Abstract
The daily activities of educational institutions globally were affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020. The abrupt transition from on-campus to distance learning gave students and educators limited time to prepare for such a massive shift in teaching and learning. Students with disabilities (dubbed TDO students in the UAE), were negatively impact because their normal routines had been abandoned, leading to anxiety and stress. This study adopted a qualitative approach to explore effective strategies for online learning, to engage TDO students, implement a support program to meet their needs and enhance online learning experiences whilst reducing fatigue and improving retention. Research tools included semi- structured interviews, observations and document analysis. Five themes were derived from the findings, including a lack of training for students and staff, standardization of TDO identification procedures, limited use of online tools and time factor. Data collected revealed challenges of academic fatigue and retention for TDO students. Strategies for positive impact was an increase in the use of technology tools that facilitated high student engagement, e.g. Nearpod, Padlet, Kahoot, Quizzies, in online settings. A reduction in the length of classes led to improved retention figures. Recommendations from the study included the creation of a TDO Support Hub, increase the use of assistive learning technology tools, such as, audio books, desktop magnifying screen, supernova software as critical factors. Also, offering a more personalized curriculum to TDO students, in conjunction with providing continuous opportunities for staff to be trained in online teaching approaches made a difference.
Author Information
Jacqui Lottin, The Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates
Paper Information
Conference: ECE2022
Stream: Education & Difference: Gifted Education
This paper is part of the ECE2022 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Lottin J. (2022) Exploring the Challenges of Academic Fatigue and Strategies to Enhance Retention for the Determined Ones (TDOs) in Online Learning ISSN: 2188-1162 The European Conference on Education 2022: Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1162.2022.36
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1162.2022.36
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