From the voice of a ‘Socratic Gadfly’: a call for more academic activism in the researching of disability in postsecondary education

In this article I use the lens of voices and silences to frame my review of research in the field of disability and postsecondary education. I argue that we need to view research in this field as a necessarily political act that seeks to turn voices of silence into voices of change. Researchers therefore need to re-think their role in order to understand how they can use and direct their political voices. In order to persuade researchers to heed my call for more academic activism I draw on the arguments of Allan (2010) and adopt the role of a ‘socratic gadfly’ to identify six political areas of research where I argue that voices and silences need more critical examination. In discussing these six areas I hope to illuminate the implications for ‘genuinely investigative’ research in the future

Neuroscience and Education: The Importance of a Christian Understanding of Human Persons

The increased research in the neurosciences has affected the discipline of education in numerous ways, with publications translating this research into classroom practices. A caution is given to Christian educators to carefully reflect upon how this research influences our view of human persons and what difference this view makes in the teaching and learning process. The purpose of this paper is (1) to examine some of the ways that neuroscience is speaking into the discipline of education, particularly in understanding the capabilities and processes of the learner; (2) to develop an awareness of how this affects our understanding of persons; and (3) to establish the necessity for the preparation of future educators with a distinctly Christian perspective of the human constitution

An evaluation of constructivism for learners with ADHD: Development of a constructivist pedagogy for special needs

We examine whether constructivist eLearning tools can be used to help learners cope with special educational needs, such as difficulties with attention and concentration. Preliminary work is reported here, in which we seek to determine the reasons why a constructivist approach is difficult for learners with ADHD. This work is intended to lead to recommendations of how learners with ADHD could benefit from constructivist eLearning systems, e.g. through the managed use of multimedia technology. A preliminary model has been developed that illustrates the areas in which constructivist pedagogies need to address the limitations of ADHD learners. Further work will expand this model and eventually test it in a real environment (e.g. in a school with ADHD learners). The outcome will encourage a reconsideration of existing multimedia theories as they relate to learners with special needs, and provide new directions in order to support learners with ADHD

Personalised learning materials based on dyslexia types: ontological approach

In recent years, e-learning systems have played an increasingly important role in higher education and, in particular, in enhancing learning experiences for individuals who have learning difficulties. However, it appears that many of the people involved in the development and implementation of e-learning tools overlook the needs of dyslexic students. As such, these students lack access to the resources on offer to other students and this leads to a disability divide. In order for educational initiatives to be effective, learning experiences need to be tailored to the individual needs of each student and the materials and tools employed should be aligned with the student’s needs, capabilities and learning objectives. The objective of this research was to propose an ontology that will facilitate the development of learning methods and technologies that are aligned with dyslexia types and symptoms. The paper commences with a discussion of domain ontology and examines how learning objectives that take into consideration a student’s capabilities and needs can be matched with appropriate assistive technology in order to deliver effective e-learning experiences and educational resources that can be consistently employed. The ontology employed within this study was developed using Ontology Web Language (OWL), an information processing system that allows applications to handle both the content and the presentation of the information available on the web. Two characteristics were employed within this research to describe each resource: dyslexia type and the features of assistive technologies that were deemed to be most appropriate for educational experiences targeted at each dyslexia type

Proceedings of the Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC) 2011

These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2011 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference(SPARC). It includes papers from PhD students in the arts and social sciences, business, computing, science and engineering, education, environment, built environment and health sciences. Contributions from Salford researchers are published here alongside papers from students at the Universities of Anglia Ruskin, Birmingham City, Chester,De Montfort, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores and Manchester

DAEL framework: a new adaptive e-learning framework for students with dyslexia

This paper reports on an extensive study conducted on the existing frameworks and relevant theories that lead to a better understanding of the requirements of an e-learning tool for people with dyslexia. The DAEL framework has been developed with respect to four different dimensions: presentation, hypermediality, acceptability and accessibility, and user experience. However, there has been no research on the different types of dyslexia and the dyslexic user’s viewpoint as they affect application design. Therefore, in this paper a framework is proposed which would conform to the standards of acceptability and accessibility for dyslexic students. We hypothesise that an e-learning application, which will adopt itself according to individuals’ dyslexia types, will advantage the dyslexics’ individuals in their learning process

