A reliable strategy for increasing student engagement is embedding meaningful choices into course content. According to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), offering choices around objective attainment “can develop self-determination, pride in accomplishment, and increase the degree to which [learners] feel connected to their learning” (CAST). We will present a working model for creating meaningful choice in online learning that we have successfully implemented in a Lifespan Psychology course at Tacoma Community College. This model provides an appropriate level of autonomy and choice without sacrificing structural imperatives like objective alignment or clarity of progression pathways and expectations.
