2002 specialist colleges ilt report

8/7/2019 2002 Specialist Colleges ILT Report

1/43

1

ILT IN SPECIALIST COLLEGES

Report to the Specialist Colleges ILT Sub-Group of the National

Learning Network Programme Board of a survey into

Information and Learning Technology Provision, Access and

Policy in Specialist colleges in England.

Bob Powell

Steve Davies

April 2002


2/43

2

Acknowledgements

Bob Powell is Associate Director: Lifelong Learning at Becta. Steve Davies is Project Officer with the Ferl

team and carried out the bulk of the statistical analysis.

The questionnaire that informed this report was based on one initially developed by Alison Page of Becta

in 1999 for a survey of ILT in FE colleges and on a refinement of that survey that was conducted withSpecialist colleges in 2001 The final survey instrument and the results and analysis arising from it has

benefited from the advice, guidance, comments and observations of a range of individuals and agencies,

in particular the members of the Specialist Colleges ILT Sub-group of the National Learning Network

Programme Board, under its Chair, Ceri Prosser of Treloar College.

Particular thanks are due to Jacqueline Marsh, NLN Development Officer at LSC for her contributions to

the document and for her energetic chasing of late returns, ably assisted by her colleague, Kate Halliday.

The main findings were first aired at a meeting of the Specialist Colleges Sub-group and this final report

has taken account of the supportive and critical commentary offered by the group at that event and

subsequently by email.

The online survey facility was provided by Infopoll.


3/43

3

Contents

Contents................................................................................................................................................... 2

Tables....................................................................................................................................................... 4

Charts....................................................................................................................................................... 4

1 Management summary ............ ............. ............ ............. ............. ............. .............. ............ ............. .. 5

1.1 The survey ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ............ ............. ............. 5

1.2 The Specialist college sector .............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. .......... 5

1.3 College computer infrastructure ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ...... 5

1.4 Access to computers .............. ............. ............. ............. ............ ............. .............. ............ ......... 6

1.5 Uses of ILT ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ............ ............. ............. 7

1.6 Staff skills .............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ............ ............. ............. 7

2 Introduction ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 8

2.1 Context and purpose of the study ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 8

2.2 Survey methodology and response ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .. 8

2.3 The Specialist college sector .............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. .......... 9

2.4 IT Funding and Expenditure ............ .............. ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ........... 10

3 Infrastructure........................ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .. 123.1 Baseline computer specification ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 12

3.2 College computer stock ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 12

3.3 Local Area Networks ............ .............. ............ .............. ............. ............. ............. ............ ......... 14

3.4 LAN Performance ............. ............. ............ ............. ............. ............. .............. ............ ............. 15

3.5 Internet connectivity .............. ............. ............. ............. ............ ............. .............. ............ ....... 16

3.6 Constraints on Internet use ............ .............. ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ........... 17

3.7 Technical Support ............. ............. ............ ............. ............. ............. .............. ............ ............. 18

4 Access to Computers ............. .............. ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .. 20

4.1 IT and ILT Policy ............. .............. ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .. 20

4.2 Access for staff ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. .... 20

4.3 Access for learners ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. .............. ............. ............ ........... 21

4.4 Meeting student demand for computers ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 22

4.5 Student demand for Internet ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ........ 245 Uses of ILT ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 26

5.1 ILT and the curriculum ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ....... 26

5.2 Staff use of the LAN/Intranet ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ........ 26

5.3 Student use of the LAN/Intranet ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 27

5.4 Other Networked Activities ............ .............. ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ........... 28

5.5 Uses of the Internet by staff .............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ........ 29

5.6 Uses of Internet by students .............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ........ 30

5.7 Email access ............ ............. ............ ............. .............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ........ 30

6 Staff skills ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ....... 32

6.1 Staff IT and ILT competence ............ .............. ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ........... 32

6.2 Teaching/learner support staff ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ...... 32

6.3 Student/personal support staff ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ...... 336.4 Administration/institutional support staff ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .. 34

Appendix: Assistive Technology in the Specialist college sector ............ ............. ............ ............. ....... 36


4/43

4

Tables

Table 1 Respondents by college specialism ............ .............. ............. ............. ............ ............. ........... 8

Table 2 Programmes of study ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 9

Table 3 Computer specifications ............ .............. ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ........... 12

Table 4 Prices for best buy computer ........................................................................................... 13

Table 5 Local Area Networks ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 14Table 6 LANs by college size ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ............. ............. .... 14

Table 7 Total number of major sites ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ...... 15

Table 8 Total planned bandwidth .............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ........ 17

Table 9 Internet service providers ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ........ 17

Table 10 Ideal staff/computer ratios ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ............. ...... 20

Table 11 Ease of computer access ............ .............. ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ........... 23

Table 12 Causes of difficulties ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 24

Table 13 Student access to Internet ............ ............. ............ .............. ............. ............ .............. ........ 25

Table 14 ILT use by programme type ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ............. ...... 26

Charts

Chart 1 Specialist college staffing .............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ........ 10

Chart 2 College computer stock................... ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ....... 13

Chart 3 Network capability to meet demand ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ ....... 16

Chart 4 Constraints on increased use of the Internet ............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ....... 18

Chart 5 Technical support by college size ............ ............. ............. .............. ............ ............. ........... 19

Chart 6 Staff using own designated computer ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 21

Chart 7 Student/computer ratios .............. ............. ............ .............. ............ ............. .............. ........ 22

Chart 8 Student demand for computers ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. 23

Chart 9 Student demand for Internet ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 24

Chart 10 Staff use of the LAN/Intranet ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .... 27

Chart 11 Student use of the LAN/Intranet ............. ............. ............. .............. ............ ............. ........... 28

Chart 12 Staff use of Internet ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ............. ............. .... 29Chart 13 Student use of the Internet ............. ............. ............. ............. ............ .............. ............. ...... 30

Chart 14 Email access..................... ............ ............. .............. ............. ............. ............ ............. ......... 31

Chart 15 Skills of teaching/learner support staff ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .. 32

Chart 16 Skills of student/personal support staff ............ ............. ............. ............. ............. ............. .. 33

Chart 17 Skills of administration/institutional support staff ............. .............. ............ ............. ........... 34


5/43

5

1 Management summary

1.1 The survey

A total of 50 colleges (88% of the sector) submitted completed questionnaires in time for inclusion in the

analysis. The sample therefore includes the overwhelming majority of Specialist colleges, between them

representing over 95% of the sectors students.

1.2 The Specialist college sector

The whole sector accounts for approximately 3200 students, predominantly under 25 years of age.

