Exploring disabled learners’ experiences ofe-learning: LEXDIS Project Report

The LEXDIS Project was funded under phase two of the JISC e-learning pedagogy programme. The overarching aim of the study was to explore the e-learning experiences of disabled learners within the University of Southampton in order to increase understanding of the many complex issues and interactions introduced by disabled learners’ requirements for accessible e-learning, compatible assistive technologies and effective learning support. Linked to the overarching aim of exploring the e-learning experiences of disabled learners, the LEXDIS Project had a related objective which is to develop usercentred methodologies for eliciting the e-learning experiences of disabled students and to disseminate these widely in order to promote a participatory approach to designing and evaluating e-learning. With regards to the participation of learners in the LEXDIS project, there were three key phases of participation: • Phase One: Consultation regarding proposed research questions and research methods; • Phase Two: Opportunity to contribute own experiences of using e-learning; • Phase Three: Opportunity to validate and interpret the results of the study and to contribute to the design, content and dissemination of project deliverables and outcomes. The data collection tools that were used in this project consisted of an online survey; interview plus and focus groups. These data collection tools have been used in both participatory design and learning disability related participatory research. The LEXDIS project recruited 30 participants from the University of Southampton who participated in all three phases of the project. The results are presented in main themes: Use of technologies to support study Use of social networking tools to support learning Influence and impact of assistive technologies on learning: Disabled learners’ feelings about technology Influence of pre-university education on technology use The role and nature of technology related support Significant factors that influence technology use. Six key recommendations are drawn out from the results from the LEXDIS that can inform the practice of lecturers, support staff and learning technologists within Higher Education Institutions. The majority of these recommendations are based around recognition of where difficulties lie for disabled students.

[1]  Lon Smith,et al.  An evalution of the efficacy of seminars in retaining and recruiting computer science majors , 2007 .

[2]  P. Leung.  Assistive technology: meeting the technology needs of students with disabilities in post-secondary education , 1999 .

[3]  Len Barton,et al.  Articulating with difficulty : research voices in inclusive education , 1998 .

[4]  E. A. Draffan,et al.  A model for the identification of challenges to blended learning , 2006 .

[5]  Rosa Maria Vicari,et al.  InteliWeb: adaptation of the self-efficacy in an intelligent e-learning system , 2005, Fifth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT'05).

[6]  R. Varma.  Women in Computing: The Role of Geek Culture , 2007 .

[7]  John Hall,et al.  Getting round obstacles: Disabled students' experiences in higher education in Scotland , 1999 .

[8]  Drew Tiene,et al.  Adoption of Assistive Technology for computer access among college students with disabilities , 2002, Disability and rehabilitation.

[9]  David McConnell,et al.  Chinese higher education teachers ’ conceptions of e-Learning : Preliminary outcomes , 2006 .

[10]  Maria M. Klawe,et al.  The participatory design of a sound and image enhanced daily planner for people with aphasia , 2004, CHI.

[11]  Sheryl Burgstahler,et al.  Distance Learning: The Library's Role in Ensuring Access to Everyone. , 2002 .

[12]  Mike Wald,et al.  An evaluation of the use of participatory methods in exploring disabled learners' experiences of e-learning: LEXDIS Methodology Report to JISC , 2008 .

[13]  Jan Steyaert.  Web-Based Higher Education: The Inclusion/Exclusion Paradox , 2005 .

[14]  G. Nelson,et al.  “Nothing About Me, Without Me”: Participatory Action Research with Self-Help/Mutual Aid Organizations for Psychiatric Consumer/Survivors , 1998, American journal of community psychology.

[15]  Ann Buysse,et al.  A social-cognitive model to predict the use of assistive devices for mobility and self-care in elderly people. , 2002, The Gerontologist.

[16]  Diana G. Oblinger.  Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennials: Understanding the "New Students.". , 2003 .

[17]  Bob Heyman,et al.  Life History or 'Case' History: the objectification of people with learning difficulties through the tyranny of professional discourses , 1997 .

[18]  J. Hart.  [Qualitative methods]. , 2000, Recherche en soins infirmiers.

