Systematic Instructional Design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

This set of Readings, Watchings, Listenings, and Doings (RWLDs) is designed to prepare you for the lecture on "Systematic Instructional Design and Universal Design for Learning." It is meant to help you plan your Thematic Unit.

This post will focus on 5 terms: 

• Systematic Instructional Design (SID)
• Backward Design
• Understanding by Design (UbD)
• Observable Verbs
• Universal Design For Learning (UDL)

What is Systematic Instructional Design (SID)?

It is a methodical (systematic) approach to planning and creating (designing) educational experiences
that guide learners toward specific goals. By following a structured process, SID ensures that every element of the lesson (instruction) is organized, clear, and tailored to meet the unique needs of your students. This approach also supports continuous improvement, as ongoing evaluation and feedback help refine and enhance the learning experience.

Designing Your Instruction ...backward

Generated with AI

It's just common sense to begin with the end in mind when you are designing instruction. Begin by defining what you want your students to learn and plan your instruction to that result. This is called Backward Design.

If you don't know where you are going,
how will you know when you get there?

Let’s compare Systematic Instructional Design (SID) to planning a road trip:

1. Decide the Destination (Backward Design)

• Just like with a road trip, you start by deciding where you want to go. This is the end goal—where you want your learners to end up. In SID, this means defining clear learning objectives.
• Backward Design: You think about the destination first, and then plan everything else around it. In teaching, this means figuring out what you want students to know or do by the end, and then working backward to plan the journey.

        2. Understand Your Travelers (Learner analysis)

• You need to know who’s coming on the trip—how much they already know, their interests, and how they like to travel. This is like understanding your learners, their background knowledge, unique needs, and learning styles.
  

3. Map Out the Route (Content Sequencing and Structuring)

• Now, plan the best way to get to your destination. Do you want to take the scenic route or the fastest highway? In SID, this is organizing your content and activities in a logical sequence, and scaffolding it from simple to complex.

4. Pack the Essentials (Instructional Strategies)

• Make sure you have everything you need—maps, snacks, gas money. In SID, this is about choosing the right teaching methods, tools, and materials to support learning. 
• Strategies may include direct instruction, collaborative learning, problem-based learning, and use of multimedia

5. Plan Checkpoints. (Assessment and Evaluation)

• Along the way, you’ll check your progress—are you still on track? This is like using formative assessments to see if learners are understanding the material as you go. 
• Use formative assessments to provide ongoing feedback and summative assessments to evaluate overall learning outcomes

6. Enjoy the Journey (Implementation)

• Now you’re on the road, following your plan. This is the actual teaching part, where you deliver the lessons. You’re confident in your journey because you planned it backward from the destination. The trip is designed to ensure you reach your final goal.

7. Reflect on the Trip (Evaluation)

• When you reach your destination, reflect on how the trip went. Did everything go as planned? This is like evaluating whether your teaching was effective—did the learners achieve the goals?

8. Improve for the Next Time

• Learn from the trip to make your next one even better. In SID, use feedback and results to refine your teaching methods. 
• Use the data from evaluations to make ongoing improvements to the instructional design process.
• Ensure that the instruction remains relevant and effective as learner needs and technology evolve.

Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Understanding by Design

Backward Design is the basis for an instructional design system called Understanding by Design.

Understanding by Design is a 3 parts framework that provides direction for unit lesson planning

    1. Identify Desired Results (outcomes)

• What do you want students to know after the lessons?

• What do you want your students to be able to do after the lessons?

    2. Determine Acceptable Evidence 

• What performance will indicate that your students have reached the desired level of proficiency

    3. Create Your Learning Plans to achieve the outcomes

• Develop your Learning Plan (instruction)

• Develop your Learning Activities (experiences) 

Bernajean Porter does a good job of explaining the aspects of Understanding by Design. The most significant point that she makes is that starting with the "End in Mind" is just common sense. (Pay SPECIAL ATTENTION to the B.F.O.)

Measure Success through Observable Verbs

Observable verbs are action words used to describe specific behaviors or actions that can be seen or measured.

