Learning Technology in Education Assignment 3

Assignment Three

There is growing recognition of technology being used to enhance accessibility for students of all ages in educational contexts. Critically evaluate and provide an academically supported justification for the use of technology assisted learning in the case study provided. (1,500 words)

The final assignment of this module asks you to consider the content of weeks 6 and 7 and to critically evaluate how accessibility can be applied to the given case study.

The case study concerns Jack an 18 year old in his first term at University.

The learning outcome you are addressing in this assignment is:

• Show a critical awareness of the role of technology in relation to accessibility in education.

Case Study

Jack is 18 and has just started his first term at University. Due to external circumstances he is required to study his first modules online with minimal support provided by on campus tutorials.

Jack has struggled to access education for much of his childhood. At a young age he was diagnosed with ADHD which made it difficult to sustain concentration for any length of time. Jack has a good level of intelligence and is able to focus on topics which interest him, however, his ADHD traits make it difficult to maintain motivation when faced with information he does not understand.

Not unusual for children diagnosed with ADHD Jack is also dyslexic.  However, more unusually it is not his ability to read which is overly affected but his ability to process information. It is the speed at which information is conveyed which causes him problems. To account for this in his schooling to date Jack has always been given extra time in exams and allowed to use a computer as his writing speed is very slow.

As a young adult and living away from home for the first time Jack’s mental health has also started to become an issue. His confidence is low and he is doubting his ability to study at University level, especially with his modules now being online.

Jack has accessed an assessment of his needs at University and will be supplied with assistive technology to support him over the next 3 years. He has also expressed his concerns around online learning to his module tutors.

Task

To complete this assignment please follow these guidelines:

1. Read through the case study a number of times.
2. You are going to approach this case study from two directions:

a) How can assistive technology be used to support Jack through his studies?

b) What considerations would you need to give, as the module tutor, to the design of your online course sessions to make them accessible to Jack and not put him at a disadvantage when compared to the other students?

Please evaluate and justify your choices in a) and b) above by referring to supporting research and literature.

You have 1500 words to complete this task. Approx. 600 words should be used for section a) and 900 words for section b).

You do not need to include an introduction or conclusion for this task.

Guidelines

Please make sure that you correctly cite and reference all secondary sources you use, and include a reference list. The reference list will not be included in your final word count.

Submission Instructions:

This assignment should be submitted no later than 13:00 on Monday of week 9.

Your submission should 1500 words in length (+/- 10%).

Your work will be assessed according to the framework and criteria in the assessment rubric.  I strongly suggest that you spend some time looking at this so that you understand the expectations of Level 7 study.

Submission instructions – What should be the format of the submission? / Where should it be submitted?
A single Word document only, containing your assignment and a reference list.
Font should be Arial, Calibri or similar, size 11 or 12
Lines should be spaced at 1.5.
Please submit online via the appropriate Turnitin submission on the module space.
Please include a cover sheet, with name, student number and word count (excluding reference list).