From traditional to nontraditional: Using Solutions as an assistive technology textbook for a graduate level course

By Donna J. Montgomery
Issue: June/July, 2007

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The Teacher Education Department of the University of Nebraska at Kearney has four core classes that all candidates for a Masters degree must take that are not dependent upon the major being studied. These classes cover the themes of research, democracy, diversity, and technology. Since students have various degrees of knowledge in the area of technology, it was decided that the course that dealt with technology would be an introduction to assistive technology, an area to which the majority of students had little or no previous exposure.

At first,this course, Overview of Assistive Technology, was taught in a traditional manner demonstrating lots of software and hardware to the students. In Summer, 2006,the assistive technology course went on-line. As the instructor, I decided that the students needed to become more active learners and to do that, the perfect textbook would be Closing The Gap's Solutions. A traditional textbook was dropped and students are now required to subscribe to Solutions. The course syllabus states the following: “In lieu of a text, all students are to subscribe to Closing The Gap Solutions at <www.closingthegap.com>. ... You cannot successfully complete this class without membership.” The student response to the change has been overwhelmingly positive. Many students state that they will continueto use the resources of Solutions after the class is completed.

Solution's Advanced Software Search.

The course is divided into fifteen modules, corresponding to the fifteen weeks of a semester. Students are expected to subscribe to Solutions during the first module. A PowerPoint presentation with screen shots of the Closing The Gap Web site introduces the students to Solutions. A Scavenger Hunt, assigned the first week, allows students to become familiar with the two features of Solutions. Questions vary from comparing the Closing The Gap Web site to searching for answers using the features. Throughout the semester, students use both the Article Search and the Resource Directory to complete assignments.

The Article Search is used to complete two different types of assignments. First,students are asked to find articles on a given topic, such as mathematics, and write an abstract. Students are given the freedom to choose an article that coincides with their present professional interests. Abstracts include a discussion ofthe benefits of the assistive technology (AT) discussed in the article and how the technology could be incorporated into their teaching. Students who are not teaching are asked to identify how they would incorporate the AT into their professional field.

Solution's Quick Product and Article Search

The second type of assignment using the Article Search is to find and read a specific article dealing with the topic of the week. For instance, the ninth module deals with integrating the use of AT into the daily classroom routine. Students are asked to read one of the Integrating assistive technology into the general curriculum... articles by Hartsell et. al or Getting assistive technology into the mainstream the EASY way by Sweeney, and write a reflection. The reflection contains a discussion of the student's ability to conduct lessons integrating technology, and a brief description of how they could incorporate the technology/ideas into their professional setting.

The Resource Directory is used in a variety of assignments as well. In scavenger hunts, first the students are given a list of AT devices and asked to use the Directory to read about the technology. Then they are asked to identify which of the devices might be appropriate for a given scenario. In case studies, students are given a description of an individual with disabilities who is struggling in an academic area. Students are asked to use the directory to find an appropriate software intervention that would assist the individual in the struggling area. Students must provide a rationale for their software choice. A sample scenario is provided in Figure 1.

Reading Case Study Example

Henry is an eighth grade male student who was diagnosed with a learning disability in Reading and Written Language in the third grade. He is very dependent upon the Resource Room Teacher and paraprofessional for assistance and reassurance that he has completed something correctly. All assignments and tests are read to him. Henry is functioning at the third grade level in Reading. He understands what is read to him and can answer questions equal to his peers. His tests in all subjects are read to him. His parents are concerned that oral testing will not be available to him in college and would like an alternative method of assessment explored.  Henry loves to watch anything Science related on Discovery, National Geographic, Nova, etc. television stations. He does not like Social Studies, History, English or any subject taught in the traditional lecture format or contains a great deal of book reading. He has a tendency to daydream about Science or computers when he is in a class such as History.

Figure 1.

The final exam for this course is a funding proposal. Students use the ResourceDirectory to gather information to write a grant requesting funding for assistive technology that they can use in their professional setting. The grant proposal contains seven sections: summary, organization, problem description, work plan,impact, evaluation, and budget. Submission of the grant is not required, but does occur at times.

Using Solutions as a textbook has been received positively by the students. Prior to Summer, 2006, I would expose students to Solutions as a possible resource. Some students would register for the trial subscription and use it to write their funding proposal. Others would not. There are two goals for this overview course:1) to expose students to the availability of assistive technology appropriatefor all individuals, and 2) to incorporate assistive technology into the student's present realm of educational/instructional technology. Using Solutions allows students to meet both of these better than any textbook I have tried. Recently, students enrolled in the course this semester were asked to give midterm feedback on the course assignments.

The survey did not contain a question that asked about Solutions. However, the students' responses included the following comments about Solutions which I feel summarize the impact Solutions has had on my students.
• Closing The Gap and Solutions have been the most helpful to me.
• Even though I have spent a lot of time on them, the Solutions assignments have helped with knowing what is available for students.

Author information
Donna J. Montgomery, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Nebraska at Kearney;Phone: 308-865-1546; FAX: 308-865-8097; E-mail: <montgomerydj@unk.edu>.