Supporting Disabled Students in Distance Education: A Comparison of Effective Practices in UNED and the Open University
Tim Coughlan, Francisco Iniesto, Ana Castellano-Beltrán, Covadonga Rodrigo
The Open University, UK; UNED, Spain and Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
Abstract:
Appropriate guidance, strategies, and assistive technology for disabled students are widely recognised as context-dependent; however, there is limited research examining how educational contexts shape what support is effective or how recommendations might translate across institutions and countries. Our research addresses this gap by investigating how disabled students in different national and institutional contexts describe themselves, the barriers they encounter, and the assistive tools, strategies, and resources they find helpful. We analyse survey data collected using a shared design from disabled students at two large distance learning universities: UNED in Spain and The Open University in the United Kingdom. The survey included closed and open-ended questions designed to foreground student perspectives. While both institutions use a distance-teaching model and serve large, diverse student populations, they differ in their teaching approaches, policies, diagnostic frameworks, language, and institutional technologies.
By comparing student-reported use of assistive tools, including screen readers, captioning solutions, and emerging generative AI tools, alongside institutional features of each context, we identify how contextual differences influence the relevance and perceived usefulness of strategies and technologies. Key themes include differences in how disability is diagnosed, named, and communicated, as well as how teaching models and institutionally supported platforms shape where barriers arise and how they are overcome. The findings highlight both commonalities and divergences in disabled students’ experiences across contexts and provide conceptual insights into dimensions of variability in assistive technology and support. This work contributes evidence to support more context-aware, adaptive systems for guidance and recommendations, with potential application across institutional and national boundaries.
Learning on their own terms: A Study of Self-Organised Learning among University Students through the lens of Activity Theory
Amon Ezike
Lancaster University
Abstract:
Recent literature on self-organised learning (SOL) in higher education (HE) highlights its potential to foster student autonomy, collaboration and resilience. However, much of this research has focused on formally mandated or tutor-supported student groups, offering limited insight into how students independently initiate and sustain SOL outside formal institutional structures. In particular, the dynamics of how SOL emerges and functions without tutor intervention remain under-explored.
This research employed a qualitative survey methodology and an Activity Theory framework. A sample of sixteen students, studying different academic disciplines in the UK and all with prior experience of SOL, were interviewed and asked questions about their purposes and experiences when doing so. Questions attempted to draw out how they created, sustained and adapted SOL activities. Data were analysed using the activity system model to explore the dynamic interactions and underlying mechanisms shaping student-led learning and collaboration in informal settings.
The study identified six distinct objects of SOL activity, each giving rise to a uniquely structured activity system. These systems were characterised by different patterns of social interaction, role negotiation and structural dynamics. Each activity system revealed specific internal contradictions shaped by its object. For example, in a coursework review activity system, students experienced a tension between collaborative planning and the need to uphold academic integrity through individual work. Meanwhile, some contradictions were experienced in common ways across multiple systems most notably, the challenge of maintaining focus amid social distractions. Yet these tensions were sometimes driven by different aspects of the activity system, highlighting that similar difficult experiences could be driven by different causes depending on the dynamics of the specific activity.
The research offers a range of contributions to the literature. It conceptualises SOL as a dynamic, object-oriented activity system with its own internal contradictions and adaptive strategies. Notably, it draws attention to how the roles of individual students within SOL are fluid and responsive. These insights extend current understandings of SOL by revealing the socio-cultural and structural conditions that enable sustained, autonomous students’ SOL in higher education.
The dynamics of Collaborative Problem Solving in Hybrid Learning Environments
Rogers Kaliisa, Crina Damsa, Kamila Misiejuk
University of Oslo and Fern University Hagen
Abstract:
Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) is increasingly enacted in hybrid learning environments, where some students participate on-site while others join remotely. Although research has established the importance of self-regulation and co-regulation in collaborative learning, less is known about how these processes unfold when collaboration shifts across physical, online, and hybrid modalities. This gap is important because hybrid participation introduces uneven access to interactional cues, different communication demands, and potential imbalances in participation that may shape how students plan, monitor, and coordinate their work.
