Faculty Growth Series Toolbox - UDL : Researching UDL

Use KEYWORDS in databases, not sentences!

Databases work differently than search engines. Instead of using natural language, use keywords! Keywords are the most important words in your topic.

1. Start by breaking your topic into main concepts:

• Faculty professional development
• Active learning strategies
• Teaching community college students
• Inclusive pedagogy

2. Then brainstorm synonyms or related terms for each concept. This helps you narrow or broaden your search results, depending on what you need.  

Example topic: How can faculty use active learning strategies to support diverse students in community colleges?

Keywords:

• "active learning"
• inclusive OR equity OR "diverse students"
• "community college"
• faculty OR instructors OR educators
• "professional development"

3. Mix and match terms to see what produces the best results. Try a keyword generator or an AI tool if you need ideas for alternate terms. More possible keywords to try:

• pedagogy
• engagement
• universal design
• adult learners
• teaching methods
• underrepresented

Use the search templates below to get a jump start on your UDL research. Please remember to sign in, located in the gray bar at the top of the page. 

The BIG search box on the library's homepage is a great place to go when searching. It gives you LOTS of results, but often includes some irrelevant sources or some that are not full-text. It's easy to use--a few tips are included below:

Tips:

• Try to use accurate but sparing keywords, like "adaptations Walter Mitty," rather than full sentences or questions. 
• Be sure to sign in right away with your ACC eID and password to access all the results available. 
• Click the "Full Text" button on the search results page to ensure that you are looking at fully available sources. 
• Click the titles of promising results to see more information, and look for Access Options to view the full text. 

For additional help on how to find articles using our library website, you can use this tutorial.

Finding Articles Tutorial