{"id":7104,"date":"2021-07-26T09:15:25","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T09:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/?p=7104"},"modified":"2021-07-26T09:15:25","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T09:15:25","slug":"blended-learning-exploring-the-experience-of-disabled-law-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/2021\/07\/26\/blended-learning-exploring-the-experience-of-disabled-law-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Blended Learning &#8211; Exploring the Experience of Disabled Law Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/case-studies\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-6130 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2019\/08\/Back-Arrow-e1565604225291.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Amanda Millmore,\u00a0Sharon Sinclair-Graham, Dr. Rachel Horton, Darlene Sherwood, Sheldon Allen, Lauren Fuller, Konstanina Nouka, Will Page &amp; Jessica Lane<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:a.millmore@reading.ac.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a.millmore@reading.ac.uk\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>School of Law (&amp; Disability Advisory Service)<\/p>\n<h3>Overview<\/h3>\n<p>This student-staff partnership included students with disabilities and long-term conditions, academics in the School of Law and a Disability Advisor. Student partners ran a cohort-wide questionnaire and facilitated focus groups with disabled students to discover what has worked well this academic year with blended learning and where things could be improved. This work has provided\u00a0a blueprint for those hoping to use blended learning to deliver accessible education for all.<\/p>\n<h3>Objectives<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>To\u00a0magnify the voice of our disabled students<\/li>\n<li>To\u00a0understand the positives and negatives of blended learning from their various viewpoints<\/li>\n<li>To improve\u00a0current teaching, as well as\u00a0planning for future teaching and learning activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Context<\/h3>\n<p>The move to blended learning\u00a0during the Covid-19 pandemic led to many changes to\u00a0of the way that Law\u00a0was\u00a0taught in the 20\/21 academic year.\u00a0Student-Staff\u00a0Partnership Group\u00a0(SSP)\u00a0feedback indicated\u00a0that disabled students were affected more than most\u00a0by this change.\u00a0This project was an opportunity to understand more about the impact on these students and to amplify their voices.<\/p>\n<h3>Implementation<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7105\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"401\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-1.png 401w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-1-300x206.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Given the constraints of working during the pandemic, our partnership worked virtually throughout, using only MS Teams meetings and sharing documents. Students designed a cohort-wide questionnaire to find out about the wider student experience with different aspects of blended learning.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7106\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"404\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-2.jpg 404w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-2-300x208.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 404px) 100vw, 404px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This was followed-up by student partners facilitating smaller focus groups of students with disabilities and long-term conditions.<\/p>\n<p>The partnership then assimilated all of the evidence they had gathered to produce short term and long term recommendations as well as highlighting what has worked well with blended learning.<\/p>\n<p>Together we prepared a report with our evidence and recommendations and this has been shared not only within the School of Law but widely across the University, including with the University\u2019s Blended Learning Project, the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team and the Committee on Student Experience and Development (COSED), as well as with colleagues in different functions and departments.<\/p>\n<h3>Impact<\/h3>\n<p>Positives from blended learning were highlighted including the flexibility of pre-recorded lecture videos, which enabled students to stop, pause and revisit lecture materials and work at their own pace and in their own time. Students preferred lecture recordings to be in the region of 20 minutes, as longer than that could pose a barrier for some students.<\/p>\n<p>In the short term the partnership recommended the scheduling of lecture release days across core modules, so that lectures were made available on set days. 194 students were put into 46 study groups and a video to demystify the ECF process was recorded and shared widely (<a href=\"https:\/\/web.microsoftstream.com\/video\/714b6fa4-83f3-457c-a37b-3f4904e63691\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/web.microsoftstream.com\/video\/714b6fa4-83f3-457c-a37b-3f4904e63691<\/a>). These recommendations were all adopted.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7107\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"516\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-3.png 516w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-3-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Longer term the partnership recommended the consistent use of meaningful weekly plans (now part of the Teaching &amp; Learning Framework for 2021\/22) and improvements to Blackboard, notably a uniform layout across modules for Law students, including a single menu location for joining links to online classes.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-7108\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-4-1024x734.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"508\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-4-1024x734.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-4-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-4-768x550.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2021\/07\/Amanda-M-4.png 1203w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 100vw, 508px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The project and its recommendations have been shared within the School of Law, across the University and more widely at national conferences, all with students co-presenting the work.<\/p>\n<p>Students were invited to the School of Law\u2019s Blackboard Working Group and have been instrumental in driving forwards their recommendation for a consistent cross-module Blackboard layout for the next academic year. Students are also working with the TEL team to produce best practice videos for staff.<\/p>\n<h3>Reflections<\/h3>\n<p>This has been a hugely successful partnership project, not merely for the clear recommendations and tangible outcomes which are aimed to improve the experience of all students with blended learning this academic year and moving into the future, but also in the way that it has amplified the voices of students with disabilities and long-term conditions at School and University level.<\/p>\n<p>As a partnership it has been influential, and the recommendations have been heard across the university and many have been adopted within the School of Law, but the positives for the individual student partners cannot be underestimated. They have gained valuable employability skills and experience in project work, presenting at conferences and advocating within meetings with staff. Moreover, as a project in which clear recommendations were given which have been heeded, it has improved the sense of community for all students, emphasising that the School of Law is a space where student views are important and they can contribute to their studies and make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>Focus group participants with disabilities and long-term conditions have been empowered, with 2 first year participants subsequently volunteering for a new partnership project being run in the School of Law, as they can see the impact that their involvement can have.<\/p>\n<h3>Links and References<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Amanda Millmore &#8211; \u201cA Student-Staff Partnership exploring the experience of disabled Law students with blended learning at University of Reading, UK\u00a0\u201c in\u00a0Healey, R. &amp; Healey, M. (2021)\u00a0<em>Socially-just pedagogic practices in HE: Including equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, decolonising, indigenisation, well-being, and disability.<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mickhealey.co.uk\/resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mickhealey.co.uk\/resources<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Abstract for Advance HE Teaching &amp; Learning Conference session: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advance-he.ac.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-06\/Teaching%20and%20learning%20conference%20-%20on%20demand%20abstracts_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Teaching and learning conference &#8211; on demand abstracts_0.pdf (advance-he.ac.uk)<\/a><\/li>\n<li>To follow \u2013 links to CQSD TEL videos &amp; guidance (in progress).<\/li>\n<li>We are happy to share the project report upon request \u2013 please get in touch if you would like a copy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn more about this PLanT funded student-staff partnership project which amplified the voices of students with disabilities and long-term conditions in the School of Law and led to the adoption of recommendations about how to improve blended learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[12,24,51,182,14],"tags":[318,531,518,370],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7104"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7104"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7109,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7104\/revisions\/7109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}