Personalised learning materials based on dyslexia types: ontological approach

In recent years, e-learning systems have played an increasingly important role in higher education and, in particular, in enhancing learning experiences for individuals who have learning difficulties. However, it appears that many of the people involved in the development and implementation of e-learning tools overlook the needs of dyslexic students. As such, these students lack access to the resources on offer to other students and this leads to a disability divide. In order for educational initiatives to be effective, learning experiences need to be tailored to the individual needs of each student and the materials and tools employed should be aligned with the student’s needs, capabilities and learning objectives. The objective of this research was to propose an ontology that will facilitate the development of learning methods and technologies that are aligned with dyslexia types and symptoms. The paper commences with a discussion of domain ontology and examines how learning objectives that take into consideration a student’s capabilities and needs can be matched with appropriate assistive technology in order to deliver effective e-learning experiences and educational resources that can be consistently employed. The ontology employed within this study was developed using Ontology Web Language (OWL), an information processing system that allows applications to handle both the content and the presentation of the information available on the web. Two characteristics were employed within this research to describe each resource: dyslexia type and the features of assistive technologies that were deemed to be most appropriate for educational experiences targeted at each dyslexia type

Assessing Learning Efficiency In Narrative Simulation Delivered Through Interactive Multimedia

This study evaluated the effects of Narrative Simulation (NS) on learning and cognitive load. Specifically, it measured the potential differences in observed instructional efficiency when comparing a self-paced expository multimedia lesson to a NS lesson which involves a character-focused story with multiple decision inputs at key points. This ex post facto design observed 119 participants consisting of preservice teachers from a large public university in the southeastern United States. They were divided into two sequence groups: (a) Expository Lesson Group; and (b) Narrative Simulation group. The Expository group received Expository Lesson One first, then Expository Lesson Two, and then Narrative Simulation. The Narrative Simulation group received Narrative Simulation, Expository One, and then Expository Two. Upon entering learning management system, participants received the three lessons, each consisting of the following: (a) lesson content, (b) content assessment (c) NASA Task Load Index (TLX), a measure of cognitive load or perceived mental effort. Statistical analysis reported (a) no statistical differences on perceived cognitive load across lessons (b) no statistical differences in the efficiency score across lessons, (c) no statistical differences on assessment score across Expository One and Two, (d) no statistical differences in the number of attempts needed to achieve a passing score when considering all assessments, (e) statistically significant differences from each group’s respective first attempt regarding cognitive load and efficiency, (f) statistically significant differences in the Narrative Simulation assessment score between groups

DAEL framework: a new adaptive e-learning framework for students with dyslexia

This paper reports on an extensive study conducted on the existing frameworks and relevant theories that lead to a better understanding of the requirements of an e-learning tool for people with dyslexia. The DAEL framework has been developed with respect to four different dimensions: presentation, hypermediality, acceptability and accessibility, and user experience. However, there has been no research on the different types of dyslexia and the dyslexic user’s viewpoint as they affect application design. Therefore, in this paper a framework is proposed which would conform to the standards of acceptability and accessibility for dyslexic students. We hypothesise that an e-learning application, which will adopt itself according to individuals’ dyslexia types, will advantage the dyslexics’ individuals in their learning process

Current Understanding, Support Systems, and Technology-led Interventions for Specific Learning Difficulties

In January 2019, the Government Office for Science commissioned a series of 4 rapid evidence reviews to explore how technology and research can help improve educational outcomes for learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs). This review examined: 1) current understanding of the causes and identification of SpLDs, 2)the support system for learners with SpLDs, 3)technology-based interventions for SpLDs 4) a case study approach focusing on dyscalculia to explore all 3 theme