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AccessAbility Centre
Access to Study SkillsOnline Study Guides
Claire Graham and Matthew Mobbs
www.le.ac.uk/accessability
BackgroundAccessAbility Centre offers:
• Face-to-face study support for students with Specific Learning Difficulties
• 4 Study Advisers offering 6 hour long appointments per day
• 591 students with splds registered with Centre
University of Leicester
• 22,048 students in total
• 8,651 (39%) distance learners
• Only 27 distance learners with splds registered with Centre
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New Approach
To engage and support DL students and a new approach for campus based students
• 10 Online Study Guides
•Design based on most frequently requested study support sessions
•Multisensory approach was essential.
– Visuals – colour, images and subtitles
– Audio – Voice over
– Kinaesthetic – Interactivity
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The GuidesWriting an Essay 376 hits
Active Reading 280
Exam Skills 212
Improving Concentration 208
Writing a Dissertation 188
Time Management and Organisation 181
Spelling Strategies 174
Note Taking Skills 162
Improving Memory 144
Making Notes 98
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Example
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How they were made
PowerPoint
Adobe Presenter
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How they were made
PowerPoint
Adobe Presenter
www.le.ac.uk/accessability
How they were made
PowerPoint
Adobe Presenterhttp://audacity.sourceforge.net/
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How they were made
PowerPoint
Adobe Presenter
Adobe Presenter•PowerPoint Plugin•Combine Audio and visuals•Published to the Web
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Alternative Free Tools
www.screenr.com
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Alternative Free Tools
www.slideshare.net
http://www.slideshare.net/uolssds/writing-an-essay
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Raising Awareness
• Cards - posters• Web • Blackboard• YouTube• Podcasts• Course Handbooks• Direct mailing to distance learners• Email to all dyslexic students
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Feedback
• Feedback gathered in a variety of ways
• Students have been positive about the resources:
• appreciating different elements of the delivery depending on learning styles;
• using the guides in a variety of ways, ie.
1) when it was difficult to get a face to face session,
2) to prepare for a meeting with a Study Adviser,
3) as consolidation after a study advice session.
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Feedback• Some students viewed the guides a number of times.
• They appreciated being able to access the guides 24/7.
Comments included:
‘I liked the ‘Improving Memory’ one in particular: they had a sort of practical memory test right there and then. You can see that it actually works; and it stayed in my memory for longer…’
‘…it’s nice to have this preliminary stuff done and out of the way so you can really concentrate on a specific area…You’ve built on something so when you get to the study adviser she can push you further’.
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Feedback – Points for improvement
• Students didn’t like font size and theme. There is no ability to change this on Adobe Connect.
• Some students wanted to be able to skip whole sections of the presentation.
• Students wanted more control over the pacing of the material.
• Some students wanted more examples.
• It was suggested that more in-depth presentations follow on from these ‘short intro’ guides
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Future Developments
• Study guides to be signposted to every student booking a study advice session
• iTunes U
• One to one study advice sessions to be offered remotely using adobe connect.
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Examples of study guides
Improving Memory
http://connect.le.ac.uk/memory
Essay Writing
http://connect.le.ac.uk/essaywriting
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Contact details
Claire Graham
Study Adviser
0116 252 5002
Matt Mobbs
Learning Technologist
0116 229 7753
