The Presentation I gave at the ADSHE Conference 2010. Outlining the design, production and impact of the Access to Study Skills presentations

1. Access to Study SkillsOnline Study Guides Claire Graham and Matthew Mobbs

2. Background AccessAbility 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

3. New Approach To engage and support DL students and a new approach for campus based 10 Online Study Guides Designed based on most frequently requested study support sessions Multisensory approach was essential. Visuals – colour, images and subtitles Audio – Voice over Kinaesthetic – Interactivity

4. The Guides

5. Example

6. How they were made PowerPoint Adobe Presenter

7. How they were made Adobe Presenter

8. How they were made http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

10. Combine Audio and visuals

12. Alternative Free Tools www.slideshare.net http://www.slideshare.net/uolssds/writing-an-essay

13. Raising Awareness Cards - posters Web Bb YouTube Podcasts Course Handbooks Direct mailing to distance learners Email to all dyslexic students

14. 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.

15. Feedback Some students viewed the guides a number of times. They appreciated being able to access the support 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’.

16. Feedback – Points for improvement Students didn’t like the fact that the text that mirrored the audio input was very small and in Times New Roman. 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

17. 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.

18. Examples of study guides Improving Memory http://connect.le.ac.uk/memory Essay Writing http://connect.le.ac.uk/essaywriting