Students typically attend on a residential basis and are enrolled on study programmes in excess of 2 years

in length.

Most specialisms are covered by very small numbers of colleges. The largest group Learning difficulties

and/or disabilities accounts for nearly half the sector, but is something of a catch-all category, masking

further wide variation within the classification. Only the nine colleges for students with visual impairment

stand out as a significantly-sized group within the sector.

Students numbers are small by comparison with mainstream FE and sixth form colleges. The largestcollege caters for 254 students, whilst the median college (the college in the middle of the range

surveyed) caters for only 42.

Very nearly half of all Specialist college staff have as their primary role support for the living needs of

students. Two-thirds of teaching staff are full-time, exactly reversing the proportions within the general

FE sector where sessional staff make up two-thirds of all teaching staff.

1.3 College computer infrastructure

The typical baseline specification quoted by Specialist colleges is 650Mhz with 64Mb of RAM and 10Gb

hard disk. 76% of the current installed stock of computers in Specialist colleges are at or above baseline

specification. (63% in mainstream colleges) 90% of all computers are desktop machines, and over 70% of

these are networked.

The median price paid for a middle-range computer is 750, slightly higher than in FE generally where the

median price is 700. However, there is considerable variation in price paid for similar machines across

the sector, a situation mirroring that in FE.

Local Area Networks (LANs)

Around two-thirds of Specialist colleges have a Local Area Network. Over half of these colleges have

networks that are at least partly 100 Mbps Ethernet or higher, indicating well-specified networks within

the sector. The distribution and bandwidth of LANs are both closely related to college size. However, the

one in three colleges that currently have no significant LAN must be of great concern in the context of

extending the benefits of ILT and e-learning to all students.

Despite generally robust LAN specifications, 57% of Specialist college networks are currently at capacity

and a further 13% are unable to meet even current demand. However, only 45% of specialist colleges

restrict network traffic in bandwidth-hungry applications, as opposed to 80% in mainstream FE colleges.

Only 6% report that slowness and unreliability are a frequent problem of network performance. 34%

describe their network as working without appreciable delay, with the remaining 60% reporting their

network to be slow at busy times.


6/43

6

Internet connectivity

88% of Specialist colleges are connected to the Internet, though only 4 (8%) have the 2Mbps connection

equivalent to the JANET connection for FE. Of particular concern are those colleges still relying upon

modems and the one in three colleges that have no Local Area Network to distribute Internet traffic

across machines.

The most pressing barrier to increased use of the Internet is the number of access points, i.e. internetconnected computers. The level of student skill is seen as the second most important constraint. This,

taken along with colleges reporting the availability of staff for student support as an additional constraint,

reflects the particular needs of the student body.

Technical support

Half the Specialist colleges directly employ technical support staff, and just under two fifths use an

outsourced service. The remaining colleges make use of technical support provided by their parent

organisation or by other college staff members. As might be expected, the larger colleges are more likely

to employ technical support staff, and the smaller colleges are more likely to use non-specialist staff, such

as teachers.

1.4 Access to computers

Staff access

All or most administration staff have access to their own computer in the overwhelming majority of

colleges. Teaching staff are far more likely to share a computer; all or most teaching staff share

computers with other staff in 19 colleges, and with students in a further 21.

In the majority of colleges, all staff can access a computer to use, but there remain 3 colleges where

neither the teaching and learner support staff nor the student and personal support staff have any

computer access, nor is it seen as a priority. Only one college has achieved the situation where all

teaching staff have a computer for their sole personal use, and 33 do not regard this situation as a

priority.

Student access

The median ratio of students to a computer was 1.7:1. The mean value was distorted by the small

number of very large ratios, producing a value of 2.9:1. The importance of computers as a basic tool to

enhance communication and to support learning and essential living needs of the Speci alist colleges

students is reflected in this outcome. Whilst the calculation of ratios is helpful to facilitate comparison

with provision in the FE sector generally, it is likely to be of far less use as a measure for setting any kind

of sensible target for Specialist colleges.

Given the relatively good levels of computer resource noted above, it is no surprise to find that around

60% of Specialist colleges report sufficient capacity to meet student demand for computers. Only two

thirds of Specialist colleges, however, report demand for ILT to be widespread among students, compared

with over 97% of mainstream colleges.

While access to computers is easy in close to 30% of colleges, the remainder experience difficulties,

students having to wait or queue in around half of Specialist colleges. Students are entitled to computer

access to enable them to complete work in less than half of the colleges, while a further quarter of the

sample report that students can expect access, but it could not be described as an entitlement.


7/43

7

1.5 Uses of ILT

More than three quarters of Specialist colleges that offer Basic/key skills, Vocational programmes, GCSE/A

levels and Communication skills programmes make some use of ILT in delivering these. Programmes

supporting independent living skills, which are reported by the largest number of colleges, have the

lowest levels of ILT use.

Use of the LAN/intranetUse by staff of the college LAN for email and Internet access is reported by all 33 colleges with a LAN in

place. However, only just over half of those with a LAN describe these activities as common practice (53%

for staff accessing the Internet, 59%for staff use of email).

Student use of college LANs follows a similar pattern to staff use, though typically tracking behind staff in

scale, most notably in the use of the LAN for email traffic. Internet access remains the principal use, with

87% of respondents making use of the network for this purpose, with just over half describing it as

common practice.

Use of the Internet

44 colleges have Internet access, all of whom report staff use of the Internet for email. 27 report email as

common practice within the institution, 8 more than describe use of the LAN for this purpose as common.

The only other major use of the Internet is as an information resource, where activity parallels that ofemail, with 27 colleges reporting common use.

The Internet is used as an information source by students at 40 colleges, but commonly used at only 22.

This level of use is significantly lower than in mainstream colleges. 26 colleges described themselves as

providing e-learning,with a further 6 having definite plans to provide e-learning, whilst a further 4 may

introduce this type of learning in the future.

Access to email

Relatively few staff, full-time or sessional, have a personal email address at college. Only 13 colleges rely

wholly upon an internal email system, whilst a further 5 supplement internal provision with externally

based services. 22 rely wholly upon external email.

1.6 Staff skills

The picture for teaching and learner support staff shows a remarkable degree of transfer of personal IT

skills into use in the classroom, when compared with their counterparts in mainstream colleges. 66% of

staff are considered competent or advanced in their personal use of IT, with 64% translating that into a

similar level of skill in a teaching situation. This could be a spin-off from the use of assistive technologies

within Specialist colleges, giving teaching staff the experience of adapting to ILT and the confidence

necessary to be comfortable with it.