This study investigates how regulatory processes are manifested during CPS across different modes of presence in a master ‘s-level legal technology course. Six student groups engaged in problem-solving tasks through physical, online, and hybrid meetings. The dataset comprised approximately twenty hours of video-recorded group interaction. Drawing on established frameworks of self-regulated and co-regulated learning, the meetings were coded for key regulatory behaviours, including individual planning and monitoring as well as collaborative planning and group monitoring. Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) was then used to model the co-occurrence of these behaviours and compare patterns across modalities. Findings indicate that CPS in hybrid settings is shaped by mode of presence in important ways. Physical meetings showed stronger patterns of group monitoring and tightly connected co-regulatory activity. Online meetings were more strongly associated with individual planning and self-monitoring, suggesting greater reliance on autonomous regulation. Hybrid meetings showed more fragmented connections between individual and shared regulation, pointing to the complexity of coordinating participation across distributed settings. These findings suggest that hybrid collaborative learning requires targeted pedagogical and technological support to enable equitable participation, coordination, and shared regulation.
The Effectiveness of Blended Learning in Secondary Mathematics Education: Perspectives of Students, Teachers, and Parents in Saudi Arabia on the Madrasati Platform
Nader Alharbi, John McDermott, Keith Topping
The University of Dundee, UK and King Fahad College, KSA
Abstract:
Madrasati “My School” is an e-learning management system introduced by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education to enhance teaching and learning. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Madrasati platform in facilitating blended mathematics learning among secondary school students in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study analysed mathematics attainment results from 3,443 students across four secondary schools, comparing three instructional methods: face-to-face, fully online, and blended learning. Quantitative data were analysed using t-tests, ANOVA, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), while qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with twelve mathematics teachers were thematically analysed. Questionnaires based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) were administered to students, teachers, and parents to assess their acceptance and engagement with the platform and explore perceptions of its effectiveness from different aspects.
The findings indicate that both fully online and blended learning approaches resulted in higher average mathematics scores than traditional face-to-face instruction. However, face-to-face learning showed more consistent results in certain grade levels. Statistical analyses revealed that while teachers and parents perceived the platform’s usefulness as the primary factor influencing their intention to use it, students were more influenced by its ease of use. Teachers found Madrasati particularly beneficial for teaching algebra and calculus, whereas students appreciated its support for exponential equations and measurement units. Despite acknowledging logistical challenges such as limited technological resources and increased workloads, participants generally preferred blended learning for its flexibility and resource availability.
The study concludes that the Madrasati platform has significant potential to enhance student engagement and autonomy in mathematics learning. However, its success is contingent upon addressing technical challenges, providing adequate teacher training, reducing workload, and integrating it effectively with traditional teaching methods. The findings offer practical recommendations for the Ministry of Education to strengthen digital infrastructure and support educators as Madrasati becomes essential in advancing digital learning within Saudi Arabia’s secondary education system.
Empowering Teachers about Artificial Intelligence to Support Learners with Disabilities
Salima Sewani
The Open University, UK
Children with disabilities continue to experience significant disparities in educational attainment and literacy, particularly in low-resource environments where teachers lack affordable training and digital tools (UNESCO, 2024). In Pakistan, these challenges are intensified by limited professional development and insufficient digital competencies among teachers (Kamran & Bano, 2024). This pilot scholarship project examines the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to enable teachers to develop inclusive, low-cost learning resources for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in community-based educational settings. The study was conducted at a Karachi institute serving 40 children with disabilities and supported by 15 volunteer teachers, utilizing a qualitative single-case design with six teachers selected through criterion sampling. Data collection methods included focus group discussions to identify challenges in resource development and reflective diaries to document engagement with AI tools. Drawing on connectivism theory (Siemens, 2005) and the Community of Practice framework (Wenger, 1998), the research explored how teachers construct knowledge through digital networks and collaborative participation. Participants completed 10 hours of practical AI training and collaboratively developed three inclusive resources, including colouring books, storybooks, audio poems, and puzzles, which were disseminated via the MERLOT open-access platform. The findings indicate that AI training improved teachers’ ability to design accessible, low-cost resources, fostered innovation, and promoted a collaborative culture of practice. The project underscores both the challenges teachers encounter in developing resources for learners with ASD and the transformative potential of AI to address gaps in inclusive education. By aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 4, this study provides context-sensitive evidence from Pakistan to inform global discussions on AI in education. Dissemination through conferences and forums aims to inform policymakers, NGOs, and educators, and to encourage the adoption of responsible, inclusive AI practices that promote equitable learning opportunities for all learners, regardless of ability.