Steve McCall

Participation in Online Problem-Based Learning: Insights from Postgraduate Teachers Studying through Open and Distance Education

This article reports on work undertaken within Phase 2 of a pilot study concerned with the design, development, and evaluation of online resources. Drawing on recent developments in the application of technology within open and distance education, these resources were structured around the principles of problem‐based learning (PBL) for use with postgraduate teachers. The article explores the responses of one cohort of students studying on a programme for teachers of children with visual impairment, to learning through the use of these resources. In line with recent literature in this area, the findings demonstrate that with the appropriate design and use of technology, PBL, traditionally viewed as a campus‐based approach, can be adapted for use with students in higher education studying through open and distance education. The findings highlight a number of potential barriers to learning and participation that can serve to reduce effective participation in the online PBL activities. Future planned research by the authors will explore the extent to which each of these barriers can be reduced through appropriate planning and design, and provisional recommendations are included to assist in this process.

Developing online problem‐based resources for the professional development of teachers of children with visual impairment

This article presents a summary of the results from phase 1 of a two‐phase research project. Drawing on the principles of problem‐based learning (PBL), the aims of phase 1 were to design, develop and evaluate a set of flexible online teaching resources for use within a virtual learning environment. Participants in the project (n = 10) were volunteers from students registered on a two‐year distance education programme of study for specialist teachers of children with visual impairment. Two case scenarios were developed for the project, each of which was based around a fictitious support service for teachers of children with visual impairment. Following a campus‐based study day, the participants were assigned to one of two ‘PBL Activity Groups’ and completed a series of tasks within each case scenario. Participation in the project was supported by members of the Project Team over a period of one semester, following which participants were asked to provide feedback through an online questionnaire. A summary of the feedback is presented, and key findings discussed. The results suggest that, with appropriate resources, adequate preparatory training and effective tutor support, online PBL can be an effective method for supplementing the continuing professional development of specialist teachers studying through distance education.

Access to print literacy for children and young people with visual impairment: findings from a review of literature

This article presents a selection of findings from a literature review of best practice models and outcomes in the education of visually impaired children. The review suggested that a key focus of research in this area has been upon the concept of ‘access’, particularly with regards to barriers children with visual impairment face in accessing visual information. Given the broad scope of the literature review, we focus upon access to print literacy as an illustrative example. The potential impact of reduced access to the curriculum and the effectiveness of teaching approaches adopted to reduce these barriers are presented. The relative merits of two approaches to improve access are contrasted: providing children with accessible material in their preferred medium (e.g., large print), and teaching children ‘access skills’ (including the use of technology). There is evidence to show that both approaches are important, but teaching children access skills has important longer‐term benefits for visually impaired children and young people. In spite of this evidence, it appears that this approach to teaching may often be neglected. Links are made with other areas of the curriculum to illustrate that this dual view of access is a helpful way of conceptualising the broader educational needs of visually impaired pupils.

Network 1000: the changing needs and circumstances of visually-impaired people: project overview

This article outlines the progress of a newly-commissioned three year study known as Network 1000. It is a three-year project funded through the Community Fund and is being carried out by the University of Birmingham on behalf of Vision 2020. The project’s aim is to create a panel survey of 1000 visually-impaired people to be interviewed regularly over the three-year period, and hopefully beyond, enabling their changing needs and circumstances to be monitored over time. The findings will be used to influence policy-makers and service-providers, and will also be disseminated to a wider audience of people with an interest in visual impairment. Building on the longitudinal nature of the project enables the project team to develop a methodology that is both democratic and inclusive. The underlying research philosophy is one of inclusion and participation and in this respect the people this research affects the most - those who are visually impaired - are involved in all stages of the research process. People with a visual impairment have played a key role in generating the data and the themes that will drive the construction of the main survey instrument. The article is divided into five sections that describe the progress of the project to date: first, it briefly outlines the background to the project; second, it describes the underlying philosophy behind the democratic approach to inclusion and participant involvement; third, it presents preliminary results from generative interviews; fourth, it discusses how the team will recruit participants to the project with particular reference to the two-stage sample design that has been adopted; and finally, it describes how this two-stage approach will be operationalized. The article concludes by outlining the next phase of the project and with a short reflection on the research process to date.