As might be expected, there is a lower level of skill among student/personal support staff. 41% are

competent or advanced in their IT skills, with 30% at a similar level in ILT. Colleges will need to make a

judgement about the particular skills required within this staff group in the context of the particular

student needs that they support.

The IT skills of administration and institutional support staff are reasonably high, with 89% of this group

reported to be competent or advanced. Colleges were asked solely about he personal IT skills of this

group, given that they have no direct role in the delivery of learning.


8/43

8

2 Introduction

2.1 Context and purpose of the study

This study was carried out in February and March 2002 on behalf of the Specialist Colleges ILT Sub-group

of the National Learning Network Programme Board. The aim of the survey was to assess the extent and

significance of Information and Learning Technology infrastructure and use within this sector.

The study took the form of a survey by questionnaire of all the 57 Specialist colleges in England in receipt

of Learning and Skills Council funding. The study explored quantitative issues relating to infrastructure

and practice. The questionnaire was published and disseminated in both paper-based and web-based

formats.

2.2 Survey methodology and responseA total of 50 colleges (88% of the sector) submitted completed questionnaires in time for inclusion in the

analysis. All of the colleges that did not reply were small, having fewer than 20 students each. Only 9

colleges submitted their responses on-line, the remainder either completing the paper-based

questionnaire, or via telephone interview.

Table 1 below shows the breakdown by college specialism.

Table 1 Respondents by college specialism

Survey sample

Learning difficulties/disabilities 22

Visual impairment 9

Autistic spectrum disorders 4

Deafness 4

Behavioural difficulties 3

Epilepsy 3

Physical/learning disabilities 3

Brain injury 1

Range of impairments 1

Base = No of respondents

Most specialisms are covered by very small numbers of colleges. Even the largest group Learning

difficulties and/or disabilities is itself something ofa catch-all, masking further wide variation within the

classification . Only the nine colleges for students with visual impairment stand out as a significantly-sized

group within the sector.


9/43

9

2.3 The Specialist college sector

The 50 colleges surveyed had a combined total of 3166 enrolled students in academic year 2001/02 , the

whole sector therefore accounting for little more than 3200. Each college is very small by comparison

with mainstream FE and sixth form colleges. The largest college in the sector reported 254 enrolled

students, but the median college (the college in the middle of the range surveyed) caters for only 42. It

should be noted that as the 7 colleges that did not respond had student numbers that would place them

in the smallest 25% of the survey sample, the median student number for the whole sector is in factbelow 40.

Specialist colleges are predominantly residential, with 87% of all students boarding at their college. 87%

of students are under 25 years of age, and two-thirds are male. The table below shows that over 70% of

college programmes are greater than 2 years in length.

Table 2 Programmes of study

Programme length Number of students

Less than 1 year 277

1 2 years 606

2 3 years 1327

3 years and more 937


A further distinctive feature of the Specialist college sector is their staffing structure. Very nearly half of

all staff have, as their primary role, support for the living needs of students. Amongst teaching staff, two-

thirds of are full-time, exactly reversing the proportions within the general FE sector where sessional staff

make up two-thirds of all teachers.


10/43

10

Chart 1 Specialist college staffing

A further contrast with mainstream colleges, all of whom maintain substantial technical support

functions, is that only 25 of the 50 colleges surveyed directly employ technical support staff.

2.4 IT Funding and Expenditure

The table below shows all the sources of funding respondents cited as contributing to their IT

development. The very small number of capital project funders on the list suggests that specialist colleges

may rely heavily on their revenue budgets to fund ILT.

Sources of funding for IT

LSC 33

Non lottery charity 19

Employment Service 5

College funds 5

Social Services 4

LEA 3

Residential Training Unit (RTU) 2

Lottery 1

Connexions 1

CMF 1


Only 40 out of the 50 respondents gave figures for IT expenditure, but that number contained all the

larger colleges in the sector. The total expenditure on hardware by these respondents for the year

2000/01 was 1.1million, and software expenditure was 250,000. Fewer colleges gave a figure for staff

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Teaching staff Student/personal support

staff

Admin staff

Part Time

Full Time


11/43

11

development for IT. Non-respondents tended to leave the box blank rather than enter a zero, inviting

speculation that they were unable to make a sensible estimate of expenditure, rather than that they do

not spend in this area. The 30 colleges that did respond spent 110,000 on IT and/or ILT staff

development.

The full extent of spending on technical support is more difficult to gauge due to the different types of

support utilised in the sector. We estimate that the 25 colleges that directly employ technical supportspend around 700,000 in wages and associated costs. 14 of the 19 colleges that use outsourced services

quoted a figure for spending on technical support, totalling 100,000 between them. Figures are

unavailable for those colleges that have a service provided by the parent organisation, but clearly

someone, somewhere in the organisation foots the bill. Similarly, there is an opportunity cost to those

colleges that rely on their own staff, while apparently getting a free service, arising from the diversion of

staff effort away from their real job for periods of time.

Partnerships

17 colleges reported working with other organisations to develop their ILT provision. 8 have some form

of working arrangement with other colleges, 4 with Ufi/learndirect and 4 with UK online. A further 7

collaborate to some degree with other organisations, including a local adult education service, charitable

foundations and, notably in one case, a commercial software company looking to develop the colleges

internal systems into a marketable product.


12/43

12

3 Infrastructure3.1 Baseline computer specification

Respondents were asked to describe the baseline specification that they would currently consider buying

for delivery of learning programmes, in terms of speed, RAM and hard disk capacity and classify stock interms of that baseline. This is more robust as a basis for comparison over time of changes in computing

capability than arbitrary choice of any particular current specification or machine, since it matches the

continual changes in technology of computers with changes in user expectations.

Colleges were also asked to describe what they would consider the current best buy specification. The

three dimensions of speed and memory were then weighted to produce eight bands representing

machines of increasing capability. The Table below shows a typical specification for each band.

