e-Learning/ICT Activities

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Learning Activities and enabling strategies

Description of e-Learning/ICT Activities

e-Learning is a means of accessing courses or programmes of study online (via intranet or internet); in some courses, learners rarely attend face-to-face tutorials or lessons.

e-Learning entails the combination and convergence of the most advanced features of digital information and communication technologies, for example:

Live broadcasts
Mobile video and audio telecommunications
3D graphics
Email
VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)
The Web
Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) – web-based, multi-user, virtual environment

Appropriately designed e-learning activities can provide significant opportunities for learners to create and acquire knowledge for themselves.

Online environments allow collaborative study, with learners and teachers/trainers taking part in discussions, using chat facilities and perhaps video or webcam communication.

e-Learning makes use of information and communications technology to provide innovative ways to learn. Distance learning covers learning remotely on courses such as home study or 'self-study' courses, which can be combined with e-learning.

e-Learning may appeal to students if they:

want to learn when and where they want, at their own pace;
have commitments which make it harder for them to attend a regular course;
have mobility or health problems that make travel or attendance difficult;
live a long way from a training provider;
work irregular hours or shifts.

Skills required for e-Learning:

Observation
Attention
Manipulation
Problem solving

Examples of Learning Activities

Online study complements the content and activities used in traditional teaching and learning. The types of materials, with examples, may include:

uploaded text material: lecture notes, schedules, notices, reading lists;
multimedia resources: streamed video and audio;
computer assisted assessment: multiple choice questions;
computer mediated communications: e-mail, computer conferences, bulletin boards, chat rooms;
online tutorials;
simulated activities: virtual workshops and field sites;
course management: course information, assignment submission procedures.

Enabling strategies

The users of e-learning materials should be able to change:

font, font style, font colour and font size;
cursor size, style and blink rate;
size of text and images;
screen layout, colours and backgrounds.

They should be able to work through learning objects at their own speed, with control over: timing of events; keyboard settings; multimedia elements, including video, and navigation – allowing the user to skip a section or return to a section.

Before the course starts

Develop an accessible, user-friendly website. All online materials should be well organised, follow a similar style, and clearly emphasise key points. Reduce visual clutter. Make sure the site is tested for its usability.
Ensure that announcements about times, locations and types of communication are posted in good time and reach all students.
Make the course syllabus available in alternative, multiple formats (HTML, PDF, RTF). Explain how the syllabus and assignments are linked.

During the course

At the first meeting, whether online or face to face, explain the course concepts, give a glossary of terms if appropriate, emphasise the collaborative nature of e-learning and state where students can get help.
Give clear and appropriate timelines, making sure that these have been understood and reminders are given, with all dates available on the course website.
Use a variety of learning and teaching approaches, with open-ended questions in discussion forums to encourage ideas and student participation.
Use several small tests or assignments rather than one or two major ones. Go for variety in assessment methods (projects, essays, exams, presentations, interviews, group participation). Be aware of the weighting given to different tasks and consider how this may affect a student’s learning preferences.
Provide online practice assessments with the types of question that may already have been used in the course material, and that will appear in the final assessment, so that students are being tested on what they have learnt from the module rather than how well they can read a new format of question.
Be aware of student needs and provide support in areas of difficulty.
Provide detailed and timely feedback which is constructive as well as instructive, confirming strengths and supporting weaknesses. Providing time for a self-evaluation activity can also be helpful and encourage further use of the materials supplied.
Keep the syllabus up to date, clearly marking any changes.

Click here for information on Accessibility and e-Learning: JISC TechDis Accessible e-Learning

Assistive Technologies

Computer products and software are available to help people with particular disabilities, including specialised keyboards or joysticks, screen readers and software that allows you to control a computer through speech.

Click on the following links for brief descriptions of some of the hardware and software that is available to reduce or remove barriers that may be encountered by disabled people when using computers and engaging with online content:

Skills for Access

Open University

JISC TechDis Technology Database

Assessment

Remember that people with the same impairments may need different adjustments to practice to enable them to engage with the assessment process and demonstrate their learning.

When assessing your learners, be very clear about exactly what it is you are testing. For example, in asking learners to write an essay in an exam, are you testing the learners’ knowledge and understanding of the topic, or the ability to write clearly and precisely? Decide what you are assessing and how many marks are apportioned for each element (knowledge or good writing, memory or understanding)

Consider why you are assessing in a particular way, and whether another method may be more inclusive. In some cases, the exact format of the assessment is critical to the demonstration of the intended learning outcome. For example a course in hairdressing would require a practical demonstration of competence; but, where possible, allow your learners to have a choice about how they demonstrate their knowledge and skills; in other words allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and skill in a variety of formats.

There may be occasions where you have provided the disabled learner with an alternative assessment (e.g. a blind learner may need to give their answers orally rather than in writing). In such cases, you should ensure the integrity of the alternative and make sure that the disabled learner is judged on their ability to meet the criteria – providing neither a disadvantage nor advantage over other learners.

Adaptations for Assessment

Some students may rely on equipment to meet the needs of the assessment, whether in a formal examination environment, or the less formal setting in which assignments are prepared for continuous assessment.
Consider how much time will be needed for completing assignments.
Some disabled learners will need extra time to complete their assessments.
Some disabled learners who are working in a group may need extra time to complete the assignment.
Can work be dictated onto tape or can the student give an oral presentation instead?
Will the learner require an assistant or a scribe?
Students with visual difficulties may require examination papers in formats such as Braille, tape or enlarged print.
The questions and/or titles of the assignment may need to be provided on disk.
A tape recorder, computer, scribe or assistant, may be needed to enable a a disabled learner to complete their assignment.
Be clear about the role and involvement of equipment or an assistant; ensure that the student maintains control and is fully responsible for producing their assignments.

Click here for Adjustments for Assessments taken under Examination Conditions

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