Universal Design for Learning
Principle of Representation - Guideline 2 - Criterion 1
When developing a course using the first principle of Universal Design for Learning, there are three specific guidelines to assist us. The second, Language and Symbols focuses on maintaining clarity about the content provided.
Criterion 1 of this guideline advocates that we clarify your terms with respect to vocabulary and symbols.
To ensure equity, defining your terms explicitly, such as in a glossary, will assist learners with differing languages, backgrounds, or lexical knowledge. Similarly, remember that idioms, archaic expressions, and slang is not shared by all and some learners benefit from having these defined (although they will seldom admit to this). Consider:
- Offering a space for professional jargon, symbols, and vocabulary that promote connections in the learners experience and prior knowledge. For example, you may not know that a tilde could mean an approximate number in mathematics or is a bitwise not in the programming language C. Did you know what a bitwise not is?
- Providing alternative text descriptions for graphic symbols.
- Highlight how complex equations or terms are composed of simpler parts
- Embed support references within the text for potential terms or symbols that may impede learning
By following these suggestions, your course will assist students communicating and expressing their knowledge, as well as being in line the Principle of Representation in the Theory of Universal Design for Learning.