Table 3 Computer specifications

Typical band specifications

Speed (MHz) RAM (Mb) Hard Disk (Gb) Baseline Best buyBand 1 200 32 2 10 0

Band 2 500 32 4 3 0

Band 3 500 64 6 3 0

Band 4 650 64 10 7 2

Band 5 650 128 15 5 4

Band 6 700 128 20 3 11

Band 7 750 256 20 1 3

Band 8+ 1000 256 20 7 19


Nine colleges chose not to respond to this question, with the implication that some may not identify adefined baseline specification for this purpose. There was a wide spread around the median baseline

specification of 650Mhz with 64Mb of RAM and 10Gb hard disk, with 25% of those that responded

reporting a baseline of 200Mhz with 32Mb of RAM and a 2Mb hard disk. This is very slightly higher than

the median calculated for mainstream colleges in Bectas 2001 survey of FE in England and identical to

that in Scottish colleges in the same year, leading us to conclude that there is no significant difference

between Specialist and mainstream colleges in this variable.

One in seven colleges quoted a baseline specification in excess of 1000Mhz with 256Mb of RAM and hard

disk capacity of 20Gb.

3.2 College computer stock

The Chart below shows that 76% of computers in Specialist colleges are at or above baseline specification.

(63% in mainstream colleges) 90% of all computers are desktop machines, and over 70% of these are

networked. The remaining computers are mainly laptops, with a small number of hand held devices

(PDAs) reported at two colleges.


13/43

13

Chart 2 College computer stock

The best buy is typically a significantly higher specification than the baseline. Although 22% of

respondents cite the same specification for both baseline and best buy, the average best buy is three

bands higher than the quoted baseline specification. This almost certainly is a simple reflection of the

continual upward movement of technical offer within the marketplace; colleges may define a baseline

requirement in terms of user needs, but find it cheaper to buy over-specified machines, or indeed

impossible to buy the baseline as the market has moved inexorably on.

Colleges were also asked if there were any other factors they considered critical when purchasing a

computer. Value for money was by far the most widely cited single factor, with 17 respondents (34%)

mentioning this, compared to 43% of FE colleges. The most important issues for general FE colleges, the

build quality and robustness of machines, and support and service, while significant for 10 and 6

respondents respectively, were far less widely cited, which is slightly surprising given that many Specialist

colleges have no in-house network support staff. Technical issues emerge as a concern, notably monitor

size (9 respondents), access devices (7) and compatibility with existing systems (6). Other more general

technical issues were raised by 15 respondents. The prevalence of technical concerns may reflect the

complexity inherent in maintaining individualised assistive technologies within many Specialist colleges.

Table 4 Prices for best buy computer

Median price Lowest price Highest priceBand 4 800 600 1000

Band 5 950 600 1500

Band 6 700 400 1800

Band 7 850 750 1000

Band 8+ 850 500 1500

24%

34 %

42% Below baselinespecification

Meet baseline

specification

Above baseline

specification


14/43

14

The median price paid for a best buy computer is 750, higher than in FE generally where the median

price is 700. The table above shows a similar picture to FE, where the variation in price within each band

is greater than the differences between each band. The higher prices paid overall may reflect a

combination of the particular technical specification enhancements needed by Specialist colleges and the

small size of each institution resulting in an inability to leverage bulk purchasing deals. Some colleges may

lack the in-house expertise and knowledge to make a full assessment of all the offers in a complex, rapidly

changing and commercially predatory marketplace.

3.3 Local Area Networks

Table 5 Local Area Networks

10M 9

100M 11

1G 2

10/100M mixture 4

Other 4


Around two-thirds of Specialist colleges have a Local Area Network. Over half of these colleges have

networks that are at least partly 100 Mbps Ethernet or higher, indicating well-specified networks within

the sector. The distribution and bandwidth of LANs are both closely related to college size. The table

below shows that larger colleges are more likely to have a LAN in place. Analysis of the data further

reveals that LAN bandwidth is closely related to college size. Given that a key determinant of LAN

performance at any given time is the number of concurrent users, it is likely that the performance offered

by a 10 Mbps LAN is less problematical for the relatively small number of students supported by Specialist

colleges than would be the case in much larger FE colleges.

The one in three colleges that currently have no significant LAN must be of great concern in the context of

extending the benefits of ILT and e-learning to all students. Without a comprehensive and robust LAN acollege is cut off from access not only to Internet-based services, but also to a whole range of networked

applications, including the outputs of the National Learning Network which are now universally available

to mainstream students.

Table 6 LANs by college size

Large colleges:

>82 students

Medium-large

>42 students

Medium-small

>21 students

Small colleges

21 students and

less

LAN 12 10 5 4

No LAN 0 2 5 9


Around half of Specialist colleges have only one site. Less than half the single-site colleges are networked,

a finding in line with the numbers of small Specialist colleges without a LAN. Nine of the multi-site

colleges have computer links to at least one subsidiary site: 4 use cable technologies, 3 use ISDN and/or

modem and 2 use leased line technology. Further work is required in order to determine the purpose and

status of the subsidiary sites. It has been suggested that some of these may be solely residential

accommodation, rather than teaching and learning facilities. Given that 87% of all students within the


15/43

15

Specialist sector are residential, then many colleges may wish to develop a strategy that extends the

network into residential areas for leisure as well as extended learning.

Table 7 Total number of major sites

Colleges Total sites Networked sites

1 site 23 23 12

2 sites 12 24 12

3 sites 4 12 6

More than 3 sites 7 43 8

46 102 38


3.4 LAN Performance

60% of those Specialist colleges with a network report that performance is slow at busy times, and a

further 6% report that slowness and unreliability are a frequent problem, with the remaining 34%

describing their network as working smoothly and without appreciable delay. There is far greater

tolerance of large files across the networks than in mainstream colleges. 23% of Specialist college report

that they are not a problem, while 45% who have networks that could cope, nonetheless discourage

traffic in large files. Only 32% of networks have problems with this type of usage. Mainstream colleges, by

contrast, continue to restrict network traffic in bandwidth hungry applications. Four out of every five FE

sector colleges in 2001/02 identified large files as an actual or potential source of problems on the

network, and hence look to control their use. This is only 4% fewer than the 84% who cited large files as a

problem in 1999, despite massive investment in network improvement since that date. The implication

could be drawn that existing network specifications within the specialist institutions are comparatively

better able to support the volume of traffic generated by their smaller student numbers than their

mainstream counterparts.


16/43

16

Chart 3 Network capability to meet demand

Despite generally robust LAN specifications, 57% of Specialist college networks are currently at capacity,

whilst 13% are unable to meet even current demand. These data must be seen against a backcloth ofsubstantial future increases in demand upon networks. Not only must each college network support its

share of a general trend towards increasing numbers of machines, but it must also deal with the increased

reliance upon networked applications rather than stand-alone computers. In all of Bectas ILT surveys we

have observed a motorway effect, comparable to that which sees traffic rapidly adjust upwards each time

an additional lane is opened. Additional computers, greater network capability and increased Internet

access within Specialist colleges is likely to unleash comparably greater demands upon an already

stretched network infrastructure. Only 9 colleges (30% of those with networks) consider that they are

able to meet any such additional demand.

