The Universal Design for Learning principle of multiple means of representation directs educators to teach concepts in a variety of ways. In an online course, lesson text or synchronous lectures are usually paired with media—like videos, learning activities, or audio—and assigned readings and resources. Presenting learning in different ways allows instructors to effectively engage their students while also facilitating a better understanding of the learning materials.
Each of the two links below will direct you to a website that offers instructions on creating an origami butterfly. Take a few minutes to explore each link.
Which link offered a more straightforward set of instructions? The answer to this question is dependant on how you process information, and the learning barriers you may be experiencing at this moment.
If your objective were to teach learners how to make an origami butterfly, why would it be important to include both links in a digital learning environment?
Providing learners with relevant and helpful videos, such as the second link in the origami butterfly example, ensures that your courses offer an alternative means of learning. Videos are an easy-to-implement solution to assist learners with reading difficulties or who are more dependent on visual and auditory information to learn. Videos in your course also provide additional opportunities for teaching presence, and when done correctly, can also create a human connection to your digital learning environment. Furthermore, videos can provide real-world context by demonstrating how information is applied or practiced.
Research has shown that implementing media in the learning environment increases student engagement and learning. Popular media resources, such as videos or podcasts, can connect learners quickly to key learning concepts. As teachers, we consistently seek opportunities to engage our learners in meaningful ways. At the same time, we are trying to find the right balance of delivering learning materials that do not oversimply or overcomplicate the delivery of the materials. Thoughtfully selected videos and audio recordings can offer a different approach to making new information comprehensible.
It is important to remember, however, that media must be selected carefully or else it can undermine learning or give rise to other issues. Remember these considerations when choosing and integrating media for your course:
Don't forget that edtech like Quizlet and H5P can be used to present learners with activities to allow them to engage with media and other learning.
You now have a good sense of how and why to use media, but perhaps you have not yet considered looking beyond the traditional course textbook to use open educational resources (OER) when possible. These resources are usually exceptional quality, they are available to everyone for free, and there are more and more being published all the time. In many cases, OER can even be customized to fit your specific learning needs—just check the licence to find out.
To locate OER of all shapes and sizes, visit helpful indexes such as those you will find on this list of OER repositories.