Digital SQA Exam papers for Pupils with Additional Support Needs

Exams on computer! In 2008, SQA became the first qualifications authority in the UK to offer adapted digital question papers for candidates with disabilities or additional support needs to use when sitting National Qualifications.

This followed successful trials of the digital papers in 2006 and 2007 by CALL Scotland and SQA. Evaluation of these pilots demonstrated that the pupils who used the papers preferred them to other methods of support such as reader and/or scribe. Staff felt that pupils were more independent using the papers than using reader/scribes, and also noted that fewer staff and accommodation were required.

Pupils who have writing or recording can type their answers into the paper, or use for example, speech recognition or word prediction, while pupils with reading or visual difficulties can have the paper read out using text-to-speech (with the option of using 'Heather' - the new high quality Scottish computer voice available from CALL Scotland at www.theScottishVoice.org.uk).

This seminar will demonstrate the papers and we will discuss how they have and are being used in schools. Since pupils who need digital papers for the few weeks in May and June are also likely to benefit from digital and other alternative format versions of prelims, textbooks, worksheets and other curriculum materials during the previous 11 or so years of schooling, we will also look at how schools themselves can create adapted digital versions of learning resources.

For more information go to Adapted Digital Exams. Information about learning materials in alternative accessible formats is available from Books For All..

Paul Nisbet has been working in the fields of assistive technology and alternative and augmentative communication since 1983, when the Communication Aids for language and Learning (CALL) Centre was founded, as one of the very first pioneering projects to explore the potential of these new 'microcomputers' as aids for education and daily living for people with disabilities.

Paul became Joint Coordinator, with Sally Millar, of the CALL Centre in 1991. The CALL Centre provides services and undertakes research and development into the use of ICT for and by children with special educational needs. As the Scottish National Centre of Excellence in the field, CALL is part funded by the Scottish Government and provides advice in terms of policy and practice to officials.

In addition to his other responsibilities, Paul undertakes assessment and support to children and staff in schools; tutors on CALL's programme of courses; and devises and carries out research and development projects.

Paul is author of several books dealing with ICT and SEN: Testing with Special Technology, Special Access Technology, Supportive Writing Technology, Introducing Speech Recognition to Schools; Books for All.

He is one of the inventors and designers of the award-winning CALL Centre Smart Wheelchair and continues to develop hardware and software for the chairs, which are now sold under licence by Smile Rehab Ltd. He has developed training resources for introducing speech recognition to pupils with additional support needs; instigated and led a project to develop and trial digital exam papers for pupils sitting Scottish Qualifications Authority Exams; has recently completed the Books For All project funded by the Scottish Government; and is currently working with CereProc, a spin-off company of the University of Edinburgh, to licence and distribute a high quality Scottish accent computer voice for pupils in Scotland to use to access digital exam papers, textbooks, exercises and other curriculum materials.