NADP Annual Conference & AGM 2009 - Abstracts of presentations for workshop sessions
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Download List of Workshops (without abstracts) (MS Word, 16 Kb) (updated 03-06-2009)
Workshop Session 1 - Thursday 2nd July
Download Abstracts of Workshop Session 1 (MS Word, 26 Kb)
Ensuring Quality in Specialist Support for Students with SpLDs in Higher Education Association of Dyslexia Specialists in HE (ADSHE)
There is much current debate concerning the exact nature and content of effective specialist support for students with SpLDs in HE. These guidelines were drawn up to address this issue. They particularly focus on how specialist support differs from study skill support at HE level, on the principles that underpin this support and on the content and complexity of the support.
The guidelines also examine best practice in the role of the specialist tutor. A new revised version of the guidelines will be available in June 2009 and this will include an extensive list of references on which the guidelines were based. Several ADSHE members are currently engaged in small scale research projects that are highly relevant and it is hoped that a summary of their results will be available.
It is expected that the differing perspective of NADP members will provoke an informed and constructive debate.
The revised version of the Guidelines will be presented in the context of their relevance to current debate. There will be an opportunity to examine the Mind Map in detail and to consider how the guidelines can be used to inform and promote good practice across the sector.
By the end of the session delegates will have an increased understanding of the complexity of SpLDs and an increased understanding of importance of holistic approach to identifying and supporting students with SpLDs in HE.
Martini Information - Anytime, anyplace, anywhere
A growing number of students are technologically aware and already have a high level of interaction with a range of media. In response we must revisit our educational practices and provision of support services and harness emerging technologies to reflect the needs and expectations of what Oblinger (2005) calls 'Net Geners'.
This session is the dissemination of learning from a project which aimed to develop a range of accessible online resources for delivery when, where and how the diverse range of current and future students and staff need it.
Using Garageband software, scripts of previously printed or orally delivered information were made into a series of enhanced podcasts that are being trialed for inclusion on the intranet. These can then be made available via an RSS feed or as a download to an iPod or similar device.
During the session delegates will see the developed content, hear how the development took place and find out how easy it is to produce content in this format. The projects findings around the practicalities involved in making this part of business as usual will also be disseminated.
By the end of the session delegates will have an understanding of how easy it is to achieve a professional looking podcast and have an understanding of how this medium gives greater access to accessible information.
Developing Inclusive Practice Through an Appreciate Inquiry Approach. Getting the attention of academic staff.
This workshop will describe a project, 'Developing Inclusive Curricula', supported by the UK's Higher Education Academy (September 2007 - December 2008), that aimed to improve the learning experience of disabled students and embed effective inclusive practices in learning, teaching, assessment and curriculum design within the University of Worcester.
Rather than adopting a deficit discourse such as the 'teachers need fixing' model (McAlpine, 2006) or trying to impose a programme of change, the project adopted an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach (Cooperrider & Witney, 1999) to gain the interest and engagement of staff in developing their inclusive academic practice.
The workshop will highlight the journeys undertaken by the project team, and by the disabled students recruited and trained to conduct AI. The workshop will include a description of how the approach led to identifying and addressing staff development needs. Participants will have the opportunity to engage, first hand, in the AI approach.
During the session the delegates will:
- Be actively engaged in AI activity.
Review and discuss the project's outputs: 'A Step by Step Guide to using Appreciative Inquiry', the 'Individual Inclusivity Profile' and the SCIPS web based resource; - Critique the AI approach to establish challenges and opportunities;
- Critique the impact on academic staff of the Appreciative Inquiry approach;
- Discuss the issues and opportunities arising from the project and decide if the approach would be of use in their own practice.
Supporting the Support Workers. Training and supporting workers for students with disabilities through e-learning, online resources and communication
Students with disabilities are entering further and higher education in increasing numbers. This creates many organizational and practical issues for educational institutions. One such issue is the need for support workers to assist disabled students and the need to train and support these support workers appropriately.
We will present an innovative online elearning programme to train support workers that we are currently developing. The online training will be supplemented with online resources for support workers to consult as new issues emerge for them and an online forum for them to discuss issues with each other and with the institution's disability officers.
A pilot run of all these developments will take place at five linked further and higher educational institutions in January 2009, and the results of this pilot and further developments will also be discussed.
Workshop Session 2 - Thursday 2nd July
Download Abstracts of Workshop Session 2 (MS Word, 28 Kb)
Attitudes to dyslexic students and approaches to dyslexia support among teaching staff at University. Sharing the results of one study and discussing the implications for practice.
This workshop session will present the results of an MSc study which investigated lecturers' attitudes towards dyslexia and dyslexic students, and their approaches to support, and will provide an opportunity for delegates to share and compare their own experiences and discuss what implications the findings have for HE institutions, students, academics and support staff.
Higher Education institutions are required to make 'reasonable adjustments' to accommodate students with disabilities, including dyslexia; however, what is considered 'reasonable' often depends upon one department's or one teacher's interpretation. The kinds of attitude and approach among lecturers in this small study were categorised into different groups: positive, neutral ,and negative (attitude); active, passive, resistant (approach). This workshop will encourage discussion around the links between attitude, and approach, about how we might make practical changes to improve the situation, and about where the research should go from here.
During the session delegates will discuss the findings of the above described study in small groups in the light of their own experiences. Delegates will consider a range of reasonable adjustments put in place and university level for students with dyslexia, and talk about how the implementation of these adjustments could be affected by individual lecturer attitude to dyslexia and approach to support. Delegates will also be asked to discuss their ideas about how to bring about attitude change generally in university teachers who may fall into the 'neutral/passive' or 'negative/ resistant' categories.
