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Dawson College
Adaptech Research Network
3040 Sherbrooke West
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H3Z 1A4
Tel: (514) 931-8731
Fax: (514) 931-3567
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What's New
New: Seeking Participants for Social Media Accessibility Study
The Adaptech Research Network and the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) are studying the use and accessibility of various forms of social media by college and university students and recent graduates with visible and non-visible disabilities in Canada. For the purposes of this research, social media includes, but is not limited to, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, SecondLife, podcasts, and instant messaging services. Results will be used to increase the awareness of colleges, universities, employers, and others who use or develop social media so that they take into account the needs and concerns of users with disabilities.
We want to hear from users of social media. We also want to hear from those of you who eith! er cannot or choose not to use social media. Participants who complete the brief, confidential, online survey are eligible to win one of five $100.00 Chapters/Indigo Books & Music gift cards as a token of appreciation.
The survey is located at http://www.adaptech.org/smac.
Should you have any questions, email sm@adaptech.org.
Free and Inexpensive Computer Technologies Video
You can see demonstrations of some of the free and inexpensive software featured in our Downloads section by watching a brief video we produced.
Pédagogie Collégiale Profiles Adaptech Research Network Co-Director Catherine Fichten
An article profiling co-director Catherine Fichten has appeared in Pédagogie Collégiale. It is available in French in PDF.
Now Available: Positives Scale (Postsecondary Information Technology Initiative Scale)
The Adaptech Research Network recently developed the Positives Scale, a 26 item questionnaire allowing students with disabilities to assess how well their information and communication technology (ICT) needs are being met on and off campus. Results can be used to evaluate how well an institution.s ICTs meet students' needs; provide empirical data to influence ICT policy; and pinpoint areas of strength as well as areas for improvement, all from the perspective of students with different disabilities. Statistically reliable and valid, the scale can be completed online, within a Word document, or on paper in either English or French. The research behind the development of the Positives Scale involved 1354 university and junior/community college students with a variety of disabilities from across Canada, and was funded by a grant from the Canadian Council of Learning.
Download and read our final report:
For more information on this study, contact Catherine Fichten.
Now Available: Why do students with and without disabilities abandon their studies?
The main aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of why students abandon their studies, or perform less well than expected given their high school grades, and to develop predictive models that can help identify those students most at-risk at the time they enter college. This will allow teachers and those responsible for student services to better support these students with early interventions. Due to their higher risk profiles, the investigation pays particular attention to males and students with disabilities. The objectives of this study were to: 1) compare the retention profiles of the targeted groups and establish baseline data; 2) gain a better understanding of the reasons why students leave prior to completing their diploma; 3) identify characteristics that contribute to poor performance and attrition, and 4) develop models that can identify students with the highest probability of academic failure by exploring the contributions made by a combination of background, psycho-social and study skill variables and high school grades.
Download and read our final report:
For more information on this study, contact Shirley Jorgensen.
New: Quebec Study on Information and Computer Technologies and Students with Learning Disabilities
The Adaptech Research Network has recently been awarded a three-year grant from the Fonds de recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC) to look at the current state of information and communication technology that could be useful for postsecondary students with learning disabilities in the mainly francophone province of Quebec. The goal is to examine and understand any gaps and recommend solutions, particularly for information and computer technologies that could be useful for college students with learning disabilities.
For more information on this study, contact Adaptech Research Network co-directors Maria Barile, Laura King, or Catherine Fichten.
New: Canadian Study Looks at Persistence of Canadian Postsecondary Students with Disabilities
The Adaptech Research Network has been awarded a three-year Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant whose objective is to examine and understand factors that drive academic persistence and drop-out among college and university students with disabilities in Canada. The goal is to make data-based recommendations to the postsecondary education community about how best to support these students. success.
For more information on this study, contact Adaptech Research Network co-director Jennison Asuncion or Catherine Fichten.
New: Quebec Study Comparing the Satisfaction and Academic Success of College Students With and Without Disabilities
With funding from a new two-year grant from the Programme d'aide à la recherche sur l'enseignement et l'apprentissage (PAREA) we will compare college satisfaction, perceived academic obstacles and facilitators, and academic success of students with and without disabilities and examine how these aspects are related. This is an archival study looking at students who studied at Dawson College, Montreal.s largest English language Cegep, in 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2009. The objective is to recommend interventions that will help improve satisfaction, diminish obstacles, decrease attrition, and improve academic success.
For more information on this study, contact Shirley Jorgensen, Alice Havel, or Catherine Fichten.