Liberated Learning Stakeholders
Overview
While Liberated Learning was first developed with disabled students, notably hearing impaired students, in mind, the concept is relevant in other spheres of life. Liberated Learning stakeholders can be any person or persons for whom learning is a goal. Learning can be delivered or received in many forms in many environments: from the classroom to the business world. New applications become evident as word of the Liberated Learning concept spreads.
Students
Many students experience difficulties taking notes during lectures, including difficulties with hearing, vision, concentration, or mobility. Some students may also have difficulty grasping some lecture content, because it is new and very different from past experiences. The Liberated Learning concept gives students access to both auditory and visual learning channels, improving integration and retention of lecture content.
Students in Liberated Learning classrooms acquire an alternative to traditional classroom note taking with the opportunity to see the lecture on a screen in real time (live captioning), at the same time that they hear the lecture being delivered by the professor. This instantaneous display of the lecture acts as a reference check for individual notes and lecture comprehension.
In a Liberated Learning classroom, all students, with or without disabilities, have equal access to software-generated lecture notes. Students with visual impairments can convert these notes to various formats, such as Braille, audio, hardcopy and electronic copy or to synthesized speech. Students with mobility impairments who may be unable to take notes or position themselves where they can best see and hear the professor, can view the lecture and follow up with the software-generated lecture notes. Students with hearing impairments can view the lecture on screen, improving the classroom experience and also use the note generation service. No matter what the student's individual needs, the software generated notes give all students the time needed to better understand the lecture material after class has ended Liberated Learning Classrooms are now being introduced in a pilot study to secondary schools. Different levels of education incorporate a new set of challenges involving teaching methods and classroom organization. Younger students are exposed to different pressures than their older counterparts. Nevertheless, these students have many of the same needs and will benefit from Liberated Learning as an enabler in making the most of their secondary education experience. Hear and see what students have to say about Liberated Learning  .
English as a Second Language Students
Many International students and English Second Language (ESL) learners struggle with lecture content delivered in a foreign language. Also, some instructors regularly lecture in a language other than their mother-tongue. International students studying in English speaking universities may be more comfortable interacting with the English language in print form and experience more communicative success through this channel. Students learning English in non-English speaking countries may be exposed to English instructors whose proficiency in the language may not be high.
Many countries are mandating that leading national universities begin course instruction in English. The goal is to increase English language fluency and to produce a better trained and better educated workforce able to function more effectively in the global marketplace. The expectation of teaching in English represents a daunting task for both professors and students. In addition, ESL courses can benefit greatly from the use of the technology. English text supplemented with audio can aid in comprehension, text organization, pronunciation, and stress and intonation.
ESL populations are exploding in English speaking institutions, providing a new set of challenges to institutions and faculty alike. Programs that offer learning advantages to ESL clients will reap advantages in this highly competitive arena. Initial comments and enrollment increases in Liberated Learning courses lead us to believe that non-native English speaking students will respond favorably to Liberated Learning technology.
Professors
Academics are central to the delivery of this technology. Speech recognition affords educators the unique opportunity to critically appraise their conventional teaching methods. The verbatim lecture transcripts in particular have inspired academics to seriously reflect upon their pedagogy. The adoption of teaching habits that more effectively communicate the lecturer's message is just one of the many beneficial side effects of Liberated Learning. Liberated Learning supports academic staff in taking a proactive, rather than a reactive, approach to teaching students with different learning styles. It provides educators with a practical means of making their teaching accessible and improves the quality of instruction in the process.
Hear and see what professors have to say about Liberated Learning .
Accessibility Advocates
Accessibility legislation, including the Americans for Disabilities Act, positively affects efforts to expand use of the Liberated Learning concept. Finding innovative and cost effective interventions to comply with basic legal and societal obligations drives exploration of the Liberated Learning concept. In addition to fostering dependence on intermediary approaches, traditional support services consume vast resources. Volunteer and paid note taking programs, sign language interpreting services, real-time transcription, stenography, and other intermediary based models are very expensive to operate. Thus, universities and colleges continually seek viable cost effective alternatives that offer equal or better quality, increase student independence and access.
For instance, Resolution 3.4 of the European Union Council concerning the integration of children and young people with disabilities into ordinary systems of education (31 May 1990) advises that increasing use be made of the educational potential of new technology to aid communication and the development of language skills.
In large US urban centers, one deaf student can require up to US$100,000 of interpreting services in the course of an academic program. It has been reported that one stenographer/captionist (court reporter status) could cost over US$60,000/year. Such prohibitive costs make Liberated Learning an attractive alternative worth investigating.
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