Transition 2.0: Digital technologies, higher education, and vision impairment

Edgar Pacheco,Miriam Lips,Pak Yoong

doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.11.001

Edgar Pacheco, Miriam Lips + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.11.001

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Abstract

This article introduces Transition 2.0, a paradigm shift designed to study and support students with disabilities' transition to higher education. Transition 2.0 is the result of a qualitative study about how a group of young people with vision impairments used digital technologies for their transition to university. The findings draw from observations, a researcher diary, focus groups, individual interviews, and data from social media. The article discusses a conventional view of transition, referred to here as Transition 1.0, which has dominated disability-related research and service provision in higher education. It counters this view by further developing the conceptual framework for Transition 2.0. The findings expand current conceptual approaches to transition by incorporating in the analysis the role played by digital tools such as social media and mobile devices. They also provide a new lens through which to study and understand student engagement in higher education.

Highlights

The transition to university is a critical event in the life of young students to the extent that it has an impact on their decision to continue or leave higher education (Tinto, 1993)
This paper addresses the challenge in the context of students with vision impairments by presenting Transition 2.0 and developing a conceptual framework that includes the role of new technologies on the way new students make sense of transition to higher education
The evidence from this study shows that students with vision impairments are using digital tools innovatively and creatively to cope with the challenges of their transition experience

Summary

Introduction

The transition to university is a critical event in the life of young students to the extent that it has an impact on their decision to continue or leave higher education (Tinto, 1993). Research on this matter is important because it can inform the development of approaches and services to support new students (Upcraft, Gardner, & Barefoot, 2004) and help to address the perennial challenge faced by tertiary institutions regarding student retention and engagement (Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2008). Support to ease the transition experience has centred on compensating and/or ameliorating the impact of their impairment through the provision of a range of specialised services and resources (Getzel & Wehman, 2005), so students with impairments can adjust to university (Kochhar-Bryant et al, 2009)

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