Topic 3 - Multiple Means of Representation
Have you ever asked your students
"What does this mean?" or "What do you see in this picture?"
and received very different responses?
These varied responses show that we rely on our experiences and prior knowledge to fill in gaps in information to make meaning. Therefore, presenting course content only in one way cannot effectively reach all learners who have different frames of reference. For that, the Multiple Means of Representation guideline encourages us to present course content in multiple ways so that students have different ways to access and engage with the course content.
In addition, based on the recognition network of the brain introduced in the first topic of the module, this section of the module introduces teaching practices that help learners recognize patterns in the information they receive through senses. For example, the recognition network helps us to understand the meaning of text by paying attention to patterns, such as the organization of paragraphs, use of transition words, and choice of words that communicate certain tone and style. Therefore, it is important to help students process information in an intentional and systematic way.
This 2- minute video focuses on how we can provide multiple means of representation to support the variability in our learners’ recognition networks.
Title: UDL Principle Multiple Means of Representation
Duration: 2:00 min.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/aRJVlL8O3PQ
The representation principle is comprised of the following guidelines, and this section of the module walks you through them one by one.
3.1. Provide Options for Perception ⇩| 3.2. Provide Options for Language and Symbols ⇩| 3.3. Provide Options for Comprehension ⇩
3.1. Provide Options for Perception
Learning can be impossible or difficult when we present key course information in only one format or in formats that require assistance. For example, for many of us printed text has dominated our educational experience, and some of us have no problem with accessing text and are good at deriving meaning from it. However, presenting course materials only in text format can be a barrier to some learners, including those who have a vision impairment or a learning disability, such as dyslexia that causes difficulty in reading. To reduce or remove these types of barriers, when possible, you may consider providing textual materials in different formats (e.g., alternative visual, audio), or ensure textual materials are accessible to screen readers (assistive technologies) and allow learners to enlarge text.
In presenting any materials, it is important to explicitly explain what you are trying to teach through those materials. Otherwise, students may perceive different things in the presented information, and some of them may not be able to reach the intended learning goal.
Checkpoints for Perception | Examples for your classroom |
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Offer ways of customizing the display of information Links to an external site. |
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Offer alternatives for auditory information Links to an external site. |
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Offer alternatives for visual information Links to an external site. |
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3.1.1. Activity: Digital Content and Media Accessibility
Read this two-page digital content & media accessibility and identify 2-3 ways to make digital course materials in your course more accessible.
3.2. Provide Options for Language & Symbols
Much like that one image can mean different things to different people, words and symbols can also mean different things to people who have different points of reference due to their varying prior knowledge or experiences. When learners do not understand verbal and non-verbal language being used in the course material and delivery, their access to the content knowledge is limited. For example, when course readings are full of jargon that are specific to a certain academic discipline, students who are new to the discipline would have a hard time in understanding the content. Therefore, it is important to provide options for learners to learn about language and symbols (e.g., vocabulary, symbols, syntax) being used in course materials.
Checkpoints for Language and Symbols | Examples for your course |
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Support decoding of text, mathematical notation, and symbols Links to an external site. |
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Promote understanding across languages Links to an external site. |
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Illustrate through multiple media Links to an external site. |
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3.2.1. Activity: Clarifying Structure and Avoiding Confusion
3.3. Provide Options for Comprehension
Learners vary in their skills for information processing, for accessing and connecting new information to their prior knowledge and for making sense of the new information. For learners to develop knowledge that is useful to them, being presented with new information is not enough. They need to learn how to actively process information so that they can integrate new information with their prior knowledge, categorize their knowledge, and retain information in a systematic way. For example, providing models, scaffolds, and feedback can help learners to build connections to their prior experiences and highlight important information that relates to their learning goals.
Checkpoints for Comprehension | Examples for your classroom |
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Activate or supply background knowledge Links to an external site. |
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Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships Links to an external site. |
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Guide information processing and visualization Links to an external site. |
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Maximize transfer and generalization Links to an external site.
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3.3.1. Activity: Videos In Your Course
Read the following scenario and answer questions below.
Scenario:
You are teaching a course in a college business program. To supplement the course readings and help your learners see what some of the course concepts look like in practice, you have begun to include short videos of current business cases in your classes. You have found most of these videos online in YouTube. Although they had no captions or transcripts, you have started using them anyway in order to help students learn the theory and concepts that they are currently studying. You usually begin each class by showing at least one of the videos as a way to get class discussions started.
This course includes two students Mehdi and Linda:
Student 1- Mehdi: Mehdi is an international student who has come to Canada to complete a college program in Business Management and improve his English language skills. He has met the English-language requirements for his program; however, he becomes stressed when class discussion moves too quickly.
Student 2- Linda: Linda is a business administration student who is blind and uses a screen-reader software, JAWS, to access electronic text materials, as well as an audio-recorder to “take notes” in class.
Questions:
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What are the possible barriers for the above students in your class?
- Barriers for Mehdi: For Mehdi, for whom English is not a dominant language, it can be challenging to understand the content of the videos or the concepts being addressed because he might not be familiar with different accents in the videos or class discussions, or some of the videos might be too fast or too complex for him to follow and digest. In addition, when he is struggling to understand the videos and class discussions, it can be very difficult for him to formulate his comments and participate in class discussions.
- Barriers for Linda: Linda can't see the visuals on the videos; therefore, she might not fully grasp the content of the videos. She might also find it difficult to participate in class discussions as she might have missed some key information from the videos (e.g. a chart showing the growth of a business in a year).
- How could those barriers be addressed through a redesign of any of the course components?
- Providing transcripts and captions for all videos would help both Mehdi and Linda to fully understand the content of the videos. It can be also helpful to give students access to the videos before the class so that they can view them in advance and prepare themselves for class discussions. Providing them with guiding questions can also help them be better prepared for class discussions.
For Further Learning:
You can find more student personas here to help you think about possible barriers that may exist for your students.
More personas are listed at https://rosenfeldmedia.com/a-web-for-everyone/personas-for-accessible-ux/
Read them through and identify possible barriers that might exist in your classroom for them.
Note: Click the Next button below to move on to the next page, Topic 4: Multiple Means of Action & Representation.