supporting students in prison – centre for open learning of mathematics, science, computing and...
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Supporting students in prison –
Centre for Open Learning of Mathematics, Science, Computing and Technology (COLMSCT) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302).
Val HancockCOLMSCT Associate Teaching [email protected]
or big business?
cottage industry
Action researchResearch• Student interviews• Prison education staff interviews• Prison Tutors forum
Action• Prison Tutor Support wiki• M150 Trial
Research• Statistics• Tutor questionnaires
Prison Tutor Support wiki
Alternative Approaches
Solutions for overcoming problems due to lack of
internet access in prison
Advice & Guidance
Practical advice for tutors who have
students in prison
Prisons
Guidance on the facilities and
requirements of individual prisons
Alternative approaches
Course news Alert prison education staff by email, phone or post
Web referencesOffline versions of web pages emailed or on CDPrinted pages
Internet searchesMediated search by OU library, tutor or prison staffAlternative sources e.g. books, DVD encyclopedias
Videos & podcastsOffline versions emailed or on CDTranscripts emailed or on CD
Collaborative toolsOffline tutor group (or dummy) forum/wiki/blogOffline responses
Download assignmentEmail as attachmentPrint and post
Computer Marked Assignments
Post paper OCR form
Assignment submissionEmail to electronic submission systemPaper submission
Course website Download to prison intranet running generic Moodle
Course Component Alternative approach
EDO framework – a proportional response
Categorise activities requiring internet access
Essentialstudents will fail the course if the activity cannot be carried
out
Desirablestudents can pass the course if the activity cannot be carried
out but their overall grade is likely to be affected
Optionalmany students outside prison will not engage with the
activity
Trial
• Getting started• TMA00• M150 course website• General support• Useful forums• Useful sites
General Advice
TMA01•Question 1 (i) (b)•Question 1 (i) (f)
TMA02•Question 2 (v)•Question 3 (i)•Question 3 (iii)
Specific Advice
M150: Data Computing & Information 2009J• 9 students• 7 tutors• 7 prisons
Tutor questionnaires (2008J)• All 7 tutors completed the questionnaire
• No student had access to the internet
• Assignment submission
– Electronically: 5 students
– Paper: 1 student
– Mix: 1 student (TMA01 on paper)
• All the tutors would be happy to have another student in prison
• Comments:
Emails to Learning centre staff and material sent were passed on with minimal delay.
Access to the podcasts was difficult - in the end I downloaded them to a CD and then had to post it to the LC, as I wasn't allowed to take the CD into the prison myself.
It is important for the tutor to know initially what the student can and can't access
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Score
1 2 3 4 5 6Assignment
Assignment Marks
Offender Learners
Entire cohort
Statistics (2008J)9 students registered• 2 withdrew before the course started• 1 did not complete the course• 6 passed the course
Tutor questionnaires (2009B)• 6 out of 8 tutors completed the questionnaire
• 1 student had access to the internet
• Assignment submission
– Electronically: 5 students
– Paper: 4 students
– Mix: 1 student (TMA05 on paper)
• 4 tutors would be happy to have another student in prison
• Comments:
A great deal of extra work for tutors above the normal expected workload
Education depatment seemed reluctant to dowload materials and submit TMAs via the internet
System for supplying course materials from web should be provided directly by OU, i experienced far too may problems and didn't know if any of it got to student.
.. communication with the education officer was difficult - extreme reluctance to reply to emails. Material I sent was passed onto the student but nobody was prepared to download anything apart from TMAs. [He] was fed up with the course and his inability to contact me directly and decided to give up. Not the best experience - but I would still do it again!
Statistics (2009B)11 students registered• 1 withdrew before the course started• 1 withdrew part way through the course• 1 did not complete the course• 8 passed the course
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Score
1 2 3 4
Assignment
Assignment Marks
Offender Learners
Entire cohort
Discussion
• Should support for OU students in prison continue as a cottage industry?
• Or should it become big business by transferring the onus for support to Walton Hall?
• What do we mean by ‘accessibility’?• Is the EDO framework useful?• Are there other learning design applications for the
framework?
Handouts
• Advice for ALs who have an M150 student in prison– Getting started– TMA specific
• Forum discussion• Offline web pages• EDO framework
Further information• Alternative approaches to online activities for prisoners
and others without access to the Internet (COLMSCT project): http://www.open.ac.uk/colmsct/activities/details/detail.php?itemId=474c44f736651&themeId=48a9748015077
• Prison Tutor Support wiki: http://conclave.open.ac.uk/prisontutorsupport/index.php/Main_Page
• Val Hancock: [email protected]
