Www.le.ac.uk/accessability AccessAbility Centre Access to Study Skills Online Study Guides Claire Graham and Matthew Mobbs.

www.le.ac.uk/accessability

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

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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

[email protected]

Matt Mobbs

Learning Technologist

[email protected]

0116 229 7753