Options+to+Express+Knowledge

One of the main principles of UDL is to provide **multiple means of action and expression**. This is because learners differ in the ways they can accurately express what they know. This page contains UDL strategies, practical suggestions, and examples that will help you find different ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge of course content.


 * **Strategy** || **Practical Application** || **Example** ||
 * Support student reflection || * Ask students meaningful questions about material that encourages reflection and WAIT for a response.
 * If asking a student a direct question, give them the option to respond with a meaningful, clarifying question.
 * Ask other students to build on or counter a student's response.
 * Do NOT ask "Any questions?" as that does not produce a valid response ||  ||
 * Provoke student curiosity || * Pose a question at the beginning of class (or semester) that will be answered by the end of that period.
 * Avoid spoiling surprises inherent in experiments or calculations. Allow students to discover answers and correct when necessary. ||  ||   ||
 * Provide guides and checklists for goal-setting || * Provide students with a checklist of various components that encompass a class project or assignment
 * Create a list of steps that students will need to complete in order to effectively complete a project or activity || Example and additional information. ||
 * Make goals and objectives obvious to students || * At the beginning of your lecture, explain to your students what exactly they will need to know or be able to do at the end of the lesson
 * Explain to your students how learning each objective contributes or relates to the overall goal || Example and additional information. ||
 * Provide models and examples of the final product || * Use exemplary student projects from previous semesters with your current students
 * For Example: create and share an example of a well-written, high-quality discussion post. This will set the tone for the type of responses that are expected of your students. || Example and additional information. ||
 * Allow students options to "show and explain" work || * Require students to explain how they attained a particular answer, instead of just providing the answer itself
 * Require students to complete a self-critique of their work
 * Include a reflection component with assignments, where students are required to share the challenges they encountered during a project or assignment, and can make meaning of the information they just learned
 * Allow students the opportunity to apply what they have learned to contexts beyond the situation they experienced with the content || Example and additional information. ||
 * Allow students different options to demonstrate knowledge || * Focus on what **specific** skills or knowledge students need to be able to demonstrate
 * Allow students to demonstrate their skills or knowledge in a variety of ways
 * Allow students to write their answers, or record them using an audio recorder
 * Provide students with different options to create a project. For example, allow students to create a video or website, in addition to a written option
 * Vary the ways you allow students to demonstrate knowledge. Use different methods of assessment throughout your course. || Example and additional information. ||

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