involving students in the planning process. In my own teaching, I involved my students in the design of a new graduate course. Student perspectives on participating in this process were gained through an open-ended survey conducted after the conclusion of the semester. Questions were based on the theoretical framework of Cervero and Wilson (2006) in order to gain insight into the role of the student and teacher in the planning process. Qualitative analysis of student responses was conducted based on the constant comparative method (Lincoln and Guba, 1985) in order to reveal common themes. Additionally, I led a Practice Session at the 2020 Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy in which attendees shared their ideas and strategies. Synthesizing experiences from my own practice and input from workshop participants, I describe strategies for engaging students in the decision-making process and discuss real-world tensions in this work that serve as entry points for further reflection and exploration.

Support for this Module

Original development of this module was made possible by the College STAR (Supporting Transition Access and Retention) initiative.  College STAR was a grant-funded project focused on partnering postsecondary educational professionals and students to learn ways for helping postsecondary campuses become more welcoming of students with learning and attention differences. Much of this work was made possible by generous funding from the Oak Foundation.

Video Link

Sarah Brightman discusses redesigning her courses.

Transcript

So in the fall of 2015 i redesigned a victimology course that i implemented in spring 2016 and fortunately using that experience i have done a race class and gender course for the fall of 2016. In a general sense i always like to have a very student oriented type of classroom, and so with implementing team based learning, using the udl principles, I’ve really been very intentional with the design teams. Im making the class activities really focus on that team and group learning. Having them prepare ahead of time so that they’re able to discuss the activities in the classrooms, then sometimes i spring fun activities on them that they're not expecting but they have to figure out how to solve problems.

So for the multiple means of engagement i've really tried to use the team based learning as a focus of that approach so that students’ develop the community orientation with their teams and in a sense it makes them accountable to each other on a weekly basis. So that they know that when they’re given  an assignment it's not only their grade, but when they come together as a team if they weren't prepared for that class period then they’re letting down their teammates as well. So it really encourages participation, preparing themselves ahead of time, showing up to all the class periods, and really recognizing they have this group interest in the classroom.

 So in that class I have a lot of journaling, so you know i'll ask  them questions about relating to what they’re studying, so what they're studying in history,  or rock music to music today or new ideas today, you know?  This gets to broader cultural elements of this music. So i'll ask them to think about race issues in American history and how music relates to that.

Support for this Module

Original development of this module was made possible by the College STAR (Supporting Transition Access and Retention) initiative.  College STAR was a grant-funded project focused on partnering postsecondary educational professionals and students to learn ways for helping postsecondary campuses become more welcoming of students with learning and attention differences. Much of this work was made possible by generous funding from the Oak Foundation.

The good news: most people in higher education have now heard about UDL. The bad news: many think it’s just another facet of general accessibility efforts. The opportunity: now we can build on foundational knowledge to create UDL experts at our colleges and universities. This session will share three expert-level messages to bring back to your campus leaders and colleagues. You will learn how to go beyond the principles of UDL as they apply to individual course interactions and start designing curricula, services, and support structures in a universal and inclusive way. Not an expert yet? Come by and learn!

Session Video Recording
Slide Deck
Handout/Planned Transcript

We recognize that quality course design is instrumental toward supporting student success. When an online learning environment is well designed, everyone achieves more, learns more, and is more equitably represented.

We recognize that many faculty do not necessarily know how to carry out accessible design. This course is intended to provide conceptual and theoretical framework and robust concrete practical strategies to guide faculty and instructional designers in building course material on Canvas according to the best practices of Universal Design for Learning to improve the accessibility and quality of learning experience for everyone.

Academic Resources at Chattanooga State Community College, in the past few years, has adopted Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into their course design process for developing successful and engaging online courses. In their research on accessibility and UDL, they have collaborated campuswide as well as with other colleges and universities across their state.

This paper summarizes the Course Design for Student Success in Higher Education session that  wasoffered at UDL-IRN 2018. It will provide Learning Management System (LMS) tools, software, and pedagogy currently used in their course design process that promotes UDL and how their process is tied to the UDL principles. They will also provide recent course examples. This will include recent examples of STEM, Nursing, General Education, and Tennessee Center of Advanced Technology courses. In addition, it will provide resources solutions to common problems that occur during course design/re-design, including common LMS tips and tricks.

Academic Resources at Chattanooga State Community College, in the past few years, has adopted Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into their course design process for developing successful and engaging online courses. In their research on accessibility and UDL, they have collaborated campuswide as well as with other colleges and universities across their state.

This paper summarizes the Course Design for Student Success in Higher Education session that  wasoffered at UDL-IRN 2018. It will provide Learning Management System (LMS) tools, software, and pedagogy currently used in their course design process that promotes UDL and how their process is tied to the UDL principles. They will also provide recent course examples. This will include recent examples of STEM, Nursing, General Education, and Tennessee Center of Advanced Technology courses. In addition, it will provide resources solutions to common problems that occur during course design/re-design, including common LMS tips and tricks.