[19]  Andrea Cornwall,et al.  What is participatory research? , 1995, Social science & medicine.

[20]  Anne Louise Chappell,et al.  Emergence of participatory methodology in learning difficulty research: understanding the context , 2000 .

[21]  H. Radermacher,et al.  Participatory Action Research With People With Disabilities: Exploring Experiences Of Participation , 2006 .

[22]  Jackie Sanders,et al.  Looking inside the bag of tools: creating research encounters with parents with an intellectual disability , 2008 .

[23]  J. Sim,et al.  Collecting and analysing qualitative data: issues raised by the focus group. , 1998, Journal of advanced nursing.

[24]  K. Hogan,et al.  The Use and Abuse of Models of Disability , 2000 .

[25]  M. Kenny,et al.  Participation in higher education for students with disabilities: an Irish perspective , 2004 .

[26]  G. Zarb,et al.  On the Road to Damascus: First Steps Towards Changing the Relations of , 1992 .

[27]  J. Seale.  E-Learning and Disability in Higher Education: Accessibility Research and Practice , 2006 .

[28]  D. Roer-strier,et al.  University students with learning disabilities advocating for change , 2002, Disability and rehabilitation.

[29]  Mitzi Waltz,et al.  Reading case studies of people with autistic spectrum disorders: a cultural studies approach to issues of disability representation , 2005 .

[30]  Elaine Pearson,et al.  Inclusion and online learning opportunities: designing for accessibility , 2002 .

[31]  Catherine S. Fichten,et al.  Access to Educational and Instructional Computer Technologies for Post‐secondary Students with Disabilities: lessons from three empirical studies , 2000 .

[32]  Ian Sommerville,et al.  Depending on digital design: extending inclusivity , 2004 .

[33]  Jason T. Abbitt,et al.  Identifying influences on attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs towards technology integration among pre-service educators , 2007 .

[34]  Joseph Luca,et al.  Creating Situational Interest and Motivating Tasks in an e-Learning Environment , 2005 .

[35]  N. Selwyn.  Digital division or digital decision? A study of non-users and low-users of computers , 2006 .

[36]  Mike Wu,et al.  Participatory design of an orientation aid for amnesics , 2005, CHI.

[37]  Sally French,et al.  Telling stories for a politics of hope , 2006 .

[38]  Joanna McGrenere,et al.  The ethnographically informed participatory design of a PD application to support communication , 2003, Assets '04.

[39]  G. Benfield,et al.  The undergraduate experience of blended e-learning: a review of UK literature and practice , 2006 .

[40]  Angela Everitt,et al.  Applied Research for Better Practice , 1992 .

[41]  E. Draffan,et al.  Use of assistive technology by students with dyslexia in post-secondary education , 2007, Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology.

[42]  Len Barton,et al.  Emancipatory research and disabled people: some observations and questions , 2005 .

[43]  Charlotte A. Mull,et al.  The Role of Technology in the Transition to Postsecondary Education of Students with Learning Disabilities , 2003 .

[44]  Alan F. Newell,et al.  Methodologies for Involving Older Adults in the Design Process , 2007, HCI.

[45]  Cristina Conati,et al.  Workshop on Social and Emotional Intelligence in Learning Environments , 2004, Intelligent Tutoring Systems.

[46]  W. Crozier,et al.  Dyslexia and difficulties with study skills in higher education , 2006 .

[47]  E. Hanson,et al.  Working together with persons with early stage dementia and their family members to design a user-friendly technology-based support service , 2007 .

[48]  J. Seale,et al.  Access all areas: disability, technology and learning , 2002 .

[49]  Morag Hunter-Carsch,et al.  Dyslexia and Effective Learning in Secondary and Tertiary Education , 2001 .

[50]  Tim Hall,et al.  Barriers to learning: a systematic study of the experience of disabled students in one university , 2004 .

[51]  Lawana Wimberly,et al.  Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities: Barriers to Accessing Education-Based Information Technology , 2004 .

[52]  Jackie Goode,et al.  ‘Managing’ disability: early experiences of university students with disabilities , 2007 .