Workshop 116 – Universal Design for Learning: A Retention Tool in Higher Education – Annie Stevens, Ph.D. and Ellen McShane, Ed.D.
Ellen McShane, Ed.D.
Dr. Ellen McShane is the Director of Academic Support Programs at University of Vermont, which includes the ACCESS, Learning Cooperative, TRIO/SSS, and TRIO/Upward Bound programs. She is currently a member of the Design Team for the University of Vermont UDL grant. Ellen earned a Bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University, a Master’s in Guidance and Counseling from Ohio State University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont.
Annie Stevens, Ph.D.
Dr. Annie Stevens is currently the Assistant Vice-President for Student and Campus Life at the University of Vermont. Dr. Stevens arrived at UVM 13 years ago as the Director of Residential Life and has been Asst. Vice-President for the past 9 years. Her 24 years of professional experience in student affairs has included positions at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The University of California at Berkeley. Education is her passion – she earned a Bachelor’s degree at St. Lawrence University, a Master’s in Higher Education Administration at the University of Vermont and a doctoral degree in Counseling and Student Personnel Services at The University of Maryland, College Park.
Workshop Notes:
- Goal To Understand Millenial students- the way they think and what they need to succeed
Activities to get to know participants:
Representation of Information – 3 visual, 3 learn by Doing, 1 Visual, 1 Digital/ Written word, 1 uses all!
Expression of Information: 1 Written tests, 2 work in groups, 3 Media, websites, blogs, 3 Choice of expression
Engagement with information
1 Alone, 1 Reduced threat,
2 Rubrics
2 Work in teams study groups cooperative learning,
4Focus on goals and objectives
Millinnials who they are and how they learn:
- Multi tasking is the norm, they feel machines should be doing the mundane work not them!
- Very good navigators, and negotiation is ok for them.
- Profound sense of the world and humanity
- Global learners, use community service to build community
- Raised with lots of things scheduled for them by parents, often people say to them that they are special and they have something great to offer, Therefore with feedback they might not know what to do with it, They have high need to know what they are being evaluated on.
- Higher Ed methods are disables not the Student!
- They are a generation who is interested in a life with value and meaning. Research has shown that they more they are involved the more they will persist and succeed. Content in classes must be connected to how they will use this in life. Ask them how this fits with their passions.
- All federal teacher prep grants must include UDL.
Representation for Millenials-“ What” of learning., Understand that Environments- learning environments shape behavior and drives learning and gets students thinking creatively and out of the box.
Engagement for Millenials-the “How” of learning, Give them work that “matters” with goals, leadership, require them to take 100% responsibility for work and have fun! Design class so things happen in 15 minutes sections, groups, talking, video, movement around room.
Expression with Millenials- they “Why of learning”- teaching modes, electronic access, reward good work, options for expression. Use self assessments with students to help them see what they need to change so they have the ownership.
Interesting questions posed or raised in the session
How tough it is for us all to make the shift from learning content to shifting how to teach it.
Summarize thoughts and/or questions
Higher Education Research Institutes’s Outcomes for Higher Education-
Research shows that the more students do this these three things, the better they do.
Habits of Mind for Learning
Pluralistic Thinking
Complex Thinking