Market Research Report

Evidence for this result

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Market research was planned to be focussed on a questionnaire. The Questionnaire has been sent to well over 6000 targeted addresses but the response has been too weak for statistical reliability.

Partners have reported that it has been more difficult than anticipated to get understanding of the project in the "cold call" situation and that teachers are tired of questionnaires. Feedback from direct interaction with teachers and end-users proved much more effective. The key outcome from feedback from these discussions has resulted in the production of an on-line tracking and progress monitoring facility on the web site.

This technology provides a focus for take up of the certification by underpinning the administration of individual education plans from initial target setting through tracking progress to on-line publishing of reports based on the evidence used for certification. This can replace several systems used for these activities in the UK with significant cost savings and removal of the need to manage local technology infrastructure. Partners are enthusiastic about this even though it is likely to take time to get some teachers used to using technology in this way if there is not trradtion. There are more details about this in the Additional Results page.

Summary of outcomes of data analysis

Responses included experienced teachers and they covered the priamary and high school age ranges. Most responses were from teachers in mainstream schools and most taught some learners with special needs within their classes, mostly with social and behavioural problems. Most said they had specific experience or qualifications to teach these groups but a significant minority did not. Almost all children were assessed in relation to their needs more frequently than annually. Most teachers though that they had colleagues teaching learners with special needs that did not have appropriate training. Most teachers agreed that learners with special needs have their curriculum specially modified to take account of their needs. All teachers said they used technology to support SEN learners, most on a regular basis. There was a wide range of methods used by schools to monitor learner progress, some resulting in considerable administrative overheads. Although there were many cited methods for providing rewards and recognition for achievement there was little apparent consistency. Many teachers thought that mainstream qualifications were not appropriate for all learners with SEN. Comments such as no progression of skills post-16 and high drop out rates. The great majority think there is value in formally recognising achievements of learners with SEN and do this. What was considered formal recognition varied from a written comment on work to an externally quality assured certificate. A significant minority say there is value but it isn't done and almost no-one said there was no value in it.

In wider discussions it was considered that there is too much fragmentation in the systems leading to levels of administration that detract from teaching and are often seen to be a barrier to take up of progress monitoring or rewarding learners through certification. It would be better to support individual education plans, target setting, evidence management, progress tracking and certification in a single seamless system. Sustainability is dependent on manageability and making systems only as bureaucratic as is absolutely necessary will save teacher time and resources while at the same time improve the benefits for learners. 

With these points in mind, it was decided to develop a full cloud based progress tracking and reporting system to support the certification. This would make the project more likely to be sustainable. If the technology is developed on a generic basis it could also support progress tracking in mainstream VET enabling formal and informal learning to contribute to certificated outcomes. Furthermore it would make better sense than the simple e-portfolio/VLE approach which often appears to be a solution lookig for a problem. With on-line progress tracking we have an identified need that can be statisfied much more efficiently using cloud based open source technologies, with the potential to provide this support as free value added to complement the certification. 

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Additional Results (Result 19)