Wiley has the creative design resources to deliver content so that courses are accessible to everyone. This is a cornerstone of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). One of the best examples of this philosophy can be found in a Special Ed course about that exact topic for George Mason University.
George Mason’s Assistive Technology master’s program is all about making education universally accessible. For their UDL course, we introduced students to the basic concepts of UDL with an interactive media piece called a “hot spot.” Instead of simply telling their students that they’ll use certain concepts in the classroom, we created a classroom and embedded the relevant information behind clickable buttons.
Even if a student would be fine with a simple text document, a visual, interactive approach is far more memorable.
This approach gives the information a visual context and helps students connect it to the real world. It also encourages students to explore the space and actively seek out information based on what piques their interest. Most importantly, it makes the information easier to access and digest for a wider range of learners.
A visual, interactive approach is far more memorable than a passive document, because it asks the student to physically engage. They lead themselves through the experience, taking charge of their learning.