Opportunities
Bradford College is moving from strength to strength and considering the wave of new developments, there are a lot of opportunities facing the organisation.
In the area of Information Technology, Bradford College has lunched a flagship IT Learning Centre based right in the heart of the city and the crucial skills it delivers are central to Bradford’s regeneration. The centre actually opened it doors in September and by the official launch on 9th February, it was a runaway success, with over 700 students registered. The working people of Bradford now have access to IT on the high street. Bradford College has been appointed as one of five Deloitte Regional Employability Centres to deliver prestigious new training. Bradford College will become a centre of excellence for training in and delivery of employability skills. A major initiative by Deloitte promises to train 800 experienced college teachers to train students in employability skills over the next five years.
The partnership signed with Leeds Metropolitan University could be seen as another opportunity for Bradford College, it formalises the commitment of the two institutions to work closely together in the future on a wide range of collaborative activities for the benefit of the people of Bradford in particular and West Yorkshire in general. The agreement includes a validation arrangement through which students on many degree courses at the College will graduate with degrees from Leeds Metropolitan University.
In view of all these opportunities, one can see a brighter future for Bradford College as organisation possible threats could be Government policies and changes in technology.
Government policies have reduced funding for Community Education which means a number of these classes have had to close. A change in Technology means that the College must be up to date and efficient in this area.
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External Market Analysis of the Organisation (Bradford College) PEST.
Looking at political factors affecting Colleges in the Country both positive and negative, in recent years, Government policies such as Top up Fees leaves some students (home students) in huge financial problems after graduation
Another Government policy that would have negative effect on colleges is widespread reforms to funding, according to recent budget announced by Gordon Brown, The Department for Education and Skills is to get a real terms 2.7 per cent increase between 2008 and 2010-11. English education's share of that is 2.5 per cent a year on average in real terms, taking spending from 2010 in England to £74.4bn. That is more than ministers feared when the spending round began. It is less than many in education would have hoped for.
But it is not all bad news, there are other Government policies which benefit some Colleges and Universities, for example, the announcement of the planned £25m investment in science and engineering departments is a welcome sign of the government addressing the financial difficulties affecting many of our universities. (Financial Times http://www.efinancialnews.com/, visited on 20-04-07).
There are some Economic factors affecting colleges in the Country, for example, the recent report by the BBC reviewed that Colleges are spending more money on entering students for exams than they are on heating, cleaning or computers, they say, this is as a result of government policy which requires colleges to use external qualifications as a pre-condition for receiving funding.” The continuing rise in exam-fee expenditure above 10% a year is unsupportable and will deny other resources to students."
On a more positive side, the recent proposed Bill (College Student Relief Act (H.R. 5) this bill is designed to make college more affordable and accessible by reducing the interest rate on subsidized student loans for undergraduate students. Over the next five years, the rates will be half of what they currently are for a brief period of time (Stafford loan consolidation,
, visited: 23/04/07)
Drug, Alcohol consumption, antisocial behaviors are some of the Social issues affecting Students at the Colleges in the UK.According to recent report commissioned for the launch of the independent UK drugs policy commission, says that education programs aimed at steering young people away from drug use appear to have had "very little impact" on experimentation with illicit substances. Questionnaire conducted by Blackwell Synergy found that 25.6% of male students and 14.5% of female students drinking more than their safe limits of 35 and 21 units per week respectively
(Blackwell Synergy, April 1990
, visited: 23/04/07)
There is no doubt that Technology has made a massive impact in Colleges in the UK. In the case of Bradford College, The College in partnership with Tektra (One of the UK’s largest IT training Organisation) has invested in a superb new IT Learning Centre.
The Centre will support learners in a relaxed and comfortable environment A Centre Manager, a team of tutors and administrators will ensure that learners receive a quality learning experience whilst achieving nationally-recognised qualification in information technology applications.
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Financial Analysis
Bradford College has enjoyed good financial health and envisages that this will continue to grow over the coming years. This is against the backdrop of a national picture of instability and financial insecurity in Further and Higher Education.
