Multiple Means of Engagement

Many students are often bored in school. There is no single solution to this problem because of the range of individual differences - there are many different reasons for their lack of engagement. Students with disabilities illustrate the issues. The same design that would likely engage a student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (a high degree of novelty and surprise, for example) would be absolutely terrifying (and thus disengaging) to a student with autism. Universally designed curricula must consider the role of motivation in learning and the individual differences that underlie motivation and engagement. These curricula must provide alternative means of engagement - more novelty and surprise in the learning environment for some students, less for others, for example.

Within assessment, the engagement issues present in curriculum are compounded by the testing phenomenon. Testing triggers widely different emotions in different students, thus raising the potential for inaccuracies in test results. One means for improving and equalizing student engagement is to give them choices. For example, if we're testing reading comprehension, allowing a student to choose the topic of the passage to be read, based on his interest, could greatly improve his engagement. In addition, expanding the presentation of a test beyond the standard text-based format by implementing simulation environments, such as digital manipulatives the interactive labs, can have a stimulating rather than dulling effect on student engagement.

As a result of applying universal design principles to assessment, we can create tests that more accurately assess the knowledge and abilities of all students, including those with dyslexia and other learning, cognitive, or physical disabilities. In the process, we will reduce the need for many of the accommodations that are used today as retrofit solutions to providing a more level playing field.