3.5 Internet connectivity

44 Specialist colleges (88%) are connected to the Internet, though only 26 were able to report the

bandwidth they have, or plan to have, for the current year. Most colleges depend upon telephone line

based services, with BT the most prominent amongst the 24 named Internet Service Provider. Only 4

colleges have a 2Mbps permanent line connection equivalent to the JANET provision for FE sector

institutions. Any direct comparison between the sectors must take into account the influence upon

performance of the number of concurrent users sharing the bandwidth. The 2Mbps JANET connection is

likely to be distributed between many more users in FE than in Specialist colleges, with consequent

reduction in performance at any given machine. This notwithstanding, any further exploitation of the

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Over stretched At capacity Spare capacity


17/43

17

learning potential of Internet-enabled services and benefit from future involvement in the National

Learning Network materials demands significant improvements in connectivity amongst Specialist

colleges, particularly at the lower end. Of particular concern must be those colleges still relying upon

modems and, equally worrying, the one in three colleges that have no Local Area Network to distribute

Internet traffic across machines.

Table 8 Total planned bandwidth


18/43

18

Chart 4 Constraints on increased use of the Internet

Of the other constraints upon increased use, cost is the only issue cited as important by a significant

number of colleges. Four colleges noted restrictions on access outside college hours, or in residences.

Inappropriate use was a factor raised by only two colleges, a striking contrast with the 11% of FE colleges

who have concerns about this.

3.7 Technical Support

Any expansion of the existing infrastructure demands adequate technical support. This is made more

pressing by the particular skillset required to support the comprehensive LANs essential to maintain

Internet access and networked applications.

Only 25 of the 50 colleges surveyed directly employ technical support staff. These colleges employ 41 full-

time and 11 part-time staff between them. 19 colleges use an outsourced service, sometimes in

combination with employed staff. The remaining colleges rely upon technical support provided by their

parent organisation, or by other college staff members. The chart below shows the breakdown of

technical support by college size. As might be expected, the larger colleges are more likely to employ

technical support staff, whereas the smallest colleges are most likely to utilise the broader skills of theirexisting staff.

33 colleges (around two thirds) regard their technical support as mostly adequate or better.

Interestingly, whilst there is no statistically significant difference in the level of satisfaction reported

between the differing types of technical support (directly employed, outside agency, other college staff),

the raw data show a very slightly greater degree of satisfaction among those relying upon other members

of staff. This result may tell us more about who filled in the survey than about any real differences in the

quality of support. This notwithstanding, reliance upon the technical skills of those whose primary

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

No interest

Course design

Access speeds

Student skills

Access points


19/43

19

responsibility is teaching cannot be sustained with increased use of ILT in general and networked

applications in particular.

Chart 5 Technical support by college size

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

>82 students >42 students >21 students 21 students

and less

Others

Other members of staff

Parent organisation

Outsourced

Employed


20/43


21/43

21

Chart 6 Staff using own designated computer

In the majority of colleges all staff can access a computer to use, but there remain 3 colleges where

neither the teaching and learner support staff nor the student and personal support staff have any

computer access, nor is it seen as a priority. Only one college has achieved the situation where all

teaching staff have a computer for their sole personal use, and 33 do not regard this situation as a

priority.

4.3 Access for learners

We were able to calculate the ratio of students:computer for 39 colleges (78%). We used the colleges

reported student numbers as a base, assuming that, as the sector is overwhelmingly residential, each

student is full-time.

The calculated ratios range from considerably less than 1:1 up to a maximum of 17:1. However, as the

Chart below shows, the majority were low ratios. 75% of respondents report 1:4 or less, producing a

median value of 1.7:1. This is significantly lower than the NLN target for mainstream colleges of 5:1,

which is now the norm in the typical FE institution. Three Specialist colleges reported values of 15, 16 and

17:1 respectively, but there was a substantial gap between these outliers and the next highest value of

8:1.

The better resourcing of Specialist colleges may be assumed to arise from the fundamental importance ofcomputers as a basic tool to enhance communication and to support learning and essential living needs

within many of the Specialist colleges.

Whilst the calculation of ratios is helpful to facilitate comparison with provision in the FE sector generally,

it is likely to be of far less use as a measure for setting any kind of sensible target. The size of Specialist

colleges, taken together with the close relationship between staff and students puts them in a position to

determine an appropriate level of computer resourcing to meet the educational needs of each learner,

taking account of their programmes of study and personal development and assistive technology

requirements. The estimation of an optimum computer stock, which larger colleges calculate as the

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

all/most some/few none

Administration/institutionalsupport staff

Teaching/learning support staff

Student/personal support staff


22/43

22

number of computers necessary to achieve the target ratio given planned student numbers, may be more

meaningfully achieved in Specialist colleges by simply adding up the actual requirements of individual

learners and learning groups. In this context, the LSCs NLN target of 1 computer for every 5 f.t.e learners

is likely to be inappropriate both in terms of number and as a device.

Chart 7 Student/computer ratios

4.4 Meeting student demand for computers

Given the relatively good levels of computer resource noted in the section above, it is no surprise to find

in the Chart below that around 60% of Specialist colleges report sufficient capacity to meet student

demand for computers. Only two thirds of Specialist colleges, however, report demand for ILT to be

widespread among students, compared with over 97% of mainstream colleges. There are several possible

explanations for such a striking difference from the norm amongst the remaining one third of Specialist

colleges, who report current demand as limited to particular courses or groups of students. One such

explanation may derive from the observation that many colleges have yet to embed ILT across the

curriculum. It may well be that the principal use of ILT is for teaching and learning of IT skills, as key skill oras part of an accredited IT programme of study. Analysis of the use of ILT within specific programmes (see

below) provides some support for this view; only two thirds of the 41 colleges offering programmes

supporting independent living, for example, involve ILT. This is the biggest separately identified area of

curriculum offer amongst the colleges and the lowest rate of ILT involvement.

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

5:1 and more

4:1

3:1

2:1

1:1 and less


23/43

23

Chart 8 Student demand for computers

The table below shows that while access to computers is easy in close to 30% of colleges, the remainder

experience difficulties, students having to wait or queue in around half of Specialist colleges. Eightcolleges report much more limited access, with three describing access to a computer as very hard.