An investigation into the mobility and independence needs of children with visual impairment. Part 1: The development of a mobility and independence curriculum framework

This paper, the first of two, describes a recent research project that investigated the mobility and independence (M&I) needs of children with visual impairment who are educated in mainstream schools. It describes the background to the project, the chosen research methods and approach, and then presents the findings relating to the first aim of the project, the investigation of the key mobility and independence skills required by children with visual impairment. From the research, a mobility and independence curriculum framework was developed, and recommended to be the basis underpinning mobility and independence education provided by education services in the UK.

Inclusive educational practices in Uganda: evidencing practice of itinerant teachers who work with children with visual impairment in local mainstream schools

This article reports on a research project investigating the role of itinerant teachers (ITs) of children with visual impairment in Uganda. The research focused on the activities of 52 ITs who recorded their work in a journal over a period of eight weeks (a new practice which was introduced to them through a workshop). Analysis of the data collected demonstrated that ITs were not able to visit all the children on their caseload as often as they had planned at the beginning of the project. Partly this was linked to a high proportion of their work being ‘community-focused’ (e.g. identifying new cases and advising the wider community about the implications of visual impairment) rather than ‘child-focused’ (linked to their caseload). In addition, they experienced other challenges, for example time-consuming travel and obtaining permission to be released from their regular teaching commitments. Whilst ITs found record keeping difficult, they felt it was a useful administrative procedure for managing caseloads and recognised the value of using the journals beyond the project. The policy and practice implications of the research for supporting children with special educational needs based around specialist teachers are considered.

Towards an Inclusive Model of Literacy for People who are Blind and who have Additional Learning Difficulties

In this Paper we relate contemporary theories of literacy to the population of people who are blind and who have additional learning disabilities; we argue for a more inclusive model which is appropriate for considering the literacy behaviours within this population; and we propose that, rather than debating whether literacy is an appropriate goal for this population, educators need to consider how literacy is to be defined in relation to it.

Using the voice of the child who is blind as a tool for exploring spatial perception

Researchers from different disciplines have attempted to investigate the way in which people who are blind conceptualize and perceive elements of the spatial environment. Most of the studies that are reported in the literature use an experimental approach based on measurements of the performance in test situations of people who are blind or people who are sighted but who are blindfolded. The findings from these studies are important and have shed light on the process of understanding spatial relations in both small- and large-scale space. However, they have sometimes produced contrasting findings. The study the authors are currently involved in diverges from other studies in this key area in that the method used is essentially qualitative and participatory in character. This article gives an example of using the child’s voice to explore spatial understanding and involves a narrative account from a 13-year-old student who was blind from birth about the strategies he uses to overcome the challenges he faces in making sense of space. The results suggest that the child’s voice can provide insights into spatial understanding that can be used to help triangulate the findings and understandings achieved from the experimental approaches that dominate the literature.

Embedding Online Problem-Based Learning Case Scenarios in a Distance Education Programme for Specialist Teachers of Children with Visual Impairment

This paper reports on work undertaken within phase 2 of a research study concerned with the use of online problem‐based learning (PBL) resources with teachers studying for a specialist qualification through distance education. The principal aim of this phase was to explore how pilot online PBL resources could be effectively embedded within two modules of a restructured programme of study in visual impairment. Following participation in the online components, participants completed a questionnaire designed to collect information on various aspects of their engagement in the activities. The findings presented in this paper relate to the format and design of the online PBL case scenarios, and, in particular, to the role of these in helping to develop participants’ self‐reported knowledge and understanding in relation to the module learning outcomes. Findings suggest that these resources can be used to develop knowledge and understanding in relation to selected module learning outcomes, and through further research could have an important role to play in the future professional development of practitioners supporting children with special needs.

Access to print literacy for children and young people with visual impairment: implications for policy and practice

This article considers the concept of access in the education of visually impaired children and young people, with particular reference to print literacy. The article describes implications for teaching and policy at various levels of the educational process: classroom practice; broader teaching and curriculum requirements (including service design); professional training; other system requirements (including inter‐agency working, infrastructure and potential role of special schools). The article particularly emphasises the importance of teaching students access skills, which maximises independence.