According to 05/06 Financial Report, the College Financial situation looks like this:
Sources of Income 2005/6 £000s %
LSC Grants 25,867 48
HEFCE Grants 8,254 15
TTA Grants 3,182 6
Tuition Fees 7,580 14
Other Grants Income 2,805 5
Catering & Residence 1,279 2
Other Income 5,083 10
Total 54,050 100
Expenditure 2005/6 £000s %
Staff Cost 35,561 66
Non-pay Cost 17,031 31
Surplus 1,458 3
Balance Sheet £000s
Fixed Asset 34,059
Net Current Assets 2,778
Less Long Term Liabilities (10,417)
Total Reserves 26,420
(College Finance report 05/06)
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Business Report
Information Technology and Disabled Students
This report will be looking at how Information Technology for Disabled Students would provide a competitive advantage for Bradford College and student’s success. Mainly looking at Visually Impaired students and other areas such as dyslexia.
Blind and partially sighted people (visually impaired) are being sidelined by today's society. For many of the two million people in the UK with a sight problem, obtaining information in a form that they can use remains an ever-present challenge. Although blind and partially sighted people should be able to receive news, notices and personal information in a format that they can access, all too often this doesn't happen. There is no reason why disabled people should be left behind by technology
Visual impairments are divided into two general categories: blindness and low vision. Individuals with blindness have absolutely no sight, or have so little that learning must take place through other senses. Only 10-15% of the visually impaired population is totally blind. People with low vision have severe impairments and need special accommodations, but are still able to learn through vision." (Office for Students with Disabilities)
Technology can be invaluable for people with visual impairments, both as a tool for learning and communication and for providing visual stimulation. By using a computer with appropriate software and hardware the visually impaired user can be given access to standard resources.
A thousand websites were tested for the survey using automated software, and detailed user testing was carried out on 100 sites, including government, business, e-commerce, leisure and web services such as search engines. The results showed that the worst affected group were those with visual impairments. Blind people involved in testing websites were unable to perform nearly all of the tasks required of them despite using devices such as screen readers. (www.bbc.co.uk, visited: 25/04/07)
Independence, integration and participation are three fundamental concepts for visually impaired students. Independence in the sense of self-sufficiency, thereby eradicating the requirement of everyday personal assistance and support functions, integration throughout all levels of education, and (active) participation pervading all facets of society. Are these concepts, or goals, wholly achievable however? There are many ways in which these aims can be fulfilled for visually impaired students, but perhaps one of the most powerful means is through the use of information technology. This is particularly relevant when it comes to visually impaired students and the ways in which they access their studies in further and higher education
Bradford College can do a lot more to assist Visually Impaired students to succeed in their studies, and doing that will give the College competitive advantage over other Colleges and Universities in the country. Starting point perhaps is by making the College website readable by Visually Impaired students.
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What then are the actual information technologies that are available to visually impaired students? What difference can it make to them? And how can it benefit their access rights to education and employment? When assessing the needs of the visually impaired in terms of access to electronic information it should be stated that requirements tend to differ from person to person.
Setting up a computer for visually impaired Students
Standard computers and software can be configured to suit individual preferences. In most cases these settings can be saved so that they take effect each time the computer and particular program is used. Some understanding of the nature of different visual impairments is useful.
Settings for text sizes, fonts and colours can be used to alter the appearance of the screen and to increase its legibility. The monitor controls can be used to alter contrast and brightness. Apple Macintosh and PCs using Windows have built into their system a range of adaptations to help users with visual problems. A larger or higher quality monitor may be easier to see. An anti-glare screen may be required for some users too.
Using speech with the computer
Computers can use speech synthesis to read text and screen contents giving visually impaired and blind users access. Adding speech support to standard software can give additional help to someone with visual difficulties. Those with very severe difficulties may require specialised speech screen reading software. Early learning software using speech and sound alongside bright pictures can motivate visually impaired students to explore and interact with their surroundings, i.e. Exclusive’s and (Inclusive Technology website, visited: 30/04/07)
In terms of sound technology many software packages are available for the visually impaired. With regards to input, voice recognition systems can be used in which the software 'learns' the user's voice and how to adapt it into the required information. Dragon Naturally Speaking Professional (DNSP) is one such voice input system and is acknowledged by the RNIB. This particular package claims to perform to a 95% voice recognition standard after only a modest amount of time. In relation to output there are many screen readers on the market. According to Konicek, Hyzny and Allegra the most popular screen readers for Windows-based applications are JAWS (Job Access With Speech) and Window-Eyes.6 Basically, what these software packages do is to allow the (visually impaired) user to hear what is displayed on the screen, and in the case of JAWS a selection of varying voices and reading speeds is permitted. More information on the above mentioned software later on this report. In addition to standard computer equipment there is a range of special electronic equipment designed to be used by people with a visual impairment and they are:
Home Page Reader is an Internet browser designed for users who wish to access the Internet in a non-visual or combined auditory and visual way. This includes blind or partially sighted users, people with dyslexia or learning difficulties, and users who are learning new languages.