For example, 

if you want to check if your students understand the water cycle, you would use observable verbs to create assessments that clearly show whether they grasp the concept. Instead of asking if they "understand" the water cycle, you would ask them to perform specific tasks that demonstrate their understanding: 

• Identify (or label) the different stages of the water cycle in a diagram
• Describe what happens during the evaporation stage
• Create a simple model of the water cycle using household items and demonstrate how water moves through the cycle

If you want to check if your students have learned the multiplication table, you would use observable verbs to create assessments that reveal their proficiency. 

• Fill in the missing numbers in this multiplication table for 1 through 12
• Solve the following problems: 6 × 9, 4 × 7, and 8 × 5
• If you buy 3 packs of pencils and each pack contains 12 pencils, calculate how many pencils do you have in total?

Using observable verbs helps ensure that learning objectives and assessments are clear and focused on what students can do, making it easier to observe and measure their progress and success.

Observable verbs help ensure that learning goals are specific, measurable, and focused on tangible outcomes.

Here is a link to observable verbs that you might use to evaluate how well your students have learned a topic. Tinyurl.com/ObservableVerbs.

Achieving your desired results is not always an easy task. Your students all have different skill levels and learning preferences. It is important that we present new information and engage our students in learning using a variety of approaches.
This strategy is called Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Generated with AI

Effective Instructional Design can only be successful if you consider the learning needs of your learners. Your learners do not all have the same preferences for ways to learn, so you need to consider various ways that new ideas and skills are introduced and how your learners can engage in mastering this content.

Key principles of UDL include:

1. Multiple Means of Engagement: Offer various ways to motivate and involve learners.

• Examples:
• Choice: Allow students to choose between different project topics or formats (e.g., written report, presentation, or video).
• Interest-Based Learning: Incorporate topics that align with students' interests to increase motivation.
• Gamification: Use educational games or simulations to make learning more engaging and interactive.

1. Multiple Means of Representation: Present information in different formats to support comprehension.

• Examples:
• Visuals and Text: Use diagrams, charts, and images along with written explanations to convey information.
• Audio Support: Provide audio recordings or text-to-speech options for reading materials.
• Interactive Tools: Use interactive simulations or models to illustrate complex concepts (e.g., virtual lab experiments).

1. Multiple Means of Action and Expression: Allow learners to demonstrate their understanding in various ways.

• Examples:
• Different Formats: Let students submit assignments in various formats, such as written reports, oral presentations, or multimedia projects.
• Assistive Technology: Provide tools like speech-to-text software or graphic organizers to help students express their ideas.
• Flexible Assessment: Offer different types of assessments (e.g., quizzes, essays, or creative projects) to measure understanding based on students’ strengths.

The goal of UDL is to make learning accessible and effective for everyone by providing flexible learning options that can be customized to individual needs.

The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) is a leading organization in the field of UDL. Read about CAST and the UDL Guidelines.

Here is a 5-minute introductory video on UDL.  

 

Visit (and bookmark for later) Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A teacher’s guide

Consider how we use Multiple Means of Representation in our Ed Tech and Design class. You are introduced (engaged) to new ideas through written and spoken media. The content is Represented in multiple formats. You are provided multiple ways to Act upon your new knowledge and Express your learning.

You should consider developing instruction that integrates a variety of methods of instruction including written text, speaking, listening, watching, and creating (to name a few.) This will be discussed further in the lecture that you will watch.

Putting It All Together with TPACK

We have already introduced TPACK, but Instructional Design is a good place to consider how we can most effectively integrate Technology, Pedagogy (teaching skills), and Content Knowledge (TPACK).

SID involves systematically planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating instruction. TPACK fits into this process by ensuring that technology is effectively integrated into each step.

TPACK enhances UDL by providing diverse, technology-driven ways to engage students, represent content, and allow expression.

Together, TPACK, UDL, and SID create a robust framework that helps educators design and deliver blanaced instruction that is both effective and inclusive, leveraging technology to meet diverse learning needs 

Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org

Technology is NOT the Thing, It provides Opportunities.
Technology is the Thing that gets you to the Thing.
Dr. Zeitz         

An important point TPACK emphasizes is that Technology, Content, and Pedagogy are equally vital, with each offering an essential "piece of the puzzle" that together leads to Successful Learning.

                

===============================
Additional Resources: 

These are not required, but you may find them helpful in understanding these concepts.

Watch this video which provides a brief introduction to TPACK in 2 minutes.