By the end of the session delegates will have considered support for students with dyslexia from a new perspective and go away with some practical ideas for raising awareness and understanding of dyslexia among academic staff.
Developing Inclusive Practice in vocational educaton and training and adult education (EU Funded Project)
This workshop will describe two EU funded projects currently in progress at the University of Worcester. These projects have developed web based resources to help teachers and trainers of vocational education and training and adult education to improve their support of disabled learners. The project teams will describe the results of the projects, including the available resources, toolkits and guides, and the impact to date. They will also highlight the challenges faced in managing these projects and the strategies used to overcome them.
During the session the delegates will:
- Review and discuss the project's outputs;
- Actively engage with the project's resources;
- Question the presenters to determine the challenges and opportunities for their own future engagement in EU projects;
- Critique the impact of the projects on disabled learners;
- Make effective use of the project's outputs within their own future practice.
Students using free online tools to support their learning
Over the a last two years participants in the JISC funded LexDis project have shown us how they make good use of freely available technologies to help them solve some of the difficulties they encounter when studying. This talk aims to illustrate where problems have arisen and how the students have found ways of working smarter for free.
Equality Validation Events. Putting the E into quality
(This abstract will be changed)
The session will look at how the strands of diversity currently recognised in the UK are considered at validation events by both the panels and the development teams as a form of equality impact assessment on a major academic process. It will demonstrate how the student voice is captured and evidence of community engagement is tested. Consider modes of study, curriculum and assessment design and the student handbook.
Culminating in a Validation report that shows evidence of equality themes being duly considered, without the undermining the purpose of the event which is to determine the fitness of the programme for purpose and delivery by the University.
The preparation process in the lead up to the event will be discussed using evidence drawn from Development teams and staff development sessions.
During the session delegates will watch a short PowerPoint presentation to outline the process. Have the opportunity to ask questions, review the materials being used and discuss a case study.
Workshop Session 3 - Friday 3rd July
Download Abstracts of Workshop Session 3 (MS Word, 28 Kb)
Developing the AchieveAbility of an inclusive curriculum in higher education
This workshop will begin with a brief presentation of work in progress on a three-year collaborative action research project . The project is modifying the delivery and assessment of nine modules/units across three universities to make them more accessible and inclusive. It draws upon the work of the AchieveAbility Network and experience of innovative approaches in the Art and Design field which are effective for students who experience specific learning differences.
The project will transfer this good practice to other subject areas and as good practice for all students. It is monitoring the effectiveness of modified delivery and assessment through qualitative research, and aims to make a case for the mainstreaming of inclusive practice. Delegates will have an opportunity to discuss current practices in their own institutions and ways of promoting accessible course design, assessment and delivery.
During the session delegates will discuss the project presented. They will compare it with the situation in their own institutions and exchange ideas about practical ways of embedding inclusive practice in higher education.
By the end of the session delegates will have learned about the work of a significant national collaborative project and have formulated plans for promoting the embedding of inclusive practice in their own institutions.
DAISY - the results of early seeding
The Digital Audio Project - its aims, objectives and milestones from highly structured distance learning materials and textbooks to tutorial handouts and notes, demonstrating how open and flexible written content can be when presented as a digital talking book. To understand and exploit the potential of DAISY digital talking books to meet student needs and describe emerging partnerships between Universities and external technology developers to specify and build new standards-based computer and mobile interfaces and show examples of early feature-rich digital talking books under development.
Outline how course material can be delivered for immediate or later use from a VLE or other online setting to students' computers, PDAs, mobile phones and MP3 players etc.
How a structured authoring environment can automatically provide "single input, multiple outputs".
Involvement of students in defining products and services and using automated one-to-many text-conversion methods provide potential for pedagogic innovation and digital age services for all students.
During the session delegates will have the chance to:
- comment on the Digital Audio Project;
- share their experience of alternate format material development for visual impaired and print disabled students.
By the end of the session delegates will have a greater understanding of DAISY Digital Talking Books and understand the challenge to make complex educational material available in alternate formats.
Mentoring. Does mentoring promote learner autonomy?
The session will explore good practice in mentoring relationships with a view to ascertaining what works well in enabling disabled students to become more independent.
The focus of the research is on students who have Asperger syndrome, but the findings are likely to be transferable and the second phase of the research will explore this in detail.
Mentor training, documentation which students have found useful for action planning, and student perceptions of their progress towards learner autonomy will be covered. The documentation students use with their mentors will be available to participants.
During the session delegates will have question and answer work and engage with the documentation students use for action planning with mentors.
By the end of the session delegates will have considered what mentoring is and is not and tried out some sample documentation to assist mentors to help mentees to action plan.
Providing quality support services -In or out?
This workshop will provide an opportunity for NADP members to consider alternatives models of delivering support worker services. Can quality be maintained whilst value for money principles and efficiency savings drive the HE agenda in recession hit times? What is the future for support delivery? Can we learn from private sector experience in service delivery?
The presenters are people experienced in either running in-house support worker services or running an agency which provides support workers to one or more Higher Education Institutions. Three variations of providers will make up a Question Time panel to enable members to pose their own questions and share their experiences.
Participants are encouraged to email questions in advance.
Conference Presentations
Disabled Students Allowances - increasing awareness and partnership working
The session will examine the levels of take up of Disabled Allowances (DSAs), and what is being done internally within Student Finance England (SFE) to increase knowledge of both DSAs, and possible entitlement/eligibility. The session will then explore current and potential initiatives where SFE can work in partnership with a range of external bodies in order to raise awareness. Particular attention will be paid to addressing and exploring groups of students who may be entitled to DSA's, but take-up is apparently low. Strategies and actions for addressing such areas will be explored with delegates on how work in the area can be progressed.