OASES Award 2011
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The JISC TechDis 2011 OASES Award for Institutional Progress on Equality using Technology has allowed us to uncover, celebrate and share the excellent practice that is already taking place across the education sector.
Submissions were of a very high standard and all worthy of celebrating. There were six winning entries, five highly commended and 11 commendations.
Winning entries
Adult Community Learning (ACL) Essex and the Association of Colleges in the Eastern Region (ACER)
Title: Inspire staff development take-up.
What the judges liked: “It is normally difficult to get any sort of coherent policy effected in ACL but they achieved it, strong on tutors sharing practice.”
Download the ACL Essex and ACER initial submission and additional evidence.
Anglia Ruskin University
Title: TeachInclusive.
What the judges liked: “Widespread impact of inclusion policy, NSS results impressive.”
Download the Anglia Ruskin initial submission and additional evidence.
Cumbernauld College
Title: Equalities data tool
What the judges liked: “Very strong on impact, lots of evidence of improving learner experience.”
Download the Cumbernauld College initial submission and additional evidence.
Derwen College
Title: Low technology: high impact solutions to improve independent learner experience.
What the judges liked: “The use of social networking and communication media is particularly impressive. The use of Facebook to discuss e-safety is a wonderful example of pragmatism.”
Download the Derwen College initial submission and additional evidence.
Forth Valley College
Title: Accessibility of on-line learning resources and tools.
What the judges liked: “It’s heartening to see the VLE at the heart of the Learning Strategy, not the IT policy.”
Download the Forth Valley College initial submission and additional evidence.
Trinity College Dublin
Title: Implementation of the Accessible Information Policy & Guidelines.
What the judges liked: “The largest institution known to have pulled together a range of overarching high-level policies with roots in the OASES process. A very impressive achievement given the size of the institution.”
Download the Trinity College Dublin initial submission and additional evidence.
Highly Commended
Coleg Llandrillo
Title: Effective use of social media to empower learners.
What the judges liked: “The use of twitter with diverse learners to encourage and support group communication as well as digital literacy, digital inclusion and digital citizenship.”
Cumbernauld College
Title: Webcams with Video Effects software (Logitech Webcam Avatars).
What the judges liked: “Imaginative use of a free tool to help learner communications and interaction in a highly diverse setting.”
South Lanarkshire College
Title: Introduction of MyStudy Bar and AccessApps at South Lanarkshire College.
What the judges liked: “An excellent, staged approach to raising awareness and providing practical solutions to all learners.”
Strathmore College
Title: Mobile Learning Technology.
What the judges liked: “Diverse and imaginative approach to supporting learners outside the classroom and fostering independence.”
Sussex Coast College Hastings
Title: Sustainable, mature support model for accessibility, disclosure and distance travelled towards inclusive learning.
What the judges liked: “A range of approaches with a nice ‘pincer movement’, promoting accessible practice as both a mainstream and specialist activity.”
Commended
Barony College
Title: Student Self Evaluation & Mahara.
What the judges liked: “A paperless solution for portfolios and personal development plans has provided an alternative format which has been embraced enthusiastically by the students.”
Cardonald College
Title: Inclusive learning with web 2.0 technology (Blogger)
What the judges liked: “The use of blogging with students with learning disabilities, enabled them to develop skills in self-expression, communication, research, literacy, and safe use of web 2.0 tools which also encouraged engagement and self-directed learning.”
Dumfries & Galloway College
Title: Provision of Access Applications memory sticks to appropriate students during their “Needs Assessment".
What the judges liked: “Student feedback actively sought and positively acted on. Students provide deposit for AccessApps pen drive, creating a sense of co-responsibility.”
Glasgow School of Art
Title: Comic Life - Induction Resources at Glasgow School of Art Library.
What the judges liked: “Using a more graphical approach to communicating orientation information within the library has highlighted the possibilities of delivering information across the School in an eye catching, visual way.”
Liverpool Community College
Title: Making a difference to all learners.
What the judges liked: “Embedding accessibility awareness into teacher training and achieving a whole College ‘dyslexia friendly’ status.”
Myerscough College
Title: The “Myapps project”.
What the judges liked: “The customised choice of applications for the staff and learners and the use of an USB drive with built in MP3 player means that the learner has direct access to apps and any text to speech files directly without additional hardware.”
Oaklands College
Title: AccessApps, AT bar, MyStudyBar.
What the judges liked: “Effectively building on the success of previous whole College accessibility initiatives, MyStudyBar brings free tools to all learners via the network.
Oakwood Court
Title: Holistic educational partnership: Equality strands of Outcomes, Process and Autonomy.
What the judges liked: “An ‘Enhancing Communication’ course enables learners to learn by experiencing a variety of activities, this not only enhances their communication and practical skills but also raises their confidence.”
Petroc
Title: Understand and promote the use of the USB application My Study Bar.
What the judges liked: “Imaginative student-centred integration of free and portable tools into main Moodle site weekly staff development sessions.”
Somerset College
Title: Dyslexic and visually impaired students and use of AccessApps.
What the judges liked: “Good mixture of approaches with e-books, Kindles and MyStudyBar all recognised for both their mainstream and specialist benefits.”
University of Southampton
Title: Range of tools developed to progress the embedding of accessibility into institutional policy.
What the judges liked: “A broad suite of tools and approaches to support different aspects of accessibility, from supporting lecture capture through to peer sharing of effective strategies.”
