Design of a Virtual Learning Environment for Students with Special Needs

The European Social Fund-supported Portland Partnership project developed acomputer-based virtual learning environment (VLE) to benefit students with cognitive andphysical disabilities. This system provided students with access to a suite of softwareprograms to teach them basic/essential skills needed for everyday life and to use informationand communications technology (ICT). The VLE can be customized to meet individualstudents’ needs by selecting an input device, adjusting its setting, or choosing a symbol set tosupport on-screen text. The learning programs within the VLE required careful design tomake them stimulating and beneficial to students who have diverse health conditions anddisabilities. The VLE and learning programs were evaluated within four partner Colleges ofFurther Education. Observations showed that students enjoyed the learning tools and thetutor comments indicated that students also benefited from them. A series of guidelines wereidentified for the design of future VLEs and learning software for students with special needs.