Design for More Types: Designing Text to Support the Access, Engagement, and Success of Diverse Learners

Abstract

In grades K-3, the primary focus of instruction is learning to read. In grades 4 and beyond, however, the focus shifts to reading to learn. Whereas teachers may use a variety of instructional approaches, research has clearly documented that learning from text is the primary instructional model found in most classrooms. This means that efforts to close the achievement gap must focus on ensuring that all students can access text-based learning materials, engage with the content in meaningful ways, and ultimately demonstrate success in the form of measurable gains in learning outcomes. Whereas the philosophy of UDL is relatively easy to understand, it has proven problematic to design, implement, evaluate, and scale. The purpose of this chapter is to describe a universal design engineering approach known as Design for More Types that can be applied to the design of text-based learning materials, this chapter will describe the conceptual and practical issues involved in the development of text-based learning materials for diverse learners. We begin by providing some foundational concepts for this multidisciplinary work. Next, we provide a series of case studies to illustrate how universal usability can be applied to various instructional designs. Finally, we describe how the Design for More Types framework can be used in both research and practice.

Citation

Edyburn, D.L. and Edyburn, K.D. (2015), "Design for More Types: Designing Text to Support the Access, Engagement, and Success of Diverse Learners", Accessible Instructional Design (Advances in Special Education Technology, Vol. 2), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 121-159. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2056-769320150000002006