The home of QuickScan and StudyScan
the original dyslexia screening programme
the original dyslexia screening programme
We began to use the StudyScan suite at West Kent College when it first became available in December 1997, starting with version 1.1. We used it at first for a trial period, for its initial purpose of assessing students with dyslexia.
The StudyScan suite assesses a student in two ways; first, the student has to do the QuickScan assessment which involves answering a questionnaire. The student has to answer 110 questions as honestly as possible; the questions appear one at a time and the format is very user-friendly. As a result of the way in which the student answers the questions, he or she will receive a printout which gives detailed information about learning styles. The printout also indicates whether the student requires additional support from the Study Centre and/or whether the student has any dyslexic tendencies. StudyScan claim that this assessment is 90 - 95% efficient. Student information is stored confidentially and the student is given a code. If the student appears to have dyslexic tendencies, he or she requires this code in order to continue with the full Studyscan assessment. This is a very comprehensive test of a variety of skills; it tests cognitive abilities; coding/sequencing (for short-term memory problems); speed of processing; both timed and untimed comprehension; auditory spelling; punctuation; numeracy and application of Maths. It generally takes a student about three to four hours to complete all the tests. Ideally, it should be done in one day, but in practice it is possible to complete all the tests within a week. The student has to be supervised throughout.
We have used the StudyScan suite comprehensively since December 1997. Between December 1997 and September 1998 over 70 students had completed all the tests on the initial version, 1.1. In September 98, we received the upgraded version, StudyScan 1.5., and since then a further 108 students have taken the assessments.
The students' StudyScan assessments are always compared to the Educational Psychologists' assessments, if there is one available. We always file a copy of the StudyScan assessment and the Educational Psychologist has examined these reports in detail as well. The assessments show remarkable similarity. There are small details which are different; for example, the educational psychologist checks reading speed orally as opposed to StudyScan where reading speed is silent. We have been impressed with the consistency of the two reports; the educational psychologist is happy to support these findings. The discrepancy seems to lie in the fact that StudyScan is particularly stringent in its findings ; frequently, it suggests that the student has compensated for dyslexia and whilst the student still requires specialist support and teaching, it does not recommend that the student is given time concessions. Often, the student still requires additional concessions, particularly in an examination situation where stress will cause the student to panic and have greater problems with spelling and speed of processing.
The StudyScan suite is currently only loaded on the Learning Support computers. This enables us to monitor students and give counselling and guidance, as required.
We have discovered that the StudyScan suite has a variety of practical applications. First, it is a useful method of assessing dyslexic students' strengths and weaknesses. It enables us to tailor a teaching programme for each student. It also enables us to give guidance to students about suitable courses. For instance, students' cognitive abilities may be higher than previous academic records might suggest, and, as a result, we may recommend that a student is placed on a more demanding course. In one instance, a student who had poor coding skills was recommended to take the secretarial course which did not involve taking shorthand.
As a result of using the QuickScan assessment, we began to use a study skills’ programme with each dyslexic student using their preferred Learning style. This proved so beneficial that we decided to use the QuickScan assessment with all new students as part of the inclusivity policy, so that all students could gain greater self -awareness about their Learning. (This is the subject of another article which will be published subsequently.)
The StudyScan suite is easy to administer with students. A tutor does need to be present whilst the student is doing both the QuickScan and StudyScan assessments. The student may need guidance and information about dyslexia; frequently, the student will need to be reassured and have his or her self confidence boosted before they can begin to take the StudyScan tests.
The StudyScan suite was originally devised for use with higher education students and hence, the language can present some problems for some students. I did discuss this matter with the educational psychologist; once a student reaches the age of 16, he or she has to be assessed using adult tests. Also, as the tests have to be able to cope with a whole range of students, some students are bound to find some of the tests difficult; most people do find some of the tests difficult. However, the only person who actually complained about the difficulty of the StudyScan tests was a dyslexia tutor; no student has found the tests too difficult to complete even though some have complained about certain tests. This means of testing is not appropriate for all students; tutors have to use their discretion about its suitability, and if it is not deemed to be suitable, other means of assessment have to be used. The number of students for whom it is not suitable is very low; we have used the tests with a variety of students taking courses from foundation level GNVQ to higher education students.
The screen layout is easy on the eye. When the student is taking the QuickScan assessment, there is only one question at a time to answer. There is a choice of background colour and the font size is variable. The student is able to change the text set-up at any time. There is a consistent screen layout for each of the tests. The student goes through the same routine; first, the student is given instructions and an example of what is required from the test. Then the student is given a practice of the type of question before they begin each test.
There are graphics at the beginning of both QuickScan and StudyScan but obviously not during the tests, as it would not be appropriate. At the moment there is no sound for QuickScan but I understand that this is one of the upgrades currently under review. StudyScan does have sound, and it is possible to press the audio button for a repeat of instructions or information.
The students' feedback on the StudyScan suite is very positive. Most of them are involved with the tests and are quite happy to spend the time necessary. Many say that they prefer to be assessed by the computer than the educational psychologist because they feel less embarrassed with the computer; they do not feel in anyway judged on their performance. They are also able to get swift feedback on their results, which they appreciate. Once they have completed the tests, a tutor needs to feed certain information from the student's Proforma into the computer before the test results can be finalised. It is normally possible, however, for the student to receive a copy of the report within 24 hours. The report is a very comprehensive; the computer can produce a 19 page dyslexia report and a further 32 page analysis report should it be required.
We have found the StudyScan suite to be a very useful additional means of assessing students. It enables us to have a profile of the students’ strengths and weaknesses, which helps us to support each student more effectively. It has also enabled us to be able to offer greater self-awareness to all students with regard to their Learning Styles. It is, however, still of paramount importance to interview each student to discover his or her problems, and to discuss how best to help each student to achieve his or her targets. I do not believe that any computer programme will be able to replace the human quality.
The software for the StudyScan suite is networkable. We did have problems with networking the software and as a result had the software loaded individually on the machines in Learning support. We would now prefer to have the software loaded locally; we have found it preferable to be able to monitor the students as they take either QuickScan or StudyScan. Some students require counselling and guidance if they are found to need additional support either from the study centre or because they have dyslexic tendencies. A couple of mature students have been distressed to know that they are dyslexic and it is vital that they receive support straight away. We would not be able to offer this assistance if students were able to take the assessment on their own. It could also be possible for a student to practice for tests if the StudyScan suite were networked, and this is highly inadvisable.
We have found the quality of back-up for StudyScan to be particularly good. The programme is in process of being updated for the third time in 18 months. Pico will listen and act on requests. They are also prepared to tailor the programme to individual requests; we have recently asked them to alter the QuickScan printouts to make the language simpler as it will then be more appropriate for the majority of our students. We have to supply the changes we require so we can tailor it to our needs. We have found that technical assistance has been given readily whenever we have needed it.
Name: Isabel Martin
Organisation: West Kent College
Job: Dyslexia Tutor
Phone: 01732 358101 x2403