Bringing Learning Alive: empowering the use of immersive technologies to blend physical and digital spaces

UON staff and students worked with learners from the Creating Tomorrow College to investigate how four digital apps (EyeJack, ScavengAR, Polycam and ARMakr) can be used by schools attending Chester House’s education workshops. <br/

Transform Autism Education - Final Report

The Transform Autism Education (TAE) project focused on the domain of ‘good autism practice’ in the education of pupils with autism in the UK, Greece and Italy with the overall objectives to:• Research good autism practice in education.• Create professional development programmes in Greece and Italy.• Enhance the knowledge and practice of school staff.• Facilitate the inclusion of autistic children in primary schools in those countries.Funded by the European Commission through Erasmus Plus Key Action 2, Strategic Partnerships scheme, and led by Principal Investigator Dr. Karen Guldberg, the project involved a range of Greek, Italian and UK partners. It employed the Autism Education Trust (AET) collaborative training schemes in the UK as a founding model. While the requirements of each country were distinct, and so necessitated careful adaptations of the materials to their specific needs, what united all aspects of the project was a desire to improve the educational inclusion of autistic children, as well as their general experiences in school and their outcomes

Using the value creation framework to capture knowledge co-creation and pathways to impact in a transnational community of practice in autism education

Although theories around Communities of Practice have gained significant ground in recent years and have become an important focus for organizational development, there is a gap in studies that investigate what members gain from participation in these communities. This paper explains how the value creation framework was implemented in a transnational research and development project in autism education by examining cycles of value creation and drawing on two types of data identified by Wenger and colleagues. The value creation framework is a theoretically driven framework to assess social learning in communities. Participants involved in the learning space were co-researchers engaged in a process of investigating, sharing and reflecting on their practice. The paper discusses the methodological challenges and strengths of using the value creation framework, with a particular focus on how insights and interactions led to subsequent changes in the practice of the participants. This work has the potential to make an important contribution to methods and analysis in assessing social learning and pathways to impact in participatory research and development projects more broadly

Perspectives of key stakeholders about practices relating to using iPads for autistic pupils’ social communication and emotional regulation

This thesis explores key stakeholders’ perspectives about practices relating to using iPads for autistic pupils’ Social Communication (SC) and Emotional Regulation (ER). It focuses on investigating the interaction between digital technology, context and individuals and understanding and evaluating the impact of context on how iPads are implemented in-situ for SC and ER. To achieve these aims, the study drew upon Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory (1979) and Abbott’s concept of ‘E-inclusion’ (2007) as conceptual lenses to situate the use of iPads in context. It followed a mixed-methods design which involved an online survey completed by 55 educators of primary schools across England and two case studies conducted in a Special school and a Mainstream (Autism Resource Base) setting. Data in the two schools were gathered through interviews from key stakeholders (practitioners, parents, autistic pupils) and a document analysis of computing and E-safety policies. The key findings of the study revealed that practitioners applied iPads across the curriculum as multi-modal learning tools, focusing on child-centred pedagogies and targeting more than one skill. Educators prioritised using iPads for developing autistic pupils’ SC, with ambiguity existing in ER-related terminology and practices. Contrary to that, the findings from interviews that were conducted with parents and children highlighted that tablet implementation at home focused on recreation and ER, with other uses involving behaviour management, relaxation and communication. In line with these points, the study found differences in the manner and scope of iPad use at school and home, illustrating a communication gap between educators and parents. In addition, the thesis examined the various ways in which iPads were implemented for autistic pupils’ SC and ER in the two different school contexts. The results identified a combination of organisational, technological and personal aspects that influenced the way in which educators used iPad in the two schools. The reported differences shed light on the role that enhanced systemic support (such as training), technological infrastructure and educators’ confidence can have on the successful iPad integration into learning. Based on these findings, the thesis provides implications for practice about the contextual factors that create the conditions required to enable iPads to enhance autistic pupils’ SC and ER in the classroom. It also highlights issues around pedagogy and teaching methods, offering insights into what drives teachers to make decisions and the importance of supporting them to develop skills in technology and understanding of pedagogy. Finally, the thesis suggests pointers to practice illustrating the role of iPads as behaviour management tools and enablers of learning through ER

The impact of technology enhanced learning on students with specific learning difficulties

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are experiencing a radical uptake of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) practices. However, there is a lack of robust research exploring how the changing landscape of HEI teaching impacts students who have a specific learning difficulty (SpLD). To address this, we conducted semi-structured interviews with nine undergraduate students with SpLDs, to explore their lived experiences and perspectives on TEL in HEI. The interviews were transcribed, analysed thematically, and four key themes developed. Participants accepted TEL as part of HEI teaching but expressed that it was not always fully integrated or sensitive to students’ learning needs. Staff readiness to implement TEL was also mentioned as an element that influenced students’ learning experiences. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to how the integration of TEL and its use by students can be improved to create a more inclusive learning environment

Using the value creation framework to capture knowledge co-creation and pathways to impact in a transnational community of practice in autism education

Although theories around Communities of Practice have gained significant ground in recent years and have become an important focus for organizational development, there is a gap in studies that investigate what members gain from participation in these communities. This paper explains how the value creation framework was implemented in a transnational research and development project in autism education by examining cycles of value creation and drawing on two types of data identified by Wenger and colleagues. The value creation framework is a theoretically driven framework to assess social learning in communities. Participants involved in the learning space were co-researchers engaged in a process of investigating, sharing and reflecting on their practice. The paper discusses the methodological challenges and strengths of using the value creation framework, with a particular focus on how insights and interactions led to subsequent changes in the practice of the participants. This work has the potential to make an important contribution to methods and analysis in assessing social learning and pathways to impact in participatory research and development projects more broadly

Transform Autism Education - Final Report

The Transform Autism Education (TAE) project focused on the domain of ‘good autism practice’ in the education of pupils with autism in the UK, Greece and Italy with the overall objectives to:• Research good autism practice in education.• Create professional development programmes in Greece and Italy.• Enhance the knowledge and practice of school staff.• Facilitate the inclusion of autistic children in primary schools in those countries.Funded by the European Commission through Erasmus Plus Key Action 2, Strategic Partnerships scheme, and led by Principal Investigator Dr. Karen Guldberg, the project involved a range of Greek, Italian and UK partners. It employed the Autism Education Trust (AET) collaborative training schemes in the UK as a founding model. While the requirements of each country were distinct, and so necessitated careful adaptations of the materials to their specific needs, what united all aspects of the project was a desire to improve the educational inclusion of autistic children, as well as their general experiences in school and their outcomes