The document summarizes pilot projects testing the Virtual Portal for Interaction and ICT Training for People with Disabilities (VIPI) program. It describes the VIPI curriculum and outcomes, including e-learning courses, exercises, games, and a social networking portal. It then discusses pilots conducted in the UK, Belgium, and other countries, working with people with a variety of disabilities. Case studies show how individual participants gained new ICT skills, confidence, and independence over multiple training sessions. The pilots demonstrated that the VIPI tools can effectively teach ICT skills to those with disabilities when combined with assistive technologies, accessibility methods, and opportunities for peer support.

1. facebook.com/vipiproject
twitter.com/ViPi_project
VIPI - VIRTUAL PORTAL FOR
INTERACTION AND ICT TRAINING
FOR PEOPLE W
ITH DISABILITIES
1
ITAG EHD - 17/ 2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
10/
www.vipi-project.eu
511792-LLP-1-2010-1-GR-KA3-KA3NW

2. facebook.com/vipiproject
twitter.com/ViPi_project
PILOTING THE VIPI ICT TRAINING
OUTCOMES
2
ANDY BURTON (NOTTINGHAM TRENT
UNIVERSITY)
ITAG EHD - 17/ 2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
10/
www.vipi-project.eu
511792-LLP-1-2010-1-GR-KA3-KA3NW

3. PILOTING THE VIPI ICT TRAINING
OUTCOMES

About the ViPi project

The ViPi Outcomes

The Pilots

Case Studies

Findings

Conclusions
3
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.

4. ABOUT VIPI – (VI
RTUA PO RTA FO R
L
L
I TERA O NA D I TRAN N
N
CTI
N CT
I I G
FO R PEO PLE WI DI BI TI
TH SA LI ES)



A three year Lifelong Learning Programme project launched
in January 2011.
It involves partners from Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania,
and the UK.
The project aims at creating accessible and flexible basic ICT
skills training, designed to meet the specific needs of people
with disabilities
4
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.

5. VIPI OUTCOMES

Full ICT curriculum– 3 levels of complexity

ICT Training course following the curriculum

E-learning exemplar courses (used for the pilots)

Exercises including question sets, and guidelines for practicals.

Web Portal allowing semantically enhanced access to learning
objects (e.g. serious games, courses, pages of information,
useful web resources etc) - both those developed within the
project and available externally

Social networking and community building area, both online and
mobile

Serious Games

Educational and Pedagogic framework outlining how to work with
the above ViPi outcomes
5
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.

6. VIPI OUTCOMES – THE GAMES

Adapted Games
 True/False Quiz
 Escapology ICT
 Rob the Mob ICT

New Games
 Stay Safe!
 Fly Swat

Memobile (Android)
 Matching Pairs
 Starter Kit
 Press and Action
6
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.

7. THE PILOTS

Pilot sites in the different countries
focussed on different disability groups
to ensure the pilot covered the full
range of disabilities, and that
materials were tested in each
language.

Differentiated piloting methodologies
were employed at the different pilot
sites in order to meet the needs of
particular ability groups and
availability of appropriate technology
Assessment will be by:



Pre- and post- pilot self
assessment of skills
Post-pilot Likert scale selfassessments
Post session feedback sheets
Pilots ongoing so do not have
results from Post pilot
assessments and Likerts.
However Today it may be of
interest to look at some case
studies from the ongoing
pilots
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
7

8. UK PILOTS–
JUNE – NOVEMBER 2013
Oak Field School, Nottingham
“Can
the ViPi ICT training methodology
and outcomes improve skills in people
with disabilities?”
The Oak Field School is a City coeducational day school for children aged
3-19 years with special educational
needs, in particular severe and profound
learning difficulties and/or physical
difficulties.
Study worked with:



17
Key Stage 5 (6th Form) students at the
school
ex-students from the school
students at a voluntary summer school.
Participants trained for up to 4
sessions each.
Staff training pilots upcoming
Training method:
One-to-one
student led
Material and speed to suit participant
guided by course material and trainer
When focus lost, the training method
was adapted to try to increase
engagement
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
8

9. CASE STUDIES
Achievement
Throughout the pilot sessions her confidence
along with her engagement was seen to grow
and the trainer learned how to work with her to
improve her skills and knowledge.
She was also observed to develop in
confidence at her ability to answer questions
correctly.
She gained the ability to


Participation
3 Training sessions
Showed initial interest only in the images.



Used labelling exercises
the tablet version of Memobile (pair
matching game and Starter Kit game)
physical presence of ICT devices
problems
tasks


varied materials, allowing her to work with
the materials which were interesting her at
the time and switching when required.
suggesting her own activities.
Practical


focussing her attention on the


turn on the tablet computer,
locate and select a specific icon to start an app,
hold the tablet and take a photo.
Click the correct mouse button
Gained
understanding that the different mouse
buttons and keyboard keys do different things,
and that she herself could make things happen
on the screen by using the right keys and
buttons at the right times.
These
are important steps and recognised in
the P- Level ICT curriculum used by the school.
exercises were also used,
taking photos with the tablet, copy the
images to the computer,
turning on the device, selecting appropriate
icons and buttons
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
9

10. CASE STUDIES
Achievement


Participation
4 x 1hr Training sessions








could not easily read the textual content on
the e-learning environment.
TTS (Text-To-Speech) demonstrated.
struggled with fine movement of the mouse,
hands tired through the sessions
experimented with mouse settings and ease
of access
high level of engagement using the elearning material, the games or the practical
exercises.
struggled with the nature of the Escapology
game due to low literacy skills, but coped
well with the yes no quiz game. He also
enjoyed playing the Memobile tablet games.
He found practical exercises on web
browsing particularly engaging when
relevant materials such as his school’s
website were used.