Students are entitled to computer access to enable them to complete work in fewer than half Specialist

colleges, while a further quarter of colleges report that students can expect access, but it could not be

described as an entitlement.

Table 11 Ease of computer access

Easy at any time 14

Wait or queue at busy times 25

Cannot rely on finding a computer 5

Very hard to find a computer 3


Respondents reporting difficulty of access were asked to rate the importance of a number of possible

causes, giving a score from 1 (very important) to 5 (not a constraint). Though the three causes have

scores clustered in the middle of the scale, indicating a similarity of seriousness, lack of computers comes

out as most important. Clearly, however, access for students will not be eased by the addition of more

computers if the binding constraint remains staffing or lack of appropriate assistive technology. Looking at

the individual scores shows 12 colleges of the 32 who answered this question giving a rating of 1 to

computers, with only 4 citing staffing and 7 identifying assistive technology at this level of importance. If

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Difficulty Sufficient capacity More capacity

little demand

limited demand

widespread demand


24/43

24

we look at scores of either 1 or 2, then staffing emerges strongly as a significant constraint, with 17

colleges giving this ranking, compared with 18 for number of computers.

Table 12 Causes of difficulties

Not enough computers 2.5

Availability of staff 2.7Availability of Assistive Technology 3.1


4.5 Student demand for Internet access

A slightly smaller proportion of colleges regard student demand for the Internet as limited to particular

groups or courses, but more feel they have sufficient capacity to meet increased demand. This mirrors

the situation in mainstream colleges, where access to the Internet is relatively easy provided the student

has achieved the more difficult task of first finding a computer.

Those colleges reporting limited demand for access to the Internet are essentially the same as those

reporting limited demand for computersper se, suggesting a similar analysis for both observations.

Chart 9 Student demand for Internet

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Difficulty Sufficient capacity More capacity

little demand

limited demandwidespread demand


25/43


26/43

26

5 Uses of ILT

5.1 ILT and the curriculum

The responses to the surveys questions about demand for ILT suggest that its use may be framed by a

colleges curriculum offer and student needs. The table below shows the numbers ofSpecialist colleges

offering particular types of learning programme alongside the numbers that make some use of ILT in thedelivery of these programmes. It shows that more than three quarters of colleges that offer Basic/key

skills, Vocational programmes, GCSE/A levels and Communication skills programmes make some use of ILT

in delivering these. Programmes supporting independent living skills, which are reported by the largest

number of colleges, have the lowest levels of ILT use. However, it should be noted that no measure of the

extent of ILT use was made here, and that programmes that make greater use of ILT may contain ICT as a

curriculum subject. Responses to other questions in the survey suggest that the extent of e-learning,

rather than IT skills, is almost certainly very low.

Table 14 ILT use by programme type

Programme type Deliver this Use ILT % to use ILT

Independent living 41 26 63%

Vocational 34 26 76%

GCSE and A levels 9 8 89%

Basic and Key skills 37 32 86%

Communication skills 40 31 78%

Other Programmes 26 17 65%


5.2 Staff use of the LAN/Intranet

Only 33 of the 50 respondents report a LAN or intranet, but these colleges account for 85% of all enrolled

students. The survey asked respondents to distinguish whether particular applications were in use

(intermittent, occasional, small in scale) or whether they could be described as common practice within

the college.

Use by staff of the college LAN for email and Internet access is reported by all 33 respondents, though

only just over half of those with a LAN describe them as common practice: staff accessing the Internet is

described as common practice in 53% of colleges, whilst staff use of email is common in 59% of colleges.

Equally significant, though smaller in scale, is the use being made of networked applications to directly

support learning and teaching. 14 of the 26 who report using the LAN as a repository of course

documentation, describe it as common practice, with 9 out of 29 commonly using it for delivery of

learning materials. Not surprisingly in a community of small colleges with extensive student support, less

effort has gone into developing an online alternative to face-to-face advice and guidance.


27/43

27

Chart 10 Staff use of the LAN/Intranet

5.3 Student use of the LAN/Intranet

Chart 10 shows student use of college LANs following a similar pattern to staff use, though typically

tracking behind staff in scale, most notably in the use of the LAN for email traffic. Internet access

remains the principal use, with 87% of respondents making use of the network for this purpose, with just

over half describing it as common practice. This is surprisingly low, given that information search on the

Internet is the most common form of e-learning activity and the entry point for early adopters in most

colleges.

Though the other activities are developing, the data suggests that students have yet to take full advantage

of the opportunities for use of the LAN or Intranet created by staff. An intriguing example arises in the use

of the LAN to access course documents. Whilst 26 colleges report that staff use or make common use of

the LAN for storage of documents, only 19 colleges believe that students currently access them and in

only 5 is this described as common practice. This may well accord with the observation that the need to

develop student skills in the use of the Internet applies more generally to browser-based skills, including

ease of use of the Intranet.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Videoconferencing

Providing guidance

Providing course

documentation

Providing Learning

Support Material

Email

Access to the

Internet

In use

Common use


28/43


29/43

29

5.5 Uses of the Internet by staff

There were 44 respondents to this compared with 33 who have a LAN, indicating that a quarter of those

who access the Internet in specialist colleges do so via non-networked computers. Drilling down into thedata confirms the suspicion that these stand-alone connections are modem, or relatively low bandwidth

links.

Chart 12 Staff use of Internet

All respondents report staff use of the Internet for email. 27 report email as common practice within the

institution, 8 more than describe use of the LAN for this purpose as common. We can infer that these 8

colleges use an external email service for communications. These results, taken together with those for

LAN/ Intranet use, suggest that a significant number of colleges lack the infrastructure required for

extensive reliance upon electronic communications, both within the organisation and beyond it. The only

other major use of the Internet is as an information resource, where the use parallels that of email, with

27 colleges reporting common use for this purpose by staff. A dozen colleges have dipped their toes into

developing and supporting distance learning via the Internet, with one reporting it as common practice.

This must be regarded as an encouraging development and a potential source of shared experience for

the sectors colleges.

