Case Study:Disability support in computer-based assessment.

Case Study- Disability support in computer-based assessment. University of Nottingham.

Overview:

To give students with disabilities the same support as other students. The University of Nottingham introduced changes to their CAA system to help with the level of support for students with disabilities. The project was undertaken due to their equal opportunities policy as well as government legislations about equal opportunities.

Objectives:

“The main aim being to focus on the measurement of subject matter understanding rather than a students' ability to interact with a particular assessment format.” (Wilkinson, 2008)
“The priority was to create a design that could be: a) implemented quickly before each exam with no specialist personnel required, and b) could be used on any computer used for examinations rather than being limited to specific machines. Also, because of the uniqueness of examinee requirements the system must permit accommodation at the individual level rather than whole groups” (Wilkinson, 2008)

Evaluation Methods:

No formal evaluations as of yet. (only 30 students are using the system)
Informal discussions have highlighted student feedback to be positive.


Benefits:

The system was designed so that additional accommodations could be used on any machine.
Central administration.
Simple and non technical interface.
Creation of personal profiles allows students needs to be individually addressed be it by changing font size and colour or backgrounds.
The use of radio buttons etc to allow for students who are unable to use a mouse.
Time allocation for users is automatically calculated so students with extensions know exactly how long they have to sit exams.
Academic standards can be maintained as more students with disabilities enter the programme.

Challenges:

Upfront development time was large-however this is a one off set up.
Making sure the students were getting what they required or were entitled to from the system.


Personal Observations:
In a time where more and more people are going on to further education it is important to address the equal opportunities issues that can arise from any form of study. Study support is available for students with disabilities in primary and secondary education but is only recently coming to the forefront in Tertiary education. This innovative approach is something that can be built on for the future. The project worked closely with expert from the ‘Disability Policy Unit’ meaning they had informed support throughout.



References
Wilkinson, S. (2008). Disability support in computer-based assessment [online] http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/case-studies/tangible/nottingham/index_html1 (Accessed 22 February 2010)