Enhancing Academic Literacies with Assistive Technologies: A Student-Partnership Approach

1. Developing Study SkillsStudents as partners to develop academic literacies with assistive technologies Alexis Moore – Faculty of Education Andrew Billington – Learner Support Manager EHU John Haycock - Learning Support Officer EHU Sonia Edwards – Academic Engagement Officer 12:30 – 2pm UKPSF: A1, A2, K3, K4, V2

2. Session outline • Rationale • Practicalities • Benefits, challenges and ways forward • Assistive Technologies used

3. Think about your first year students • Think about your first year students in the first semester • Think about your first year students’ submissions in the first semester What are the most common aspects of your feedback on their first written submissions?

4. The rationale • Retention and engagement • Demystify academic literacies through short tasks as part of the first Level 4 submission • Confidence and identity as academic learners • Transition from 6th form, mature students and Fastrack to Uni • Early identification of students with SpLD • Provide a ‘safe’ scenario to explore Atechs and gain confidence in committing thoughts to paper • Move from Atech for Disabled Students Allowance and potential stigma • Flipped thinking to Dyslexia Advantage model • Develop a learning community with students as partners • Retention

5. Joint aims of this project • Increased visibility of EHU AT Network offer for all students and staff. • Improved inclusive and accessible student experience. • Enhanced student support. • Raise the awareness of Assistive Technologies available to all at EHU. • Reach more students with AT demonstrations at student inductions. • Identify student coaches for AT and provide AT experience and CPD to student coaches • Support AT mentors to deliver demonstrations at student inductions

7. Practicalites • Booking in bespoke Atech inductions from John across all 3 year groups • Incorporating tasks into an assessed part of the submission • pass/fail • Booking IT rooms • Allowing time for process as well as content • Encouraging and using peer support – ask 3 then me • Turnitin • On-line reading lists

8. Task 1 Text to Speech • Write a short introduction about yourself and the motivations and challenges of coming to University. • Use Text to Speech or a similar programme to proof read and edit • Add a reference to the Assistive Technology webpage - use Harvard Referencing Guidance to help you. • Submit the first draft and the edited/proof read version after using a Text to Speech

9. Task 2 Mind mapping • Use Inspiration to create a mind-map of the processes you will go through to plan your CW1 and CW2 submissions. • Create branches for the main tasks that will need to be completed in the timescale. • Add in details and links to books, readings, documents and webpages • Save the mind-map • Create a word document of your mind-map • Create a ppt of your mind-map

11. Task 3 Referencing • Open a Refworks account • Open the CYP1000 Talis reading list • Export 3 books from the essential reading list into a reference list • Export at least 1 journal article into your reference list • Publish and download your reference list and submit

12. Critical reflection paragraph Critical Reflection • Write a short paragraph about the benefits/challenges of Assistive technology for you personally • use assistive technology to plan, edit and proof read this before submission.

13. Example submission

14. Challenges Tutors familiarity with Atech Rooming issues for IT workshops Getting students to be coaches Attendance Early identification of poor engagement Refworks Preferred ways of working Assumptions about confidence using ATechs Benefits • Minor risk factor for first submission – pass/fail with a range of structure tasks • Students as partners – sharing problem solving and alternative • Encourages discussion of metacognition and preferences and autonomous approaches to study skills • Tutors able to ‘see’ thinking, misconceptions, independent thinking, insight • Open conversation about ATech and SpLDs such as dyslexia • Familiarity with online reading lists • Student engagement with content, social learning situations with peers and tutors • Familiarity with a range of Atechs and continued use for other modules • Tools for planning (research modules)

15. Assistive technology has helped me a great deal, especially 'text to speech' when finalising the proof reading for my assignments. Proof reading accurately was a target of mine which was evident throughout my feedback from tutors. Using the technology has been a great tool in helping to meet my target.  (Y3 student) Donovan and Erskine-Shaw (2010) discuss the need for Universities to move away from the deficit model of ‘academic literacy support’ towards models which enable the construction of a shared academic identity and cultivate a sense of belonging to the university environment I have been using assistive technology through the read out loud tool on my laptop. It has helped me a lot and since using it I have seen a change within my grades, I have been able through using this technology analyse my writing style and make sentence structures stronger.  (Y3 student)

16. Next steps • Student coaches to be trained up • A new induction for start of year 2 and year 3 (research project planning) • Evaluation of process to impact on next cohort • Continue to promote Atech in any formats that students find useful.

17. Disability Support • Informal Assessments • Diagnostic Assessments • Cerium Assessments • 1 to 1 Study Skills • DSA Applications • Dyslexia, Dyspraxia • Exam Mods • Assistive Technology • Library Support • Study Skills • Group Sessions • Inclusive Practice • Crossover students • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) • Mental Health • Learning Facilitators (LFs) • Reasonable Adjustments • Exam Mods

18. The AT Network Offer includes 4 packages: • Claro Read 7.0 – text to Speech software • Read & Write Gold 11 – Text to Speech software • Inspiration 9.0 – Mind Mapping Software • Mindview 6.0 – Mind Mapping Software

19. Where to find the Software • Press Start button and select All programs / Tools for Learning • Alternatively, type the name of the program into the search box:

20. Demonstration

21. Any questions? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

22. All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technologies https://www.policyconnect.org.uk/appgat/home EHU Assistive Technology Resourceshttps://www.edgehill.ac.uk/ls/disability-support/assistive-technology/ BRADLEY, H. 2017 ‘‘Should I stay or should I go?’: Dilemmas and decisions among UK undergraduates’, European Educational Research Journal, 16(1), pp. 30–44. doi: 10.1177/1474904116669363 COTTON, D. R., NASH, T. and KNEALE, P. 2017 ‘Supporting the retention of non-traditional students in Higher Education using a resilience framework’, European Educational Research Journal, 16(1), pp. 62–79. doi: 10.1177/1474904116652629. DONOVAN, C. & ERSKINE-SHAW, M. 2019 ‘Maybe I can do this. Maybe I should be here’: evaluating an academic literacy, resilience and confidence programme, Journal of Further and Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2018.1541972 GALE, T. & PARKER, S. 2014 Navigating change: a typology of student transition in higher education, Studies in Higher Education, 39:5, 734-753, DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2012.721351