Principle of Action and Expression - Guideline 3 - Criterion 1

Universal Design for Learning

Principle of  Action and Expression - Guideline 3 - Criterion 1

When developing a course using the second principle of Universal Design for Learning, there are three specific guidelines to assist us.  The third, Executive Function, allows us to take advantage of our environment and overcome short term reactions to reach our long term goals. 

Criterion 1 of this guideline advocates that we offer guidance for setting appropriate goals.

Not all learners will set appropriate goals in order to guide their work.  When learners do not set the goals, it is not productive in the long run to provide the goals for them.  Instead, it is better to foster the development of new strategies and skills that will benefit the learner in the long term. Courses should inculcate effective goal setting by embedding graduated scaffolds to assist learners in the skill of setting realistic personal goals.

When developing frameworks to accomplish this, it should:

• Provide models or examples of the process of goal setting and its results
•  Provide guidelines and checklists for accurate goal setting
• Supply prompts and guides to allow accurate estimates of required resources, effort and difficulty.
• Clearly post goals and objectives to help guide the learner

By following these suggestions, your course will assist students communicating and expressing their knowledge, as well as being in line with the Principle of Action and Expression in the Theory of Universal Design for Learning.