Implementation of ACCLIP by the Loughborough College

Back to Notes from the Tenth Accessibility SIG Meeting.

Click on slide title (12 titles) to move to section:

1. Background.
2. Outcomes from the Project.
3. Devising the e-Progress File.
4. Student Home Page.
5. Display.
6. Tutor Home Page.
7. Pilot Stage.
8. Control Keys.
9. Problems & Solutions.
10. Conclusion.
11. Where Next?
12. The Future.

This is the HTML version of the Implementation of ACCLIP by the Loughborough College (PowerPoint format - 1.17Mb) Presentation, given by Fiona Henry (Project Manager) and Sam Persse (Project Technologist), Loughborough College, at the Tenth Accessibility SIG meeting on March 16 2005. Bill Leivers is the Project Director.

1. Background.
   
   • Loughborough College is the lead institution for the one of the MLEs for Lifelong Learning Programme JISC funded project looking at "Developing Learning & Teaching Aspects of Progress File and The Personal Development Profile Across FE & HE".
      
   • Our immediate partners in the project are the RNIB Vocational College, Loughborough University, DfES and 3t. The wider family of the programme include NIIMLE and SHELL who have been in contact with Sam. Also Nottingham & Liverpool who are working on similar aspects.

   Back to Top of Page

2. Outcomes from the Project.
   
   • Interoperability - transfer of data from FE to HE. One outcome from our project is to communicate information between ourselves and HE institutions.
      
   • Need for an electronic version of the existing paper based progress file required.
      
   • Accessibility is an important aspect in order for all our students to gain access to the information but particularly so for our visually impaired students.

   Back to Top of Page

3. Devising the e-Progress File.
   
   • Current software packages used. Current packages include JAWS & LUNA as they are the most popular with our VI students.
      
   • ACCLIP standards - Display.
      
   • Only small steps at present.
      
   • The first aspect used relates to the users of the e-progress file being able to change the display in order for them to access it more easily. The web 3t version we had under licence from DfES is a closed data base and doesn't allow flexibility and interactivity that we require so next section shows the process of changing the display.

   Back to Top of Page

4. Student Home Page.
   

   

   This is the Home Page for Students once they have logged onto the e-Progress File. There is a link to change the display using ACCLIP.

   Back to Top of Page

5. Display.
   

   

   This screenshot shows the next page where the changes can be made. Here users of the e-Progress File can change the display to suit their personal needs. Users can choose a different size and font, or colour settings, cursor size. Once they have been done and submitted the student reloads the page and it will display in the chosen font and size. Each time they log in, in the future it will automatically start with their chosen profile. The profile can be edited. See next screenshot.

   

   This screenshot shows the display has changed to Verdana font in medium size print.

   

   This screenshot shows the display in monochrome.

   

   This screenshot shows the display in inverted monochrome. Hope to be able to offer more variety of coloured screens in the future to assist dyslexic students.

   Back to Top of Page

6. Tutor Home Page.
   

   

   This screenshot shows the view for staff only. When students login, the will be redirected directly to their progress file. There is also a link to changing the display using ACCLIP (this is the tutors access point to their students e-progress files). The tutors have access to their own group of tutees, with the tutees permission so that both the tutor and the student have a copy of the documents produced from the process as occurred in the paper based version. Some aspects of the content are read only and cannot be changed without requesting the MIS dept to do so, i.e. personal details, qualifications, etc.

   Back to Top of Page

7. Pilot Stage.
   
   • We are in the process of piloting it with a small number of students (approx 100) and tutors across different groups with different levels of IT skills and different needs in order to get feedback from the students and tutors themselves.
      
   • We are also using Access keys in order for JAWS users to navigate the pages within the e-Progress Fiile area We had used Access keys before we knew about the ACCLIP standards and our students get on well with them.

   Back to Top of Page

8. Control Keys.
   

   

   This screenshot shows where the control keys can be used and what they navigate. ALT+1 followed by Enter allows tab key usage to navigate across the top menu. ALT+2 followed by Enter allows left menu navigation. ALT+3 followed by Enter allows access to the main information display area. ALT+4 followed by Enter allows right menu navigation.

   Back to Top of Page

9. Problems & Solutions.
   
   • Web based 3t software not flexible enough.
      
   • Sam is developing a new structure to allow more flexibility so that we can continue to change the content to meet the needs of different users. KS3 & 4 with schools, FE 16-19, and an Adult/HE version. All three are now being developed.
      
   • One step completion of documentation by students - links set up between guidance packs and ILP section.
      
   • Sam has built in mechanisms to populate ILP forms from the guidance packs, also MIS populates some aspects of the ILP forms to prevent students having to duplicate entries made at application stage.
      
   • Interoperability within the college as well as external institutions - Universities, work place and other FE colleges.
      
   • Working with LU to test transference of data from e-Progress File ILP documents to RAPID. Should have feedback by end of April. We hope to extend this later on to maybe try transfer to other institutions.

   Back to Top of Page

10. Conclusion.
    
    • We are very much aware that these are only small aspects of ACCLIP but we hope to be able to use more as we proceed with the development of our e-Progress File.
       
    • At Loughborough College we have been involved with the development of the paper based versions of progress file and see this as the next generation.

    Back to Top of Page

11. Where Next?
    
    • Over the 15 years that we have been involved in progress tutoring we appreciate that all things change!
       
    • E-Progress File will continue to develop and we hope to continue to use ACCLIP where ever possible to enable our students to progress and develop in the future.

    Back to Top of Page

12. The Future.
    
    • One specific area is that of transferring the ACCLIP with the data we transfer to HE institutions so that the student can continue to use the preferences set.
       
    • Obviously, the success of this will depend on whether the HE institutions apply ACCLIP standards to their PDP systems.