Empower student autonomy by making supports student-facing and increasing default access, which can raise engagement and reduce barriers¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The report recommends having student-facing options available so students can choose whichever feature they need in the moment, and increasing access to and encouraging use of features such as audio support. District data showed all students, including those with greater needs, used features at similar rates, and feature use was associated with students attempting questions even on difficult articles, essentially eliminating the effect of article difficulty. Teachers commented that the features enable greater independence, including support during small-group instruction when the teacher cannot help.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Features must be available on the student-facing platform as choices; defaults matter, as the audio opt-out default increased availability and use.

Constraints¶

• The report notes more research is needed to determine how features affect learning; the engagement relationship is correlational.

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students with varying strengths and challenges, including below-grade readers, English language learners, and students with disabilities

Target Learning Goals¶

• Engagement with reading assignments
• Independent reading strategy use

Related Strategies¶

• Easy-Access Educational Tools
• Providing Accessible Educational Tools
• Academic Choice (Planning, Working, Reflecting)
• Teachers reflect on student, EdTech, and teacher agency levels when selecting classroom EdTech

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Tare, M. & Shell, A. R. (2019). Designing for learner variability: Examining the impact of research-based edtech in the classroom. Washington, DC: Digital Promise Global. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/82839c44-adb1-400c-b422-9bfbbca65985. doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/81