A JAW is a powerful software program designed to work with a speech synthesizer to improve the productivity level of visually impaired students and the casual user. By streamlining keyboard functions, automating commands, and eliminating repetition, JAWS allows visually impaired students to learn faster and easier than ever before. JAWS is based upon a whole new approach to talking computers - that of designing software with the priorities of the blind user in mind.
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Yet, the sighted trainer or supervisor has not been forgotten, since JAWS offers both audible and visual flexibility
TextAloud is good software for anyone with low or impaired vision who wants to get the most out of their computer. This text to speech tool reads text from email, web pages, documents and more –all to make it easier for you to access information without putting a strain on your eyes.
This software can also save Visually Impaired students daily readings to MP3 or Windows Media files ready for playback on your iPod, PocketPC, or even on your TV with Tivo's Home Media Option.
- an input/output device that acts as a Brailler. The student can use the Braille 'n speak for things such as note taking, writing papers, or doing assignments. The Braille 'n Speak can be hooked to a computer to be used with various software programs or to print to a Braille Printer. The Braille 'n Speak is also capable of being bilingual if the student is taking a foreign language
Supernova Reader Magnifier
Magnification, speech or Braille -or all three? You choose. Supernova gives people with vision impairment the freedom to access Windows in the way that suits them best. With minutely adjustable settings Supernova can provide computer access to those with low vision to blind in a truly personal way. Ideal for individuals experiencing varying or deteriorating eye conditions, Supernova is also indispensable in an institutional setting, such as school or work, where people with multiple types of vision impairment require solutions (Keytools website, visited: 26/04/07)
Lunar Plus is software for Visually Impaired students; it allows the student to continue working with the computer in exactly the same way and is therefore highly practical for both office and home situations. Lunar Screen Magnifier's advanced technology means that even on high magnification, text and images remain smooth, clear and easily readable
At the moment, Bradford College library got no facility for visually impaired students such as talking books, book reader etc. When you consider that 96 per cent of books are never published in formats that blind and partially sighted people can read, for many people that world is a reality.
Plustek Book Reader integrates high-speed scanning, natural voice synthesis (for read back) and highly accurate text-to-speech and optical character recognition (OCR) functionality. Additional features, especially designed include: magnifying functions, font controls, volume controls, speech controls, bookmark functions, PDF reading, etc all these functions would make visually impaired student’s life a lot easier in the College.
CCTVs enable the vision-impaired to read newspapers, medicine bottles, telephone books, handwritten letters and much more. A CCTV system consists of a video camera that projects a magnified image of printed text, handwriting and photographs onto a video monitor PC or TV screen. Depending on students needs, they can choose CCTVs with manual focus, auto focus, colour contrast imaging controls, plus a wide selection of magnification ranges a (http://www.independentliving.com/, visited: 10/05/07)
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Dyslexic Students
Information Technology can make life much easier for Dyslexic Students during their time in the College, and providing these facilities can be a massive competitive advantage to Bradford College.
It will not only enhance Dyslexic Students performance, it will also increase their enrolment into the several courses in the College.
There are a lot that can be done using some pieces of software and hardware available, some of the softwares I used during the placement. One of such software is Mindgenius, according to Dyslexic.com, MindGenius is a sophisticated mind mapping program which gives you the flexibility to draw a variety of concept maps and then export them to a variety of applications. Its innovative approach of displaying the map, the map explorer (which displays the text outline of your map in a hierarchal tree arrangement) and the notes editor, where students can enter, edit and format notes associated with your map, makes it an ideal tool or both mind mapping and or planning essays, projects, presentations or even web pages. Unlike other mind mapping programs MindGenius enables students to change the layout, spacing and style of your map, with more than 15 different layouts available, including an outline layout. There are also a number of options or attaching files, maps, images and icons to a map.
Another pieces of software is Texthelp, the software will not only help the students but teachers as well. It provides the ultimate support tool for dyslexic students and adults, Read and Write offers users speech feedback and word prediction for practically any Windows program - for example, word processor, spreadsheet, DTP, encyclopedia, web page, Help file or an educational program.
