Moray House School of Education and Sport

Technology for ASN in Education

In this innovative course, participants will learn about assistive technologies and resources for pupils with additional support needs.

This innovative and exciting 10-week online course is aimed at educators who would like to increase their knowledge on how technology can expand educational opportunities for learners with Additional Support Needs (ASN) such as those arising from conditions such as dyslexia, sensory impairment, severe and complex learning needs, autism, and communication difficulties. 

The focus of the course will highlight and explore a range of assistive technologies and resources for pupils who require additional support within an educational context to address barriers to learning. You will learn about strategies and processes to help you make the most of technology, either specialised software or tools that are built into the operating system of devices, e.g., Windows, iPads (iOS) and Chromebooks.

Who is the course for?

This course will be of interest to education professionals who wish to use technology to promote inclusion for:

  • Learners with literacy and numeracy difficulties, e.g., dyslexia and dyscalculia
  • Learners who experience visual difficulties, e.g., sight loss, visually impaired, blind
  • Learners with communication difficulties
  • Learners with physical difficulties
  • Learners with complex learning needs.

The course is aimed at an introductory level for:

  • Teachers, learning support staff and pupil support assistants in primary and secondary schools 
  • Educators in Further and Higher Education 
  • Local Authority staff whose remit includes education for learners with additional support needs.

Although the focus of the course is aimed at those working in the Scottish Education System, the course will be of interest to anyone working with ASN learners in any geographical location. 

Course aims

  • Develop an understanding of assistive technology and how it can be used with learners who require additional support 
  • Extend and enhance your knowledge of best practice when using technology with learners who require additional support 
  • Consider and engage with assistive technology assessment frameworks to provide appropriate technologies to meet different learning needs 
  • Understand key inclusive education theories and their link to assistive technology 
  • Consider legal and policy requirements relating to inclusive policies, strategies, assistive technology and accessible materials 
  • Increase confidence when working with technology to address barriers to learning.   

Learning outcomes

  • Identify a range of assistive technologies (including tools built into mainstream devices), resources and strategies to support learners with additional needs
  • Apply practical assistive technology skills within your workplace to facilitate new opportunities for your learners
  • Consider assistive technology frameworks to provide the correct support to meet different learning needs.
  • Explore relevant theories such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how it can be applied to create inclusive learning.  

Why is this course important?

Access to personal technology has huge potential for learners with disabilities or who have additional support needs, but pupils need more than a device. They need the device to be accessible and to use appropriate apps and resources. They also need teachers to provide training so learners can maximise the potential of their devices. Under the right circumstances, access to a digital device in class offers increased potential for learners with additional support needs to become more successful, confident, responsible and effective. 

Course information 

The course will be delivered online by the CALL Scotland team using a mix of online workshops, discussion boards and self-study materials including video presentations.

This course is a professional learning course which is non-credit-bearing and participants who have actively engaged with the online course and completed a small reflective task will receive a certificate of completion which can be used to evidence professional learning.

All the course tutors are committed to working with you, providing support when and where possible, if required. 

See below for an indication of the sessions included in the course starting in February 2024.

Weekly workshops take place every Tuesday at 4.00pm for about an hour.

Week 1 06/02/24

Introduction and overview of the course. Meet your tutors and colleagues and find out how to use ‘Learn’ our online learning environment and the University library, DiscoverEd. 

Week 2 13/02/24

Developing the early literacy and writing skills of learners with additional support needs and communication difficulties.

Week 3 20/02/24

Supporting literacy difficulties, what are the options? 

Week 4 27/02/24

Communication technologies (AAC) and strategies for learners with additional support needs.

Week 5 05/03/24

Technology to support learners with visual difficulties.

Week 6 12/03/24

Technology to support learners with complex needs.

Week 7 19/03/24

Switch access, wheelchair mounts and access solutions to support physical impairments.

Week 8 26/03/24

Technology to support autistic learners

Week 9 02/04/24

Assistive Technology assessment models, what are they and why are they important?

Week 10 09/04/24

The importance of inclusive principles in education, e.g., Universal Design for Learning, within the context of policy and assistive technology.

Course time commitment 

You will require approximately a minimum of 5-7 hours a week for self-study, contributions to the discussion board, the weekly online meetings and the self-reflective activity.  However, as you will have access to the University's library of e-texts, you can spend more time researching and reading articles of interest to you and share your findings with others on the course.

Booking information

The fee for 2024-25 is under review.

Bookings for this course have now closed.

Booking terms

The course fee is non-refundable. The Professional Learning Office operates a cancellation policy to ensure that delegates are not disadvantaged by the last-minute cancellation of courses due to withdrawals making the course unviable. 

We will use your personal data to allow us to process your registration, communicate with you and obtain your feedback about this course. We are processing the information about you for these purposes because by registering for the course you give your consent for us to do so.

In order to facilitate online bookings for our events, we use Epay.

Details of Epay’s privacy policy

We will not share information about you with any other third party.

We will hold the personal data you provided us for 12 months after course completion. If you have agreed to be contacted about future events, we will hold your personal data for as long as you subscribe to these updates. Financial data such as a payment record will be held for 7 years. We do not use profiling or automated decision-making processes.

Read our full privacy notice

Course facilitators

This course is facilitated by experienced professionals based at CALL Scotland, who work closely with Moray House School of Education and Sport.

CALL Scotland

Quotes from past participants

The opportunity to discuss best practice, ask questions of various professionals contributing to the course. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to undertake professional reading. I really enjoyed the course.

"The variety, range and quality of materials was excellent. It was also great to have the opportunity to hear from others who are working in this area."

"The course content was excellent including the extensive knowledge and experience of the CALL Scotland team, the opportunity to read so extensively, and the access to so many online resources. The overall course has had a very positive impact on the development of our service going forward."