Research project aimed at learning disabled

 

 

      
Research project aimed at learning disabled
September 16, 2009

By Katie Strachan
The Oshawa Express

A research project underway at Durham College will help students with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The college, with the announcement of funding, is
looking to gather insight on how post-secondary schools can deliver services and support to enhance student success in college. The Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) announced it is providing the school with more than $230,000 in funding over a two-and-a-halfyear period. The funding is the largest amount awarded among 19 approved post-secondary projects, four of which were to colleges, states a Durham College release.

“We are excited to be working towards greater opportunities to ensure the success of students with learning disabilities and ADHD,” says Deborah Tsagris, a learning strategist and the lead researcher. The research is being conducted through the Centre for Students with Disabilities, which serves the college and its Oshawa campus partner, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT). Beverley Myatt, also a learning strategist with the centre, and Dr. Bill Muirhead, UOIT’s associate provost of Teaching and Learning, have joined Tsagris in the research, which will explore various types of services students use, how certain services contribute to their success, how they interact with them, who they go to for assistance, how they engage with professors, potential barriers and more.

In total, 17 students have already been interviewed, with the goal to meet with 60 more students each year, some of who will participate throughout the entire research project. There will be about 40 students involved from UOIT, which will provide a significant look at both the college and university environments. The Centre for Students with Disabilities has established
a reputation across Ontario for services unique to the post-secondary system, including its Enhanced Services Program, which is offered throughout the year. Both programs foster greater self-determination for students with learning disabilities in terms of understanding
their own unique needs, a key factor in their success. Students are taught using a specific instruction of skills with non-traditionally taught component elements, assistive
technology and computer literacy.

“We are very pleased HEQCO has recognized the great potential in this research,” says Margaret Greenley, vice-president of student affairs for Durham College and UOIT.“The Centre for Students with Disabilities has a demonstrated track record of developing valuable supports and services and this research will deliver even more opportunities for student success. Durham College is committed to pursuing research that will have a demonstrated impact on campus and for the broader community. This work will also deliver information
and results that are applicable to all students, whether they have a disability or not.”

While the work will surely aid Durham College and UOIT, the research findings will also be available to other colleges and universities who wish to use them. This could have a significant benefit across the entire Ontario post-secondary system, states the college.

Currently there is very little research available about the impact services can have on students with learning disabilities at the post-secondary level. The research team will file interim reports with HEQCO leading up to the end of the study period in July 2011 and then a final report.
     
 

 

  
     

 
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