SSPEL Newsletter: Research and Scholarly Activities

I have recently been the recipient of a College Teaching Award. The award was made on the basis of a research proposal the title of which is as follows:

'The Development and Evaluation of Re-usable Learning Objects for Students with Particular Needs (with specific reference for disabled students on programmes related to sport, leisure and outdoor adventure)'

The 'particular needs' referred to in the title relate to dyslexia and hearing problems although other 'issues' may arise during the project.

I have been producing re-usable learning objects for undergraduate students of Leisure, Outdoor Adventure and Sports Development. They have been produced using the free software MS Producer and have consisted of lecture slides and digital images that play alongside a spoken commentary often based on existing lectures or on ‘key concepts’.

The specific purpose of this application is to conduct evaluation of the effectiveness of re-usable learning objects in the learning and teaching process. My interest in re-usable learning objects has already led to a successful bid to the Higher Education Academy in conjunction with the J.I.S.C. through their Higher Education Assistive Technology project (HEAT). The aims of the project are:

i) to produce learning objects relevant to the study of leisure, outdoor adventure and sports development with enhanced visual materials;

ii) to liaise with visually and aurally impaired students concerning the design of RLOs; specific to their learning requirements (including the adaptation of existing RLOs accordingly);

iii) to explore the scope for the software in the production of innovative educational materials and approaches.

I am very keen to get the views of colleagues on RLOs too. You can see and listen to them by going to www.arasite.org and scrolling down to the RLOs section. They take a couple of minutes to load.

Ian Gilhespy