Barriers in Brief

Higher education coursework, including online coursework, often tends to be instructor-centric (primarily one-way communication with students typically in passive roles). Use of discussion boards is often cursory. Students in such instances may feel disengaged in the learning and may not have the opportunity to learn the value or the skills related to collaboration. Without these skills, UT graduates may be less prepared for competitive job markets.
In real-time classes (synchronous online or face-to-face), students benefit from taking quality notes. In fact, some research has demonstrated that some students' perceptions of the value of note-taking is a predictor of college grades. However, some students struggle to listen and take notes simultaneously. Even those who are able to manage both cognitive activities simultaneously may struggle to organize their notes in a way that makes them easily reviewable later in the term.

Lesson Pages

Overview & Objectives
Lesson
Questions and Comments

Lesson Overview

This lesson will address strategies for peer- and student-instructor collaboration using the Wiki tool in Canvas. This approach represents one way of addressing:

Checkpoint 5.2 Use multiple tools for construction and composition.

Related to this checkpoint, the authors of the UDLGuidelines say,

"There is a tendency in schooling to focus on traditional tools rather than contemporary ones. This tendency has several liabilities: 1) it does not prepare learners for their future; 2) it limits the range of content and teaching methods that can be implemented; 3) it restricts learners ability to express knowledge about content (assessment); and, most importantly, 4) it constricts the kinds of learners who can be successful. Current media tools provide a more flexible and accessible toolkit with which learners can more successfully take part in their learning and articulate what they know.Unless a lesson is focused on learning to use a specific tool (e.g., learning to draw with a compass), curricula should allow many alternatives. Like any craftsman, learners should learn to use tools that are an optimal match between their abilities and the demands of the task."

Lesson Objective(s)

By the end of this lesson, instructors should be able to...

Describe what a Wiki is
Demonstrate the ability to create and manage Wikis in more than one way through Canvas features.

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