Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that is commonly used for guiding the construction and delivery of instruction intended to support all students. In this study, we used a related model to guide creation of a multimedia-based instructional tool called content acquisition podcasts (CAPs). CAPs delivered vocabulary instruction during two concurrent social studies units to 32 SWD and 109 students without disabilities. We created CAPs using a combination of evidence-based practices for vocabulary instruction, UDL, and Mayer’s instructional design principles. High school students with and without learning disabilities completed weekly curriculum-based measurement (CBM) probes (vocabulary matching) over an 8-week period along with two corresponding posttests. Students were nested within sections of world history and randomly assigned to alternating treatments (CAPs and business as usual) that were administered sequentially to each group. Results revealed that students with and without disabilities made significant growth on CBMs and scored significantly higher on the posttests when taught using CAPs.

Perhaps at no other time has teacher preparation been under such scrutiny and held to such high standards. To illustrate, teacher preparation programs are challenged to develop, adopt and consider efficient methods to train teacher candidates to understand and implement evidence-based practices for teaching and supporting students with exceptionalities (Maheady, Smith, & Jabot, 2014). The end goal is for teacher candidates to master a critical corpus of evidence-based practices that will be implemented with fidelity such that future K-12 students will benefit (Brownell, Griffin, Leko, & Stephens, 2011). Although this goal may seem obvious, there is a body of research demonstrating that many teachers emerge from their preparatory programs without sufficient skills needed for success (see Brownell, Sindelar, Kiely, & Danielson, 2010). This is corroborated in part by negative outcomes for many students with exceptionalities across academic and social domains of interest and multiple decades.To address critical training needs, researchers in the field of special education and teacher education are charged with developing and testing interventions to support teacher quality and preservice student learning. However, the field has not been overwhelmed by voluminous 615885E CXXXX10.

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is an empirically supported intervention associated with decreasing problem behavior and increasing appropriate behavior. To date, few studies have examined multimedia approaches to FBA training. This paper provides the outcomes of a randomized controlled trial across three university sites and evaluates whether preservice teachers can learn the core features of the FBA process through short multimedia vignettes compared to a traditional method (i.e., in-person lecture with PowerPoint). Based on our previous research, we hypothesized that the multimedia group (n = 97) would outperform the traditional method group (n = 102). Results indicated statistically significant differences in FBA knowledge favoring the students who participated in the multimedia condition, F(1, 198) = 9.61, p = .002, d = 0.45. Findings are discussed along with implications for practice and subsequent research.

The use of multimedia-driven instruction in college courses is an emerging practice designed to increase students’ knowledge. However, limited research has validated the effectiveness of using multimedia to teach students about functional behavioral assessments (FBAs). To test the effectiveness of a multimedia tool called Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs), this study utilized a pretest–posttest design across two groups of students. One group received instruction on FBAs in the form of a CAP, whereas the other group received a typical lecture (control comparison). Results revealed that members of the CAP group performed better on the posttest compared to the students who received the lecture when the pretest scores were controlled for previous knowledge. In addition, students in the CAP group had lower self-reported levels of cognitive load. Implications for the use of CAPs and future research are discussed.

General and special education teachers need to have an understanding of effective practices for providing vocabulary instruction to students with and without disabilities across grade levels and content areas. Preservice teachers in this study ( N = 121) received training in evidence-based practices for vocabulary instruction via a series of three training modules. They then completed one of two practice conditions—creating a multimedia product to teach a vocabulary word or completing a non-multimedia learning task during class. The two practice conditions resulted in similar gains on the knowledge measure, but the group that created the multimedia product significantly outperformed the group that completed the non-multimedia task in a demonstration of instruction. Implications for teacher education are discussed.