Outcomes vs. Learners: Comparing Understand by Design (UbD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

When I started an instructional design course a few short weeks ago I knew as much about instructional design modules as I did about speaking German.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  It all seemed so foreign to me.  I mean I kind of had been living in the country for many years as an adjunct instructor, but never had learned the language.  I had been fumbling from town to town trying to design courses with out ever taking time to find a tudor or buy a book.  

The first assignment in the course addressed the different instructional design models and that is where I realized I had been using bits and pieces of multiple models (sometimes very poorly) without even knowing their names.  Once I took some time to learn the language this foreign country became much more interesting and the design process became more enjoyable.  

With a little bit of background in the models I found that all though each model has very similar and sometimes very different components the end goal is always the same.  Develop a product that is useful to the consumer.  In this post I will contrast two of those design models looking at those differences and how two things that are very different can get us to the same end goal.  Come along and explore a little bit of the foreign country side with me.

BACKGROUND:

http://nccscurriculum.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/three-stages.jpg

Universal Design for Learning

http://www.theudlproject.com/blog/multiple-intelligences-and-udl

Let us Critique

UbD is a very structured form of design. For online courses where evaluation and adjusting are not as easy, or courses that have strict set outcomes that must be achieved UbD will make sure you check all the boxes. Criticized for being a "teach to the test" design model UbD is strictly focused on desired results and how to get there. This model will still allow for multiple ways of assessment and learning experiences, but the focus remains on the outcomes and whether the student can show acceptable performance on the assessment. This model may lead to less question sparking teaching moments due to the depth of the designed curriculum and lack of improvisation. There is substantial time, background knowledge, and prep work that must go into a course months before it is to go live in order to use the UbD model.  A timeline is very important in this model, and moving too far from the original timeline will lead to problems with instruction and assessment. This model when used appropriately can be effective in evoking deep understanding of concepts.  This design overall can make your head spin if you allow yourself to get overwhelmed by the extent of thought and preparation that has to go into making this model successful.  

UDL puts tremendous focus on the learning style of the student. This can be very complicated when designing a course.  N0t only do you have to design content to meet the individual needs of each student, you must also have multiple ways of assessing the students based on their individual learning styles.  This can be an enormous task when designing a course.  The amount pre-planning that must go into a course using UDL is tremendous.  Each topic taught and assessed would need multiple formats of delivery in order to meet the needs of all students.  This also could lead to labeling of students.  If a student is seen as a visual learner they may start to see this as a limit and become frustrated when put in a situation where they have to be auditory learners. Students need to be exposed to the ways they learn best, but also challenged to grow and become better learners no matter the setting.  For UDL to be successful flexibility has to exist and time to prepare the course in different manners has to be available.

Let us Compare

Both models start with a very different approach and end with the same result of meaningful instruction that gains desired results.  While the UbD focuses on goals and looks at what should be achieved while working backwards to obtain those goals, the UDL model keeps the students learning needs as top priority and finds ways to allow each individual students learning style to be assessed.  Depending on the instruction being provided each model will bring a number of pros and cons to the table.   The more I learn the more I am becoming an advocate for not using one single model of design.  When we take the best parts of multiple models it allows us to create instruction that becomes valuable to all learners and an easy process for instructors.  Hopefully these two models have become a little less foreign to you and you can start to see how they can benefit your specific teaching needs.  

Let us continue to pick up that travel guide and exploring those foreign countries.  Pack your bags and good luck on your instructional design journey.