Walking the talk: a learner support team

approach to an accessible curriculum: Using accessible technology to deliver support

services to students with spld

Chris Poole nee (Colcomb)LISS Manager (Spld Policy)

Christine.Poole@cumbria.ac.uk

Student Development and Well Being Learning, Information and Student Services

University of Cumbria

Workshop 6

Objectives

To explore ways in which specialist study skills tutors can be supported to:

• promote and enhance inclusive learning

• address their own & students’ accessible technology training needs

• promote the accessibility of all information for students with spld

• make use of VLE’s to teach study skills

• ensure all records, including teaching notes, are in accessible format

• gain accreditation for their work

• ensure accessible evaluation of their work

Outcomes of HEFCE review of its policy as it relates to disabled students Dec 2009

Enculturing good practice

In institutions where disability support is embedded, practices are moving towards inclusivity.

Inclusivity limits the use of additional practices for disabled students and adapts routine practices to meet the needs of all students.

When practices have become inclusive, the term disability support has less relevance and is referred to as disability equality. We fully support advancement towards inclusivity and endorse it as good practice for all institutions to move towards.

We will continue to work with our partners so that disability support is more consistent across the sector and moves from being a specialist service within institutions to being mainstreamed and embedded at every level.

As part of this we will work with our partners to develop inclusive institutional cultures that embody a social model of disability and are anticipatory, proactive and flexible in nature.

QAA Code of Practice Section 3: Disabled Students 2010

Institutions should attempt to work towards an inclusive environment in which quality of provision and the best possible experience for all learners is pursued

So what is inclusive learning?

An educational model, as opposed to a political one… [where] inclusive learning does not equate with locating the learner within the mainstream or consider the social dimensions of education which extend wider than the learning activity. Instead … inclusive learning operates…at the level of the education system, the institution and the individual teachers and learner

(Anderson et al. 2003:3 cited: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/pdf/041756.pdf)

Group Activity

The HEFCE Review and the revised QAA Code of Practice recommend an inclusive approach to teaching, learning & assessment.

How are our ‘dyslexia / study skills tutors’ measuring up with regard to inclusive teaching? Discuss

Raising the profile of inclusion and accessibility through:

• Provision of resources• Regular input / discussion at team

meetings• Formal training e.g. in assistive software• Informal training e.g. in team meetings • Teaching observations • Central record keeping to monitor CPD• Appraisal targets include continual skills

development• Provision of electronic record keeping

system to ensure accessible notemaking• Focused disability awareness training

Resources: JISC TechDis

Office Tutorials on accessibility

Making documents accessible helps create an inclusive learning

environment

According to JISC TechDis: ‘…the biggest accessibility gain is

ensuring the user can amend the look and feel [of information] in a way which suits them’

whether they have e.g. a specific learning difficulty, sight impairment, mental health condition, or simply want to benefit from enhanced readability ‘

Accessible documents are easier to navigate

Students/staff with a disability or spld, as well as others may:

• Find it difficult to read large amounts of text

• Require a quick way of getting an overview of a large document

• Need to use assistive technologies to access a document

• Need to find a specific part of a document

Accessible documents

• If a document has been created using appropriate styles and headings the reader can select different headings, sub-headings and change their font style & colour

• In conjunction with the use of hyperlinks this can be very useful for navigating a document

• Even a document available in pdf can be read aloud

Study skills teaching

• Skills in the development of accessible documents are also very useful study and employability skills for students:

• Planning and organisation of written work

• Production of reports and essays

Electronic record keeping

Accessible documents for Tutors

Examples of formal CPD for LISS Advisers (Learning Development)

Workshops to develop skills in:

• Blackboard VLE• Assistive software • Wimba classroom• Pebblepad• Podcasting• Online evaluation

Accessibility of VLEs e.g. Blackboard

If teaching and learning resources are available in a VLE such as Blackboard, then students have the opportunity to access them in a variety of ways

Learning Development Blackboard

Wimba Classroom

Wimba Classroom is a virtual classroom: a synchronous distance learning and web conferencing tool - a course / learning management system

Elluminate podcasting workshop

•Staff attended Netskills podcasting session via Elluminate

•Organised for availability of software – Audacity & LAME

•First podcast recorded to market the service to be posted on Bb

Recording CPD

Support from the Centre for the Development & Enhancement of

Professional Practice

The Faculty and Learning Technology team encourages:

• transformations in learning and teaching practice

• technology enhanced learning

HEA Professional Standards Framework, Accreditation

The UoC Professional Standards for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education:

All teaching / learning support staff are encouraged / expected to engage with the Professional Standards to demonstrate commitment to CPD and to enhancement of learning and teaching

Accreditation of the Professional Development Planning & Recognition Process PDPR process is recognised by the University and by the HEA

CPD via e-portfolio

PebblePad is an eportfolio / a Personal Learning System

Users can create, store and review multiple assets called WebFolios e.g:

Assessment (formal and informal) Advancement (promotion or transition) Appraisal (self - peer - 360º) Accreditation (professional bodies) Application (course, job, funding)

Accreditation

Accessible evaluation

• SurveyMonkey

• VLE e.g. Blackboard

• Bristol Online Surveys

Accessibility of Bristol Online Surveys