0 10 20 30 40 50

To support

distance learning

Provide guidance

and support

Market the college

Administration and

management

As an information

resource

Email

In use

Common use


30/43

30

5.6 Uses of the Internet by students

Chart 13 Student use of the Internet

The development of Internet use by staff and its adoption by students demonstrates a similar pattern to

Intranet activity,with student use lagging behind staff. The Internet is used as an information source at 40

colleges, but commonly used at only 22. This level of use is significantly lower than in mainstream

colleges. This is a telling comment on the penetration of ILT / e-learning into this sector, particularly given

that information search and retrieval is not only a fundamental skill, but also is relatively easy to absorb

into conventional curriculum practice as a first step towards innovative and pedagogically effective

practice. 26 colleges described themselves as providing e-learning, which the survey defined as:

.. the part of ILT that relates to the use of IT/ICT to facilitate teaching and learning in all its forms,

ranging from the use of whiteboards or data projectors in whole class work through guided group or

individual work assisted by a tutor to computer-based independent or remote learning.

A further 6 have definite plans to provide e-learning, whilst a further 4 may introduce this type of learning

in the future. It is possible that at least some respondents took a narrower interpretation of this question

and may have focussed upon remote online learning in framing their response.

5.7 Email access

Relatively few staff, full-time or sessional, have a personal email address at college. An interesting finding

is that more residential students than staff have a personal email address. It may not be fanciful to infer

that college culture is lagging behind student culture in embracing the communication media of the

0 10 20 30 40 50

For distance

learning

Obtain guidance

and support

Recreational use

Email

As an information

resource

In use

Common use


31/43

31

twenty-first century. Only 13 colleges rely wholly upon an internal email system, whilst a further 5

supplement internal provision with externally-based services. 22 rely wholly upon external email.

Chart 14 Email access

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Perm. staff Sess. staff Res. Students Day students

No email access

Shared email address

Personal email address


32/43

32

6 Staff skills

6.1 Staff IT and ILT competence

Respondents were asked to estimate the proportion of each group of staff with low, medium or high

levels of skill (beginner, competent, advanced), both in their personal use of IT and in their use of ILT with

learners(where appropriate). Definitions within these broad classifications were left to the judgement ofrespondents on grounds of practicality. The research team considered the identification of suitably

bounded criteria to be a daunting task, if not impossible within the timescale. More telling, however, was

the belief that while respondents assessments of the categories would not be identical, they would share

sufficiently similar common understandings of competency to enable comparison and judgements to be

drawn from the results. An average of the values estimated by each college was calculated for each major

category of staff, defined as:

1. teaching/learner support staff2. student/personal support staff3. administration/institutional support staff

The results are shown in the charts below.

6.2 Teaching/learner support staff

Chart 15 Skills of teaching/learner support staff

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

IT skills 34 52 14

ILT skills 35 50 14

Beginner Competent Advanced


33/43

33

The picture for teaching and learner support staff shows a remarkable degree of transfer of IT skills to the

class room. This compares favourably with FE where teaching staffs IT skills are at a similar level to the

teaching staff in Specialist Colleges, but only 48% are competent or advanced in ILT skills as opposed to

64% here. This could be a spin-off from the use of assistive technologies within Specialist colleges giving

teaching staff the experience of adapting to ILT and the confidence necessary to be comfortable with it.

It may be wise to interpret this assessment of skill levels as optimistic. The lack of a commonly agreed andwell understood set of definitions of ILT competencies, taken together with the uncertainty about what

constitutes good practice and effective pedagogy in e-learning may have led many respondents to

overstate the ILT skill level of staff. Estimates of skill levels are typically based upon a very small skillset,

often as limited as competence in word processing and in presentation software. The message that

emerges from the mainstream colleges, despite similarly rosy estimates of skill, is that this is not enough .

Most feel ever more urgently that a major staff development effort is necessary if the investment in

infrastructure is to be converted into better student learning experiences and outcomes.

6.3 Student/personal support staff

Chart 16 Skills of student/personal support staff

As might be expected, there is a lower level of skill among student/personal support staff. However it

should be noted that in cases where a high degree of assistive technology is used, the technical

competence of these staff will need to be higher. Colleges will need to make a judgement about the

particular skills required within this staff group in the context of the particular student needs that they

support.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

IT skills 59 31 10

ILT skills 70 22 8

Beginner Competent Advanced


34/43

34

6.4 Administration/institutional support staff

Chart 17 Skills of administration/institutional support staff

Colleges were asked solely about he personal IT skills of this group, given that they have no direct role in

the delivery of learning. Not surprisingly, IT competence is widespread amongst administrators given the

increasing reliance upon computers in the management of all colleges.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

IT skills 12 69 20

1 2 3


35/43

35


36/43

36

Appendix: Assistive Technology in the Specialist college sector

This information was requested by the Specialist colleges ILT sub-committee to inform future work. It ids

reproduced here without comment.

College Name Assistive Technologies employed

Arden College 2 touch screens

2 large letter keyboards

Various switches and other equipment currently on order

Beaumont College This is an example of regularly used equipment, we have more that is used for

assessment.

Specialist Pointing Devices-

Various Trackballs

Penngt & Giles Joystick Tracker

Unusual mice, gupmice, small mice and cordless mice

Specialist Keyboards-

Initailkeys

Big KeysWireless Keyboard (infrared)

Keyguard for standard keyboards

For Switch access We have a variety of switches such as

-grip switch

-necklace switch

-pressure switch

-chip switches

-jelly bean

-head switches

-electrostatic switch

-tilt switch

-pressure variable 4" switch

These switches interface via-

-Don Johnson switch box

-serial switch board

-Discover switch

-Joystick switch

We use height adjustable tables of the manual and eletrically operated type. We

also use fixed height tables at various appropriate heights to allow easy access.

Belford College none

Bridge College Intellitools

Switch technologyClicker 3

voice output commuication aids

-liberator

-deltatalker

-alphatalker

-gotalk

Big Mack

Step-by-Step


37/43

37

Planning to get: Magic, Writing with Symbols, Clicker 4

David Lewis Centre One step communications

Big Macs

WWS 2000

height tech/low tech aids ie pictoral timetables

A variety of interactive softwareSoundbeam Sensory Room Switch access throughout all areas

