What are the challenges for dyslexic students in online learning in Higher Education? Do different students have different needs? Is online learning a potential disaster for dyslexic students?

1. Final LITERACY Conference: Wien, February 2015
LITERACY in the Internet age:
Potentials and limitations to online learning
Colin Harrison, University of Nottingham, UK
colin.harrison.ac.uk

2. Who is dyslexic?
• The term ‘dyslexic’ is problematic….
• But let’s agree to use the term in two ways:
1. For a student who has a reading problem
related to poor alphabetic and/or
phonological coding
2. For any student who is judged to have a
major problem with reading, writing
and/or spelling
• “It is estimated that between 1.2% and 1.5%
of students in Higher Education in the UK are
dyslexic” (Singleton, 1999)

3. What is the root of the dyslexic’s problem?
- Working memory and the phonological loop
Working memory and executive control (Baddeley, 1996)

4. What is the root of the dyslexic’s problem?
- Working memory and the phonological loop
Working memory and executive control (Baddeley, 1996)

5. What is the root of the dyslexic’s problem?
- Working memory and the phonological loop
Working memory and executive control (Baddeley, 1996)
Rapid word recognition
and Subvocalisation

6. Fluent
reader
“Word
caller”
“Garden
variety”
poor reader
Dyslexic
reader

7. Fluent
reader?
“Word
caller”?
“Garden
variety”
poor
reader?
L+ Dyslexic
reader
L-
Dyslexic
reader
Poor spellers
Good spellers

9. B Kn/
Vocab
Phono
Loop
Word
Rec
Comp
Local
Text
Integ
Comp
Final
(sources: Baddeley, 1996; Snowling 1997; Stanovich, 1980; Kintsch, 1998)
High
Low

10. What are some of the particular problems for
dyslexic students in online learning?
- Even if the course is multimedia, the reading
level of the course material is likely to be
very challenging
- Even if the course is multimedia, the volume
of reading in the course material is likely to
be very challenging
- Lack of group interaction and learning
with and from peers
- Lack of social interaction and emotional
support

11. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options

12. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options
“But the pace is
always too fast!”

13. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options
“Yes there is- I
have to post
online!”

14. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options
“But my tutor can’t give
me all the help I need!”

15. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options
“And my classmates
have their own
anxieties!”

16. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options
Text-to-speech is
difficult to understand
if you’re a poor reader.

17. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options
But poor comprehenders
are poor at judging the
trustworthiness of
sources

18. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options
But can I trust it?
And can I cite it?

19. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options
Yes- this can help: but it
takes time to do, and not
all sources that I have to
read are editable….

20. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options

21. What are some of the advantages for dyslexic students in
online learning?
- Students can learn at their own pace
- No humiliating exposure of weaknesses in front of
peers
- Access to additional resources:
- Extra tutor support
- Asynchronous peer support
- Online/offline tools:
- Text-to-speech; speech-to-text
- Glossing/summarising/abstracting sources
- Podcast/video source material
- Text reformatting options

22. So are there more disadvantages than advantages for
dyslexic students in online learning?
“… social computing tools, while
supporting different learning
paces and cognitive styles in
some cases, are at the same time
producing close to
insurmountable barriers to
students with cognitive
disabilities in general, and
dyslexia in particular.”
(Redecker, 2009)

23. So are there more disadvantages than advantages for
dyslexic students in online learning?
What we do know:
• TXT-ing does not damage
children’s literacy (Wood, 2011)
• Apart from phone social media,
only 6% of us are producers
(Crook, 2008)
• Forums can negatively impact
motivation and confidence
(Timmis, 2004)

24. Finally- what are the moral issues
in supporting higher education
students who have a learning
difficulty?
• “The purpose of an exam is to
find out what a student can do in
three hours. If we gave everyone
two weeks, every student would
get 100%.” (University professor)

25. Finally- what are the moral issues
in supporting higher education
students who have a learning difficulty?
We are comfortable helping the L+ student…
… but are there equity
ssues a issues in how much
help support we we give to the L-
student? give to the L- student?

26. • Dyslexia
recognised by
University;
• Face-to-face
course
• Coloured paper
handouts
• General tutor
support
• Student gained
MA degree

27. • Dyslexia recognised by
University;
• Multimedia blended
learning online course
• Student sent tutor
independent report:
• “IQ=105;
• Reading age = 12.5”
• Skype tutor support
• Text-to-speech
• Severe difficulties in
meeting M-level goals

28. • Encouraging more reading practice to speed up word
recognition and vocabulary
• Better text-to-speech software to support reading while
listening
• More guided support to develop Critical Internet Literacy
skills (Al Wabil, 2007)
• Assessing relevance
• Assessing trustworthiness
• Generating better search terms
• More collaborative/social learning
• More guidance in using intelligent writing support tools
such as Ginger and Co-Writer
The Future:
What are the most urgent needs
of the online HE student?

29. Final LITERACY Conference: Wien, February 2015
LITERACY in the Internet age:
Potentials and limitations to online learning
Colin Harrison, University of Nottingham, UK
colin.harrison.ac.uk