"Alternative" Unit Plans

One of the main problems which I have had is with the UDL principle which recommends that students be given alternative ways to fulfill requirements but that still demonstrate that they have met the objectives of the course/assignment.

I found a course designed by Dr. Engelhardt's out of Texas A & M Univ. Corpus Christi. The college has a FYWP which is designed around learning communities. The Engelhardt course is designed around civic duties and responsibilities. What I have done is adapted it to the topic which we are concentrating which is Learning and College.

I think that as I have designed the course, my concept of the topic and where it is going has really gotten focused.

What I like about the course and the program is that the students produce a multi-media presentation as one of their portfolios. I thought that was neat idea but wondered if is was still within the scope of the course objectives and requirements. This late in the semester, I cannot change the requirements.

So I looked at the design carefully, I think that it will fit with what I have set up as the objectives and the requirements. The students will be required to produce two or three (not sure yet) pieces which come from the pieces which they have written throughout the term. They will need to focus on a topic, an audience, a purpose, etc. The pieces which they work on will have to be different but meeting the same specifications of topic, audience, purpose. I think this will allow the students to think critically about what they have written, to connect the different ideas which they have been writing about.

The requirement for the Unit is an essay. So their essay will be a reflective piece in which they explain what their rationale is for those pieces and why they think they would be effective. The reflective piece will be graded as a major component of the portfolio 4.

In Unit 2, I am using a powerpoint presentation which presents an argument about the causes for lack of achievement of some populations. The ppt fits in with the topic of college success: causes and effects. I also wanted to show them that argumenative pieces are not necessarily written in essay form and that the research they turn to does not necessarily have to be written in essay format. I will also incorporate some multi-media type of text for the next unit.

I have never tried something like this in a Comp I course so I'm excited to try it and see how students respond to it.

I tried something similar in a Tech Writing class in the spring and was extremely satisfied with what the students produced.

This unit will also allow me to use that UDL principle which I have been having problems incorporating into the activities required for class.