Aopted keyboards/ rollerballs

Derby College for Deaf

People

widgit

kudos smartboard

basic skills CD

Derwen College Hardware:

microphone/headphones

soundbeam

digital cameras

digital videocameras

keyboards

trackerballs

touchscreens

switches

dycem mats

Software

scanning software

magnifiers

Voice regulator

Talking word programme

Word Prediction

Writing with Symbols

Boardmarker/Makaton

Graphic timetable

+ full range of educational and edutainment programmes, eg Wellington

square/CTAD Life Skills Explorer

Dilston College Of

Further Education

Doncaster College For

The Deaf

We have very little assistive technology. We do have some large screens for

students with poor eye sight

Dorton College Of

Further Education

JAWS - Screen reader and speech synthesiser SUPERNOVA - Combined screen

reader, speech synthesiser and magnification

MAGIC - Magnification

KURZWEIL 1000 - Scanner with screen reader and speech synthesiser

BRAILLE LITES - Electronic braille notetaker

E.S.P.A Colleges None

Fortune Centre Of

Riding Therapy

Green Laund Rollerball,

Big Keys keyboard and cover,

Scamel,

Henshaws Society For LUNAR - speech synthesis/magnification Switch access


38/43

38

The Blind - Harrogate BigKeys keyboards

Intellikeys

Concept Keyboards

Staff Enabling Support

Trackerballs Touchscreens

Hinwick Hall College

Of Further Education

Expanded Keyboards,

switch interfaces,specialist switches,

touch screens,

specialist keyboard,

infra red interface,

voice synthesiser,

trackerballs,

trackerballs with latching switches,

dynovox,

dynomite,

liberator,

touch talker,

cameleon (Cabridget Adaptive Technology Makers), Alpha Talker,

Pathfinder.

Iver House Ltd No assistive technology is currently in use

Landmarks Widgits symbols software

Langdon College large keyboards

large monitors

keypads

tft screens

Linkage College -

Sampson Campus

Concept Keyboards

Widgit

Digi Cameras

Lufton Manor College None at present. Being reviewed as part of an overall ICT strategy for the college.

Nash College ofFurther Education

Centre

Touch screens,Switches,

Concept keyboard,

Tracker balls,

Intelikeys keyboards,

Key guards,

On screen keyboardsa,

Symrite 2000,

Clicker 4,

Vocas

National Star Centre

College of Further

Education

Keyboards with Keyguards

Trackerballs

USB Headmouse (Remote activation of cursor by movement of head or hand)

Mousekeys and other Microsoft assistive software. Onscreen Keyboards usedwith cursor control or with switches using sequential access methods.

Joysticks

Oakwood Court

Portland College Communication Aids:

Pathfinder Delta Talker

Liberator

Dyna Myte

Dyna Vox


39/43

39

Cameleon

Cameleon 3

Queen Alexandra

College For The Blind

Speech Output:

Kurzweil flatbed scanner

Robotron flatbed scanner

Franklin talking dictionary

Talking calculatorTalking microwave

Talking scientific calculator

Parrot Plus organiser

Micrometer with speech synthesis

Electronic speaking scales

Talking tape measure

Jaws screen reader

Keystone (to be used with Dragondictate)

Lookout screen reader

PW webspeak

Texthelp screen reader

Vocaleyes screen reader

Tactile Media:

Perkins brailler

Mountbatten electronic brailler

Eureka

Aria

Jotta

Minolta stereo copying unit

Duxbury braille translation system

Keynote companions

Nomad tactile reader

Refreshable braille display

Braille masterBraille maker

Winbraille

Windots

Picture braille

RNIB Transcript

Enlargement:

Supernova

Zoomtext

Magic

Lunar

CCTV Mono

CCTV Colour

Portable CCTV

Magnalink CCTV

Split screen CCTV

TFT Monitors 15

Monitors 15-21

Visualex

Miscellaneous:


40/43


41/43

41

Inspiration,

Keystone screen reader,

textHELP!,

Togglernoise,

Hardware:

mouse wrist rest,wrist rest,

mini keyboard and guard,

trackball,

joystick trackball,

ABC big keys keyboard

RNIB Condover Hall

F.E. Centre

touch screen jelly switches

RNIB New College

Worcester

RNIB Vocational

College Loughborough

Jaws Speech Screen Reader

Lunar Plus - Magnification and limited speech screen reader

SuperNova - Magnification & Screen Reader

Zoom Text - Magnification & Screen Reader

Electronic braille lines

Royal National College

For The Blind

HARDWARE

CCTVs

b/w & colour Document readers

Rainbow/Galileo Talking book players

RNIB Desktop tape players

Sanyo TRC8080 Hand held tape recorders

Sanyo TRC850 Digital recorders

Splitter boxes

Electronic Braille writers

Mountbatten Brailler Referable Braille displaysBraillex 2D/PowerBraille Speech output Braille input note takers

BrailleNote/Braille 'n Speak/BraillePad Speech/Braille output Braille input note

takers

BrailleLite/BrailleNote Speech output

QWERTY input note takers

TransType QWERTY note takers

Alphasmart/Dreamwriter

Laptop computers

Desktop computers

Printers

Thiel/Index Talking calculators

Cobolt Large print calculators

Cobolt Graphical talking tablet

Voice recognition organisers

Voicemate/Voice Diary

Talking teletext

Task lighting

Talking microwaves

Talking weighing scales

Liquid indicators


42/43

42

Talking watches/clocks/timers

Specialised keyboards

Meltron Talking telephone switchboard

Audio/video tape copier Hearing Loop system

Audio announcement pla

Royal School for the

Deaf

touch screens

concept keyboardsingle switches and switching system

digital camera

video minicom

tracker balls

video projector

fax

Royal West of England

School for the Deaf

none

Ruskin Mill Further Ed

Unit

Not applicable

St Elizabeth's Centre Trackerballs and specialist mice.

St Piers Touch Screen Monitors * 6Big Switch * 4

Strathmore

The Interact Centre none

Thornbeck College Digital Cameras

Scanners

Internet Editing suite

Video Cameras

Computers

Laser printer

Treloar College Specialist joysticks, trackerballs

Purpose built joysticks, trackerballs

Head/chin/foot/mouth switchesHead/mouth sticks

Infra red pointing devices

Clicker

Cowriter

Zoomtext

Penfriend

EZ keys

Dragon dictate

Widgit

Writing with symbols

Adapted keyboards

Keyguards

Screen doorsScreen reader

Prophet

Windows accessibility options

Wivik

Touch pads

Ergonomic mice

Keyboard stickers

Wrist rests


43/43

Touch monitors

Desk extensions

Keyboard slopes

West of England

School (for Children

with Little or No Sight)

BRAILLE KEYBOARDS

CLOSE CURCUIT TV

SCREEN REALITY SOFTWARE

BRAILLE MONITORSSPECIALISED KEYBOARDS

TEXT IN BRAILLE

TRANSLATION SOFTWARE

SPECAIL RECOGNITION SOFTWARE

DIGITAL CAMERAS

SCANNERS (OCR etc)

2002 specialist colleges ilt report

Documents