Courses For Professional Practice

Supports professionals in developing the skills required to produce accurate notes and assist visually impaired students in accessing learning environments.

Course fees: £450 + VAT per element.

Focus areas include:

WJI013 — Notetaking Skills For Support Staff Working With Sensory Impaired Learners

Level 3 | Credit 3 | 21 Guided Learning Hours | 6 Learning Outcomes

1. Bespoke Notes — Understanding why notetaking must be tailored to each individual with a sensory impairment, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

2. Context-Specific Considerations — Analysing the different challenges notetaking presents across settings: lectures, workshops, seminars, presentations, multimedia, and independent learning outside the classroom.

3. Practical Notetaking Skills — Producing well-structured notes using consistent formatting (layout, fonts, spacing, images, labels), proofing tools, and handling gaps or missed content. This includes presenting notes as part of ongoing learner assessment.

4. AI and Digital Tools — Understanding which AI tools support the notetaking process (including LaTeX for maths, STEM accessibility tools, and prose aids), how to use them appropriately for proofing and writing, and critically evaluating their benefits and limitations.

5. Professional Practice and Legislation — Knowing the role and boundaries of a specialist notetaker within a wider support team, alongside relevant legislation and safeguarding requirements for sensory impaired learners.

6. Personal Good Practice — Developing your own guidance framework for delivering a high-quality, bespoke notetaking service to sensory impaired learners.

WJF901 — Notetaking for Support Staff Working with Vision Impaired Learners

Level 3 | 2 Credits | 9 Guided Learning Hours | 2 Learning Outcomes

A focused unit covering two areas:

1. Understanding Vision Impairment — Evaluating the range of vision impairments and how each affects a learner, then identifying the physical barriers present in the specific environment where notetaking takes place (e.g. lighting, layout, screen access).

2. Practical Notetaking Skills — Preparing appropriately for individual learners’ needs, producing notes in the right style and format across at least three different environments (lectures, workshops, etc.), evaluating how completed notes were delivered, and reflecting on learner feedback to improve future practice.

WJF902 — Notetaking for Support Staff Working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Learners

Level 3 | 2 Credits | 9 Guided Learning Hours | 2 Learning Outcomes

1. Understanding Deafness and Communication — Evaluating the different types of deafness and their impact on learners, understanding how deafness affects language acquisition (particularly for those born deaf or deafened early), and explaining the range of communication methods deaf and hard of hearing learners may use (e.g. BSL, lip-reading, spoken English, SSE) and how these shape their learning needs.

2. Practical Notetaking Skills — Preparing individually for each learner’s needs, producing notes in an appropriate style and format across a range of environments, evaluating how completed notes were delivered, and reflecting on learner feedback to identify improvements for future practice.

Compared to WJF901 (vision impairment), this unit goes deeper into communication and language — recognising that for deaf and hard of hearing learners, the notetaker must understand not just the physical environment but how the learner processes and accesses language itself, which directly shapes how notes should be written and presented.