SQA Braille Competency Course - Contracted completing April 2021 - March 2022

Number of Participants completing: 10
Number of Respondents: 10

Overall Assessment:

How would you rate the following:

How will you use what you have learned in this course?

Daily at my work.
I will use it in my work with blind pupils.
I work in a school for the visually impaired. I will use what I have learned to strengthen pupils' understanding of the grade 1 and 2 code.
Regularly (daily basis).
I will use my learning to assist students in their learning.
Working with VI children.
As a result, I am now able to support learners who are Braille users to access all areas of the curriculum.
This will be used every day to provide work for visually impaired pupils.
Supporting children and young people throughout Renfrewshire.

How would you rate the following:

What was best about the course?

Pacing was good.
Learning something new and the support and feedback from the tutor.
The support provided by the course tutor was excellent. The explanations in each stage were clear and I felt they were well structured.
Feedback/responses from tutor.
Varied reading and writing Braille.
Pace of course and depth covered.
Very well-spaced assessments and well explained.

What, if anything, could have been improved?

Some explanations could have used more examples to help understanding of rules particularly those around numbers and equations and using grade 1 symbol.
I'd have personally like more Braille to read or examples.
More transcriptions for written exercises, particularly for stage 9 which introduces a lot of new rules regarding punctuation. This would provide reassurance that the rules are being applied correctly.
More transcripts.
More raised reading.
More worked examples in earlier stages especially.

Any other comments regarding the course?

In final assessment inclusion of side headings and address/phone number in a list which I was unsure how to lay these out e.g., is it a list or headings?
Some of materials quite dated.
This course is very difficult, however the course content over the last 18 months has equipped me well to support learners – both at the beginning and at a more advanced level.
Very enjoyable.

Distance Learning

This course was delivered through distance learning - did you find this a good arrangement or would you have preferred a different mode of delivery? Please comment either way.

Distance was fine.(3)
The explanations were comprehensive and suited the mode of delivery. It would be nice to have more contact with other people who are also doing the course at the same time.
Excellent with Covid.
It would be good to have one or two tutorials either face to face or online through the course. I was lucky as I could speak to colleagues and the tutor was available to answer questions. However, I feel I would have benefitted from some direct input.
Some direct teaching sessions would have been helpful.

Overall distance learning experience

How would you rate the overall learning experience?

How did you hear about this course?

Co-ordinator/Line Manager: 7
SSC website: 1
No response: 2

What other SSC CPD training would you find useful?

Anything linked to blind/VI pupils.
How to build pupils' pre-braille and reading skills.
Refresher Braille.
How to introduce and teach early or pre-Braille skills.
Use of ICT tech to support Braille users.
Braille Maths.