Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Contents of “A ssistec”
module 1: Fundamentals
eLearning
Medical and physiological fundamentals
Legislative framework and funding
Design for all
Fundamentals AT & Reha-Te chnology
module 2: Assistlve technologies special knowledge
Aids for specific learning difficulties
Aids for hearing impaired
Aids for vision impaired
Mobility aids
Augmentative or alternative communication
ATs in different areas (work, home, education, leisure time)
Practical experience
module 3: Process of assortment and provision of AT & leT
Assessment and demand analysis
Environment analysis in technical area, sociological area, economical area
AT-management and mediation
module 4: Assistive technologies in practice and application
Practical course and thesis
Research in the field of AT and future developments
FIgUre 9.4
Contents of the university course “Assistec.” The mentioned components accord to the contents and do not
exactly reflect the whole seminar title.
assessment; analysis of the environment of people with disabilities in respect of technical,
sociological, and economical areas; and mediation. It is this module treating with the outlined
complexity of the field of psychotechnology in its technological, medical, and psychological
aspects in diverse social, political, and other environmental contexts. A particular emphasis,
as outlined, is given on how to cooperate with and influence the mainstream population with
respect to the eAccessibility needs of AT users.
During the fourth module, participants must undergo practical experience by managing
and documenting a process of assortment and provision of AT by means of composing a
scientific thesis. This kind of work placement/secondment can also be completed while
holding down a job because the whole university course is organized as an in-service
training. On the basis of an understanding of AT provision taking into account both the
user and the environment, a special emphasis is given to the practical problems of covering
the whole complexity of AT provision.
This shows that the developed curriculum is a composition of different professional
subjects and contents of teaching taking the complex nature of AT provision, as outlined in
Chapter 4, into account. The range of subjects highlighted covers medical, legal, technical,
economical, management, sociological, and psychological aspects. In addition, crucial
elements of the course are the cooperation and networking with enterprises in the field of
AT as well as dealing with eAccessibility as a mainstream requirement.
9.5.5 eLearning System
The design of the course is characterized by a blended learning system, which “combines
face-to-face instruction with computer-mediated instruction” (Bonk and Graham 2006).
