Widening participation through Adaptable Personal Learning Environments

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Widening participation through Adaptable Personal
Learning Environments

• Dr Elaine Pearson
• Dr Steve Green
• Voula Gkatzidou
• Accessibility Research Centre
• University of Teesside
• e.pearson_at_tees.ac.uk

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Outline

• Introduce selected research areas
• Focus on Specialist VLE (PLE) - Portland
• Introduce concept of Adaptable learning objects
  and personal profiling tool
• Describe progression to Adaptable Personal
  Learning Environment (APLE)
• Suggest areas for further work

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Background

• ARC major research areas
• Specialist VLE (PLE) - Portland
• Adaptable learning objects and personal profiling
  tool
• Adaptable mobile interfaces and interoperability

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Challenges

• VLEs do not meet needs of Web 2.0 generation
  learners
• Personal Learning Environments allow users to
  choose components
• But
• Our experience shows that disabled learners may
  need more flexibility
• Other learners need flexibility according to
  environment or preferences

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Specialist V/PLE - Portland

• Designed for a particular user group
• Include the typical basic features of a standard
  VLE
• Learning activities, email, timetable, tutor
  tools etc
• Students profiles determine interface,
  interaction methods, learning level
• Tutors make adaptations on behalf of students
• Enables students to access learning independently
  where it was previously impossible
• Adaptations meet the needs of the Portland group

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Portland adaptable features

• Symbols based interface (PCS, Rebus, Makaton)
• With or without text
• Interaction methods
• Scanning, switch, mouse, keyboard
• Audio
• Learning levels
• Colours/ contrast

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Portland features
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Portland Plus

• Adaptations are designed to meet the needs of the
  Portland group
• Met the needs of these individual students
• Other colleges, tutors, organisations very keen
  to have something similar but specific to their
  needs
• So how could we set about accommodating the
  diverse needs of many learner groups or
  individuals?

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Adaptable learning objects

• Developing tools to enable development and
  selection of individual components that together
  make a learning object
• Personal profiling system to enable the creation
  of anonymous profile according to needs and
  preferences of learner
• The adaptations are achieved through
  Transformation, Adaption and Substitution Service
  
• Based on Access for All metadata standards

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Components of APLE

• Community of practice
• Developers, tutors, individuals, designers,
  academics, disability experts, learners
• Open source framework
• Learner profiles
• Adaptable interfaces and interactions
• Adaptable learning objects
• Standards for interoperability

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Components of an APLE
LE Design Specification
LE Tools and Components
Community of Practice (CoP)
APLE
Interoperability Standards
PLE
Learning Patterns
TASS
Users
Profiles of Needs and Preferences (PNP)
Learning Objects (LOs)
Learning Components
Adaptable Learning
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Areas for development

• Re-engineer current Portland framework to open
  source
• Develop and grow CoP
• Develop sample learner profiles and profiling
  tool
• Create sample learning object components
• Explore standards for interoperability and
  establish gaps and inconsistencies

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For you to reflect upon

• Suggestions for developing the community
• Applications of the research for particular
  groups
• Challenges to personal choice, flexibility and
  adaptability in an institutional environment

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Widening participation through Adaptable Personal
Learning Environments

• Dr Elaine Pearson
• Dr Steve Green
• Voula Gkatzidou
• Accessibility Research Centre
• University of Teesside
• e.pearson_at_tees.ac.uk