What is Universal Instructional Design And its 6 Golden Principles?
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As the field of corporate learning and development grows, the need for outstanding instructional design is more than ever. Also, in a rapidly changing business world, there is constant pressure on corporations to train their new and existing employees. Trends and business dynamics keep changing, and you as a business owner need to develop your employees accordingly. One way of ensuring that your training programs are top-notch is that you keep in mind the six golden principles of Universal Instructional Design . A new term has emerged recently ‘Universal Instructional Design.’ In this blog, we will explore what Universal Instructional Design is and what are these 6 Golden Principles.
What is Universal Instructional Design?
Universal Instructional Design is an approach to educational and training design that aims to provide learning opportunities to all kinds of learners. This approach considers the potential needs of all learners. It also identifies and removes and barriers that hinder learning for people. For example, the approach may identify deafness or blindness as a hindrance to learning. In this case, all written content will also be available in audio format, and written scripts will be available for videos. Furthermore, if there is a language barrier, this approach will ensure that courses are available in multiple languages. In short, Universal Instructional Design is a proactive course design method that all kinds of learners can benefit from.
What are the Six Golden Principles of Universal Instructional Design?
Here we list the six golden principles of Universal Instructional Design:
1. Equitable Use
The first principle of Universal Instructional Design suggests that all the learning material and resources used in a training program must be equally accessible for all learners. The primary hindrance to learning is the inaccessibility of material, and this must be overcome. For example, trainers can make their own website where they make all the material available. Also, all the content must be compatible with text-to-speech software for blind learners. Furthermore, if some material is unavailable, the trainer must provide the learners with some alternative to that learning material.
2. Flexibility in Use
Flexibility is the key when it comes to online training programs. It takes a motivated learner to continue learning on a strict schedule without an trainer physically present. Hence, it is better to give learners flexibility. They can go over the material in their own free time and take as much time as they wish. Flexibility in use also means that the course resources are offered in various forms. For example, a course is available in the form of both videos and lecture notes.
3. Simple and Intuitive Use
The course design must be easy to understand regardless of the learner’s knowledge, skills, or experience. One of the major reasons that learners lose interest during a course because the content gets overly complicated. Not only should the subject matter be simple from a comprehension point of view, but it should also be structured and organized. This makes it easier for the learners to follow the material throughout the course. If some equipment is involved, make sure you label all the buttons clearly.
4. Perceptible Information
This principle is also critical for a smooth learning experience. All the information that needs to be provided to the learner in the training program must be communicated in a way that is perceivable. For example, all your videos should have captions and audio descriptions. This will enable learners to benefit from the content regardless of their sensory abilities or ambient conditions.
5. Tolerance for Error
A well-designed training program must have tolerance for errors. It should also minimize the dangers and harmful consequences associated with actions that are unintentional or accidental. For example, when a learner answers a question incorrectly, the educational software can guide the learner on how to correct the answer. Furthermore, the training should be designed in such a way that it anticipates the variation in individual student learning speed and skill.
6. Size and Space for Approach and Use
Under this principle, training courses are designed in a way that people can learn regardless of their size, posture, mobility, and communication needs. In case of in-person training, make sure that the size of your classroom, training room, or lecture hall can accommodate the number of participants you want in the course.
Universal Assessment Strategies
To effectively remove barriers to learning and give all learners an equitable chance, various forms of assessment can be used. Here are a few things to consider while planning out an assessment strategy:
- Clearly communicate the syllabus that will be tested in a particular assessment method.
- Clearly communicate all deliverables at the start of the course.
- Provide practice questions or examples for the preparation for an upcoming assessment.
- Allow for sufficient time to complete readings, assignments, and tests.
- Instead of allocating a heavy weight to one assessment method such as a final exam, use a variety of assessment methods with distributed weights.
In Conclusion – we’ve got you covered
Now that you know all the six golden principles of Universal Instructional Design, it’s time to take action. If you’re looking for a comprehensive, innovative, and powerfully streamlined approach to instructional design, your search is officially over! We have introduced ID9 INTELLIGENT DESIGN to the field of instructional design and corporate training, and it has revolutionized the learning design world. It also uses all the principles of Universal Instructional Design and when we embark on a ID9 Custom Design project (where we write your training program for you) we take these six principles into consideration as one of our many learning checkpoints..
Furthermore, you can consult a call with the ID9 Faculty team to understand how you can enhance your organization’s training program. Visit our website now and find out why the ID9 Intelligent Design by Catherine Mattiske is the advantageous change you’ll make for your organization’s training and development program.
