Those who teach in online environments have many resources available to help them design effective online instruction ranging from first-hand accounts of teaching online (e.g., see Sugar, 2007), to recommended principles for evaluating effective online instruction (Graham, Cagiltay, Lim, Craner, & Duffy, 2001), to research that demonstrates the importance of building a collaborative online learning community (Tu & Corry, 2003), among many other resources found in print (such as this journal!) and online, as well as through attendance at conferences. Even so, one strategy that has not been explored or discussed much in the distance education literature that may be very helpful to instructors for designing effective instruction is differentiated instruction. This article describes what differentiated instruction is and provides examples of how it may be implemented in an online course.
What is Differentiated Instruction?
Although many educators at all levels have implemented differentiated instruction practices in one way or another for countless years, Ward (1986) first coined the term “differential education” to describe instruction for gifted and talented students (Bravmann, 2004). Tomlinson has since advocated this approach, not only for gifted education, but most prolifically for the general P-12 education classroom. Tomlinson (2003) defines differentiated instruction as the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of “varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and/or how they can express what they have learned in order to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as he or she can as efficiently as possible” (p. 151). Differentiated instruction is not watering down curriculum to make it easier for some students to “pass” or more challenging for others to master the content; rather, it involves providing students opportunities to learn content using different resources, employing varied strategies, and/or allowing students to demonstrate their learning in different ways based on their individual learning needs and interests.
According to Tomlinson (1999), instructors differentiate instruction by varying the:
Content: Instructors differentiate the resources and sources students use to learn by using multiple resources and examples in various media formats;
Process: Instructors differentiate how students will learn by planning and/or structuring various learning activities and student groupings; and
Product: Instructors differentiate the output (how students demonstrate what they have learned) by providing different options for completing assignments.
Instructors should also vary the content, process, and product based on their students’ learning profile (i.e., learning style), interest (motivation), and/or readiness (background knowledge). Therefore, it is important for instructors to get to know their students, but also to pre-assess what they already know about a topic.
Key principles of a differentiated class are:
The teacher is clear about what matters in subject matter.
The teacher understands, appreciates, and builds upon student differences.
Assessment and instruction are inseparable.
The teacher adjusts content, process, and product in response to student readiness, interests, and learning profile.
All students participate in respectful work.
Students and teachers are collaborators in learning.
Goals of a differentiated classroom are maximum growth and individual success.
Flexibility is the hallmark of a differentiated classroom (Tomlinson, 1999, p. 48).
How can Differentiated Instruction be Implemented in an Online Environment?
There are many diverse ways in which one might differentiate the content, process, and product of instruction in an online environment. It is important to note, however, that just like teaching in face-to-face environments, teaching using a differentiated instruction approach can be challenging, especially when attention to the instructional design process is lacking. Yet, with careful instructional design and consideration of learners’ interests, readiness, and learning profile, instructors will likely learn that differentiating instruction is a rewarding teaching approach. Moreover, instructors should recognize that differentiating instruction does not involve differentiating every aspect of instruction. Rather, it can involve differentiating only the content or only the product required for students to demonstrate their learning. Offering students a choice is also a significant feature of differentiated instruction. Below are some ideas for differentiating instruction in an online environment; many instructors will find that they are already employing various aspects of differentiated instruction in their online instruction:
Differentiating content: An instructor might differentiate content by providing the content in different formats. For instance, an instructor might provide a lecture in PDF and as a podcast. This allows students to access the content based on their learning profile (e.g., are they visual or auditory learners?). Also, the instructor might provide some sources for reinforcement to help students struggling with the content by including a vidcast of key vocabulary or concepts, as well as a screencast highlighting some key concepts in a lecture. Instructors can differentiate for learners interested in learning even more about the topic by providing links to online materials that challenge them to delve deeper into the content.
Differentiating process: An instructor might differentiate the process by providing different learning activities for learning the content. For example, an instructor might encourage students to complete questions in a text, examine a short case scenario, or work collaboratively in small groups or individually to solve a problem. The point here is that not all students will engage in the same activity. Instead, they will likely have a choice or be assigned different assignments based on their interest, learning profile, or readiness. Students who have work experience or background knowledge on a topic might be steered towards completing advanced activities, whereas “newbies” to a topic may be asked to complete activities that provide solid, foundational knowledge of the content.
Differentiating product: One way an instructor can differentiate the product, or “output,” is by giving students several choices from which to choose for completing summative assignments. Rather than requiring that all students complete a traditional research paper, an instructor might allow students to choose from the following assignments: writing a traditional research paper, developing a wiki research “report,” creating a website, or producing a video—all on the same topic/content and using the same grading rubric for evaluation. Although it is very easy to offer students differentiated opportunities for demonstrating their learning, it is very important that instructors develop clear guidelines and grading criteria prior to requiring any specific products.
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