Active leraning

Scenario

You are teaching a third-year undergraduate course in Educational Psychology, focusing on “Learning Theories in Practice.” One key module, “Constructivist Approaches and Student-Centred Learning,” is delivered through dense readings, a live 90-minute lecture, and a final essay. You’ve noticed that some students perform well, but others appear disengaged or overwhelmed.

Your university is participating in the Digital4All initiative, and you’ve been asked to redesign this module to better support students’ diverse learning needs using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework and accessibility best practices.

Learner Personas

• Samira (21): A multilingual student who excels with visual aids but finds long readings and academic language difficult to navigate.

• Jordan (23): An autistic student who prefers predictable structures and struggles with real-time discussions or vague assignment instructions.

• Emily (25): A full-time carer with limited synchronous availability, who benefits from audio materials and flexible deadlines.

• Leo (20): A student with dyslexia who performs better in oral presentations than written essays, and who uses a screen reader.

Your Task

Redesign the “Constructivist Approaches and Student-Centred Learning” module to increase accessibility, engagement, and inclusivity. Apply the following framework:

Design Framework

1. Target Audience

• Who are your learners?

• What barriers might they face?

2. Subject Matter

• Core concept: Constructivist learning models and their application in classroom settings.

3. Learning Goals

Students should be able to:

• Explain key constructivist principles (e.g., scaffolding, active learning).

• Analyse examples of student-centred teaching.

• Design a lesson that applies constructivist strategies.

Redesign Using UDL Guidelines

Engagement

• Add weekly “teaching dilemmas” in small groups to discuss strategies from real classrooms.

• Create an anonymous question box (via Padlet or Google Form) for students to raise concerns or confusions.

Representation

• Replace textbook chapter with:

  • A captioned explainer video.

  • A podcast featuring a teacher using constructivist methods.

  • A graphic organiser comparing constructivist and behaviourist approaches.

Action & Expression

• Offer choices for assessment:

  • Write an essay.

  • Record a video lesson plan explanation.

  • Create a storyboard or visual concept map with narration.

Accessibility & Inclusion Checklist

• ❑ Is content screen-reader friendly (alt-text, headings, plain text)?

• ❑ Are materials captioned or transcribed?

• ❑ Are there visual and audio alternatives for all core content?

• ❑ Can students choose how they demonstrate learning?

• ❑ Are examples inclusive and culturally relevant?

Suggested Digital Tools

Iterative Improvement

1. Collect Feedback

   • Use a peer-review template or quick student survey.

   • Ask: What helped you most? What was unclear or inaccessible?

2. Refine

   • Update materials or structures based on feedback.

   • Recheck accessibility tools and apply any missing UDL strategies.