This is vital point being raised here.  But there seem to be two issues – one is a simple pedagogical point of picking from where a student has arrived in terms of knowledge and skills, one that all lecturers should be addressing, and which is increasingly important as the literacy / numeracy etc of A level students is falling [coupled with the so-called grade inflation of the UCAS points tariff, and the inclusion of AS rather than A2 qualifications].  This is vital to ALL students, not just disabled students

 

The second is the teaching / learning methods adopted by a lecturer, ranging from some mundane mechanistic points such as not talking to the board with one’s back to the students, providing electronic “handouts” via a website etc through to addressing the language, metaphors, use of jargon etc in order to give a sporting chance to dyslexics and to avoid irritating some other disabilities [eg don’t keep saying “look at ….” to a blind student!].

 

Lecturers need to constantly be aware of the diversity of students in their audience – this also spills over into race / culture and even religion.

 

I’d be interested to see your audit tool, Gerard.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for disabled students and their support staff. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gerard Conroy
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 4:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Reasonable adjustments

 

I note the following comment

 

Emma - this issue - 'Not all lecturers make adjustments to their teaching practices to enable students with certain disabilities to follow any of what they are saying/doing in the session.  This has left some students, myself included, very reluctant to attend , and at times I have left mid-session because of this.

 

I may be wandering off here because you may be talking about accessibility of the lecture room etc. in which case I apologise for changing the subject. However I have long thought that insufficient attention is paid to the question of the teaching approach used by a lecturer. Most audit tools that I am aware of relate purely and simply to the delivery of a course and not the teaching model employed by the lecturer. I am talking about issues such as: “does the lecturer ascertain the prior experience of the students first”, substitute prior knowledge and prior skills in that question and you can see that unless these issues are addressed then many students will not be able to follow the lecture. An audit tool should invite the lecturer to examine their own methods by explicitly asking about such issues, followed by questions relating to what steps are taken in the lecture to address any difficulties foreseen by earlier answers. There are more issues relevant here also.

 

It was this neglect of a vital area that led me to devise what is now an online audit tool which has a phase specifically using a teaching model, it takes an individual lecturer down the path of examining their own conscience in relation to it. Without such attention paid to the teaching method employed in devising a module I think that issues such as “inability to follow a lecture” will inevitably arise.

 

If anyone agrees with this I can supply details of my audit tool that the NDT reviewed in its infancy.