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Unit 7: Course Resources

Lesson A: World History Hybrid Course Information

Universal Design for Learning

The World History Course was developed with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in mind. UDL is a framework for curriculum development that gives all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone–not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs. UDL draws from a variety of research including the fields of neuroscience, the learning sciences, and cognitive psychology. The key components of UDL include:

The three UDL principles share one common recommendation: to provide students with a wider variety of options. The three principles focus on the different areas of the brain: The Recognition Network, the "what" of learning; the Strategic Network, the "how" of learning; and the Affective Network, the "why" of learning.

Principle Examples in Course
Principle 1: Provide Multiple Means of Representation
  • variety in the way the content is presented; including the use of text, images, audio, video, simulations, discussions, etc.
  • Unit 1 Lesson B - Activity 2: Interactive Timeline on World Religions includes text and images.
  • Unit 5 Lesson B - Activity 1: Mini Lesson on Technology and War. Students can either listen to the audio or read the script.
  • Unit 6 Lesson A - Activity 1: Flash simulation on China and the Cold War combines audio, text, images, and color coding.
Principle 2: Provide Multiple Means of Expression
  • variety in the type of assessments that are used throughout the course: writing, discussions, group work, surveys, partner collaboration/think-pair-share, historical investigations, historical interpretations
  • Unit 2 Lesson F - Opening: Students participate in a class discussion/simulation on the Dark Ages.
  • Unit 3 Lesson B - Activity 5: Students participate in a manual or electronic poll on the Third Estate.
  • Unit 5 Lesson D - Review and Assessment: BCR where students can choose an image that reflects the changes of the 1920s.
Principle 3: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement
  • variety of activities used to assess students' learning, including matching, drag and drops, multiple choice, written assignments, verbal discussions, historical interpretations, etc.
  • Unit 1 Lesson E - Activity 6: Multiple Choice Knowledge Check on Cities that Trade Created.
  • Unit 4 Lesson B - Review and Assessment: Written editorial on European Countries and Asian Colonies.
  • Unit 6 Lesson A - Opening: Students drag and drop the choices into the correct column and get immediate feedback.
  • Unit 6 Lesson B - Activity 8: Jigsaw Case Studies on Decolonization.

For more information about UDL, please visit http://www.cast.org/udl/ or http://www.marylandlearninglinks.org/.