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On-line trainautism
The project ON-LINE TRAINAUTISM is a training project in the field of autism, whose objective is developing a specific training about the autistic spectrum disorders for affected parents and relatives, given in an open and off-site learning environment. The use of the most innovative information technologies (ICT) is a key aspect of this initiative, since they allow the training to be developed with a very flexible schedule, which can be adapted to the availability and the knowledge of the participants taking it. For this same reason, the materials elaborated, both theoretical and practical, has been developed modularly and easily adaptable to the needs and changing demands of our students.
Beyond this initiative remains the aim of improving the quality and adding a European dimension to the training through the cooperation between different players at a European, national and regional scale, promoting, at the same time, the collaboration between professionals and families from different countries.
ON-LINE TRAINAUTISM, started in October 2001 and the promoter is Fundació Congost-Autisme (Spain) The consortium in charge of its execution is composed by 8 institutions, from 5 different European countries (universities and societies of parents of people with autism and professionals). Such organizations, except the FCA, are as detailed below:
From the joint work developed during the project by the consortium emerges an autism training “toolbox”, which can be used by both the participant institutions and other ones interested flexibly to cover their educative need in the area of autism. Such autism training toolbox contains the following elements:
- theoretical and practical training modules
- e-Learning training environment for the development of courses
- multimedia products, such as a CD-Rom
- manuals for parents, families and professionals
Such products or components of the toolbox are available in Spanish and English. Some of them have been translated in some of the languages of the partners of the project consortium. (WE NEED TO KNOW WHICH MATERIALS HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED AND TO WHICH LANGUAGES)
The target audience of the project and, consequently, the direct beneficiaries of the On-line Trainautism training “toolbox” are the families of people with autistic spectrum disorders, but also the professionals directly involved in the care of this population, both at home and residences, day centres, etc., who help and cooperate with families in their daily activity. All of them need to receive a high-level training in order to ensure the quality of the care delivered to the people with autism. Their active participation in the pilot courses has enormously contributed to the success of the On-line Trainautism initiative. Their suggestions and contributions have been included during the course of the project, in order to achieve the highest levels of satisfaction and quality.
It is already important to highlight that the participants of our pilot courses have remarked that the off-site training has a series of advantages compared with the classical on-site training:
- Anonymous interaction. Some participants prefer it, either by shyness or by any other kind of reason. They feel more comfortable participating in this way, as they do not have to express their opinion on-site, in front of third parties.
- Flexible timetable. Students have more independence to organise their time.
- Written discussions. Any participant has the chance to express his/her opinions and read the ones from other through the forums of the course, chaired by the tutor teacher. Written Interventions constitute an excellent moment of exchange alumnus-alumnus and alumnus-teacher.
- You do not have to move from home or work, feature very useful for those people who leave away from big cities. That also allows having a team of teachers physically located at different point of Europe.
In relation with the methodology employed in the project, it is important to mention essential aspects:
- the structure of pilot courses;
- the e-Learning environment;
- the contents;
- the activities; and
- the designed evaluation processes.
Concerning the structure of courses, these are divided into course addressed to professionals and courses addressed to parents.
The purpose of courses for professionals is providing the basic tools for the development of home intervention programmes, while in the course for parents is providing practical resources to improve the care of their children.
- Globally, three courses for professionals were developed: the first one between November 2002 and February 2003, the second between March and May 2003 and, the last one, between June and July 2003 (in Spanish) and during October 2003 (in English), in an intensive version.
- The course addressed to parents was developed between November 2003 and April 2004.
The necessary environment for the development of these on-line courses had to be special and in keeping with the philosophy and objectives defined in the project. For this reason, it was developed an e-Learning environment, which constituted a specific virtual campus composed by different elements:
- an Agenda with the calendar of the course
- a Forum for an open exchange and discussion between the alumni and teacher about a topic defined in the course
- a Teacher’s Board (whose contents are the theoretical modules)
- a section of Activities
- a section of Tests (practical exercises and self-assessment tests)
The contents of courses are modular and are divided into theoretical and practical modules on which participants could work according to the academic calendar.
Activities include:
- study of texts
- the analysis of practical cases proposed by the teacher, diagnosis, evaluation and development of intervention programmes,
- participation in discussion forums with specific topics for the course of professionals and for the course of parents. In the former topics are more focused in treatment aspects and the family scope is tacked from a wider point of view. In the course for parents, topics are focused in family relationships, respite services and home treatments.
- self-assessment tests
- Tutorship service concerning the contents of the course and technical incidences
As for evaluation, satisfaction questionnaires are used, which participants must reply once finished the training. Up to now, we can state that the satisfaction levels have been very high. Our students highlight the following as the most positive aspects of their learning process: the discussion of practical cases and discussion forums.
On the other hand, it is also important to remark that within the framework of the project, as a part of the dissemination activities, three seminars were organised. The first one was in Prague (Czech Republic), in October 2002, the second one was in Bratislava (Republic of Slovakia), in May 2003, and the last one, in Krakow (Poland), in May 2004. All of them were a great success of participation and attendance (affected relatives and professionals of this area).
Summing up, we could say that the project ON-LINE TRAINAUTISM has involved a great advance in the improvement of the quality of life of people with autism, as well as of their families. The promoter consortium is widely satisfied of the results obtained and the benefits brought to the people who have participated, and expects that the multiplying effect will be remarkable and that other institutions will take advantage of the accumulated experience. The ON-LINE TRAINAUTISM consortium encourages anyone who might be interested to follow in its footsteps.
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