Read and Write has been specifically designed for users with dyslexia and provides many tools to help access and compose written material. Features include high-quality speech feedback, phonetic spell checker, word prediction, dictionary and talking calculator. The Teacher's Toolkit enables teachers, administrators or parents to customize Read and Write to meet the requirements of the individual; including turning on or off functions (such as the spell checker during exams) and monitor spelling mistakes and usage logs. The style of the toolbar can be customized to be appropriate to the age of the user. Users can chose whether they want basic or advanced word lists and definitions in the dictionary, word prediction list and homophone checker. (Dyslexic.com, visited: 01/05/07)
TextAssist® 3.0 - this is a program that not only can perform some of the functions of HELP Read, but also some extra functions like ability to read any form of Windows applications like HTML, or Word, or emails. It also has increased text size and ability to highlight text as it reads.
HELP ReadTM this program reads and texts. The program supports English language and can perform a number of functions like customizing the pronunciation of mispronounced words, highlighting words or sentences while reading, looking up definitions, linking through the net to classic works of literature and many others
Speech recognition. Speech recognition program such as Dragon Naturally Speaking or IBM ViaVoice may be the answer. This program will type what you say to it - word for word. As you can imagine, the program needs some time to learn your particular speech patterns and accent, and there is a training program which allows students to read a couple of chapters of a simple book. It is advisable to read more than the suggested number of short chapters, as the more the program hears student’s voice, the better it will be at recognizing their speech. (Dyslexic at College website, visited: 01/05/07) (600 words)
is a powerful visual mapping tool inspires users to develop their ideas, while planning and structuring workflow. Interactive diagrams, charts and reports help organize and prioritize concepts and information. Use it in the classroom for making notes, understanding concepts and drafting essays, reports or presentations. Creating and modifying concept maps, webs, idea maps and other graphic organizers is made easy, with an intuitive interface that focuses on the creation and delivery of work.
'The Kurzweil 3000 is the greatest tool to benefit the dyslexic student. Students can bring in a library book or an article, etc. and scan the material one class period and listen/follow along the next period. Students can also use bookmarks and change the voice and speed that it reads to their individual tastes. The Kurzweil also comes with a CD with numerous works available to be read without scanning. With the CD student can just find the author and click; locate the story he/her needs and click; and start listening. This helps the students because they stay on schedule. The “Kurzweil 3000” scans text, recognizes text, reads the text with voice options, and highlights the text – each word as it reads it. It has highlighters that can be used to extract and make notes from the text and therefore is useful in summarizing. The voice control and speed of speech can be set and it sometimes reads words out of context, but very rarely. It is an excellent asset for dyslexic students However, its greatest drawback is that scanning each page of text when reading a book is extremely time consuming and takes a large amount of computer space. (Dyslexia Teacher website, visited: 01/05/07)
ConfidentReader is the assistive reading software designed to help people with dyslexia improve their reading and spelling skills. ConfidentReader turns written text into natural sounding human speech. Students will find their comprehension and reading improves as they hear the material, simultaneously see the words highlight on their screen, and read along. This plays to strengths to help students boost their performance. ConfidentReader can read electronic textbooks, PDF files, Microsoft WORD documents, and web pages.
There is no doubt that Bradford College will have a competitive advantage IF the above mentioned Information Technologies are made available for the students concerned
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Evaluation of my ten Professional Practice
The ten weeks professional practices has been a massive step in the right direction for me and the course I am studying. When I started my course (Business and E-commerce) with the college I was worried about the learning outcomes, whether I will be able to fit into the real working environment at the end of my course. After this ten weeks work placement, ‘‘some’’ of my worries are gone because through the professional practice I have been able to make a link between the course I am studying and the business environment or organisation in which I was placed.
Looking back now, I am happy that I took the option to do professional practice rather than the alternative option. It was an amazing experience, something I wouldn’t have achieved in lecture rooms. The professional practice gave me the opportunity to learn more about the course I’m studying and about myself as well.
Obviously this is not to say that the experiences I have gained through the professional practice came without a challenge but the challenges makes it unique and worthwhile. I must point out here that I wouldn’t have gained the experiences without my supervisors (Narinder and Darmash) They gave me all the assistance I can possibly wish for.