Although the student had very complex
needs both physically and intellectually,
throughout the sessions he maintained a
high level of engagement with the materials
and games.
Over the four sessions, with repeated
guidance, he learned how to use TTS
empowering him to go through the materials
at his own pace.
He covered material on types and parts of
computers, turning the computer on and off,
input devices, and web browsing.
He retained information between sessions.
He learned that there are alternative
methods to make the technologies work
better for him. With the mouse keys
methods he began to learn, he became
more independent at controlling the
computer with the guidance of the
researchers.
By viewing the school website he was made
aware that there was information available
to him through the computer that interested
him.
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
10

11. BELGIUM PILOTS–
JUNE – NOVEMBER 2013
W
erkgroep Vorming & Aktie
Disabilities
ranged from moderate
learning difficulties to severe learning
disabilities (Down’s syndrome, William’s
syndrome, etc.), often in combination with
a variety of other physical disabilities
(Cerebral Palsy, visual impairments, etc.).
personalised approach
20 trainees and 6 teachers/trainers.
Training
approached in a group
scenario with multiple trainers present
11
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.

12. CASE STUDIES
Achievement






Participation
bi-weekly training sessions from April to
Present





He is very keen on using his PC for
everything possible.
Eager to learn especially about how to
exchange short messages with friends and
to ask for clarifications where needed using
Facebook chat.
One of the most enthusiastic people in the
group, also stimulating others.
during the training sessions that took place
as a full group, he started to support, and
be supported by other trainees


He was focussed on Facebook
training opened other areas to him, such as
email, creation of simple documents and
text editing.
It also highlighted the dangers of social
media, something Student B1 had already
experienced himself.
Used his communication skills to support
other participants
improved his assessment skills of potential
dangerous situations.
Became more self-confident, using social
media since he knows now how to block
improper behaviour and protect himself
against it.
working in a sheltered workshop
environment, his improved ICT skills are
also useful there, especially where they
have to use a computer interface in some of
their job activities (activation of a machine,
entering volumes, etc.).
gained skills in editing a document – he can
do this without having to ask for assistance.
contacts with his family have improved as
he is now using email on a regular basis.
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
12

13. CASE STUDIES
Achievement


Participation
bi-weekly training sessions from April to Present





never done ICT training before
initially there was some doubt, but after
three months she used a laptop
independently having benefited considerably
from the regular training sessions.
Focussed on what exactly she needed for
her job. For this reason, touch screens were
extensively used with her during the training.
She was initially quite uncertain, and needed
considerable support, both from the
classroom trainer and a separate trainer
who helped her on a face-to-face basis.
in the end it proved to be a winning
combination, especially when her neighbour
at the training lessons also helped and
supported her.


was anxious because of the new ICT skills
she would need to know with a new
machine being introduced at her workplace
that necessitated the usage of keyboard,
touchscreen and knowledge of computer
basics.
The training sessions were well timed for
her and strengthened her self-confidence,
as well as allowed her to get accustomed to
the computer skills required for her work.
She changed into a self-confident person,
eager to learn and in frequent contact with
the trainers.
She now helps out other trainees in learning
new computer skills. This ad hoc peer
supporting proved to be very useful and
strengthened the confidence of the entire
group of trainees.
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
13

14. FINDINGS SO FAR

Feedback from post session feedback sheets (UK site) was universally
positive suggesting that:





participants liked the sessions,
they learnt new things,
they found it easy,
they would like further sessions with the researchers.
For two thirds of the sessions the thing the students liked best was the games.
Use of ICT to train the students in ICT can reveal key barriers holding the
student back AND enable solutions to be offered
 A course containing sections that cover the use of assistive technology
and different accessibility methods which can be called upon by the
trainers when required, and employed as a practical part of the course
can then empower the student to progress with the course using the new
skills, methods and technologies they have discovered.

14
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.

15. CONCLUSIONS






Thus far the pilot has demonstrated the ViPi outcomes to be
powerful and flexible tools to teach ICT to people with varying
disabilities.
Loss of engagement in training students with intellectual
disabilities can be effectively addressed by switching between
different engaging training modes such as games and practical
exercises
The promise of use of computer games is an effective reward to
encourage continuation with study of course materials
Training ICT by use of ICT offers reinforcement of theoretical
learning by practical use, reference and demonstration
ICT training by trainers with expertise in assistive technology and
accessibility methods can allow barriers to use of the technology
to be removed at an early stage – which can then speed
progression of learning
Group sessions enable peer support situations to naturally
develop
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
15

16. THANK YOU.
Andy Burton
andy.burton@ntu.ac.uk
www.vipi-project.eu
facebook.com/
vipiproject
twitter.com/
vipi_project
Thanks to:
The
All
Oak Field School and Sports College
other pilot participants
The
project partners:
Steficon SA (Greece)
PhoenixKM BVBA (Belgium)
Hypertech S.A. Informatics & New Technologies (Greece)
VŠĮ HITECO – High Technologies for Cooperation (Lithuania)
G.M Eurocy Innovations Ltd (Cyprus)
The ViPi KA3 LLP project has been
partially funded under the Lifelong
Learning Programme, subprogramme
KA3 ICT.
ITAG EHD - 17/10/2013, NTU Nottingham UK.
16