Skip to content
Skip to main content

About this free course

Become an OU student

Download this course

Share this free course

Teaching and learning tricky topics
Teaching and learning tricky topics

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

3.2 How to use a student profile

When considering your student profile and how the characteristic you have identified could influence the design of your intervention, you might like to think about some of the following:

  • What guidance can be provided so that the student makes the best use of their time?
  • What signposting could be put in place to help this student access additional materials?
  • What can you do to ensure that the content and resources reflect social diversity?
  • What can you do to ensure your materials are accessible to everyone?

Designing accessible materials is a particularly important topic. For example, traditional teaching and learning approaches pose barriers for many learners because they focus on three core activities with text as a core element: listening, reading and writing. These activities disadvantage learners with a print impairment (potentially 10% of learners), learners with English as a second language and learners with other disabilities such as sensory impairments or concentration and memory difficulties.

Technology enhanced learning can be used to transform traditional teaching and learning and improve accessibility, engagement and ultimately achievement but only if students have access to the required technologies and software.

Activity _unit5.4.3 Activity 4 Sharing your profile

Timing: Allow approximately 15 minutes

Once you have created your student profile, you should share it with colleagues explaining what steps you might take to design an intervention that meets the specific needs of this student. You might encourage your colleagues to create one too, then comment on each other’s profiles.

Now share and write some aspects of your student profile with the tricky topics team using the IRIS Connect group [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] under the Activities Tab, Week 4, Activity 4.

Your activities for Week 4 are complete. Now work through the Week 4 quiz which includes questions for all the work you have covered in this course so far.