Some of the core modules in my course have to do with information technology and the professional practice gave me the opportunity to put my knowledge of information technology into practice. This is not to say that I have done it all or that I have arrived, no, it is a spring board for me to build on what I have learned during the. Professional practices
During the Ten weeks professional practice, I was able to use accounting package software Sage, making sale and information gathering. Some of the work I did during the professional practices they include:
- Information Technology making databases for customers
- Taking telephone call orders from customers
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Sage line 50 for Accountants (The software covers every aspect of accounting such as the production of sales ledgers, nominal ledgers, purchase ledgers, credit control and VAT management.
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Internet based research on how other online Companies set memory cards prices on their individual websites
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Last and not the least, I helped Darmash developed a website for The Learning Service (B Centre)
Working on the above mentioned user manuals means that I have to apply my first and second year degree knowledge of Information Technology skills. I had to study those softwares first then produce user manuals for students on how to use those softwares. Also working on those pieces of softwares helped me to learn more about The Learning Services (My Area of Work Experience placement), about different types of disability, what their needs are, Information Technology for instance, how visually impaired students use computer, the use of different computer commands etc.
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I had the opportunity to actually attend an exhibition with my supervisor and some of her students to see wide range of the hardwares and softwares used by visually impaired students
Web design is one of my core modules and during the professional practice I was able to develop a website with up to fifteen link pages for The Learning Services (B centre). I was glad to be given the opportunity to do that in a real working environment, it was a great opportunity to learn more about web development because it is one subject I really need in my course.
Business and E-commerce as a course has a lot to do with web development, website analysis, how to place information on the website and I was able to test my skills on all these areas during the task.
My ability to gather information and analysis it in a systematic way was also put into test judging by some of the internet based research given to me by my supervisor (Caroline Goodwill) and her colleague (Sheila Hunter) during the professional practice. I also had to produce a written summary about one of softwares I worked on
Before the start of professional practice, one of my biggest concerns was my time management, considering the fact that I have to be at my work placement department everyday, Monday to Friday from 09am to about 16.30 for ten weeks, this was not something I am used to, but looking back now I think I did not let my supervisor or myself down at the end of it all.
Until the start of the professional practice, I knew little or nothing about the structure of Bradford College as an organisation or inter-relationship between the different management functions, the hierarchy, especially the department I was placed but now I have an idea of the structure
I was able to negotiate my Learning Agreement with my supervisor (Caroline Goodwill) something I got no clue how it is done before the professional practice
As somebody who is accustomed to doing things on my own ways before the professional practice, I have learned how to operate within business organizations through social communication and interactions, showing respect for other people or professionals within the workplace; it helped me to increase participation or assistance in obtaining information or completing tasks. For instance, when I was writing my report, I needed some information from difference departments of the College, the Interpersonal skills I learned during the professional practice helped me to avoid interrupting someone who is currently preoccupied with a task in order to obtain information I needed for the report. I used other approach with language such as, "Excuse me, are you busy? I have an urgent matter to discuss with you if you have the time at the moment." That enabled me to work with others harmoniously and efficiently.
One other valuable lesson I learned during the professional practice is about data backup and restoration, something I have not taken seriously until now, half way into writing my report my file accidentally got corrupted, and I was able to restore it.
Since I started my course with the College, I have never written a report worth of six thousand words (6000) within this short period of time, but haven learnt about effective time management, gathering information in a systematic way, understanding and analysing information and effective interpersonal skills, I was able to complete the report on time.
Considering the fact that I will be writing my dissertation next semester, there couldn’t be better ways of preparing for it than this report writing.
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Again this report gave me the opportunity to read more on the subjects like SWOT and PEST.
SWOT and PEST were in my first year degree marketing topics, then it was not treated in dept but with this report I was able to research more on it and understand the topics
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Comments/feedback
I think it is very important that students are sent to an organisation or business environment where they would be able to do something that is related to the course they are studying.
I take my case as an example, doing my professional practice with The Learning Services has thought me a lot about the course I am doing. From day one, I was able to work on projects that deal with information technology; information technology is one of the core modules of my courses.
During the professional practice, I was asked by my supervisor to develop a website for the department, here again, web development is another subject I needed to improve on and sending me to a right place helped me to do that. I couldn’t imagine what the case would have been if I was sent to an organisation that got nothing to with my interest and the course I’m studying
Before I started the professional practice, my supervisor called me a week before for an orientation or briefing during which I was told what I would be doing during the professional practice, time etc; this sort of prepared me ahead. So I suggest that students are given the opportunity to attend an orientation or briefing with the organisation where they are placed
Where I did my professional practice
What I did during the professional practice
