An objective analysis of how far ahead/behind different students are in comparison to the rest of the class. Actual refers to completion of the course objectives, while relative shows how close this accomplishment is to the average of the class. Students were given a 'setback' level between 0 and -3 for each the three course related stages, and totalled to predict the impact that difficulties had on their progress through the course. As the students are ficticious, this was of course unscientific and not statistically valid, but it shows which types of students may require particular attention. (for each stage - not the total setback level - 0 = no disadvantage; 1 = slight disadvantage; severe disadvantage; 3 = course was effectively inaccessible)
Surprisingly, Amy's experience was by far the most affected and interrupted of the group. It would be easy to assume that a blind student would have more difficulty, but clearly there is a dependence on the emotional and enthusiastic state of the individual as to whether they are prepared to accept certain barriers, and work ways around them. Amy's experiences in the past were not disproved - once again she found the environment to be challenging, clinical, and unfriendly. The difficulties in isolation are the most significant disadvantage, and would have a serious academic impact.
Despite the challenging amount of reading material, Fiona ended up only having a slight disadvantage compared to other students. She already had coping strategies worked out from prior knowledge of her disability, and so was able to adapt them quickly and catch up without significant problems. As a very bright student, it's possible that the disadvantage might have been made void by her performance in assessments.
Like several students, Francesca found herself at a slight and steady disadvantage throughout the course. The initial encounters, the analysis of her progress, and her own feelings, all point to minor difficulties which don't have a huge impact but which nonetheless were ever present and weren't removed during the progress of the course.
Justin's progress was significantly hindered in an observable way - quite simply he was unable to attend the course for a few weeks. His actual progress therefore was delayed by the same time period, although he made up time after he became more comfortable. As is clear in his 'Reflections' statement, he didn't feel substantially disadvantaged, and indeed doesn't come out in the setback levels as being the lowest scoring.
Out of the group, Karen seemed to be least disadvantaged by her situation. The course was virtual to begin with and so location shouldn't really have mattered. Time differences did play a big part in developing coping strategies, however, and while she didn't experience any actual setbacks in sticking to the course schedule, she did have to readjust her habits and lifestyle around the course.
Tim's progress was clearly hindered by technical problems, but his initiative and fortune in having usable alternatives meant that he didn't experience a marked delay in getting to grips with the course. His score of -3 is equal to that of Francesca and Fiona, both of whom have substantiated English processing difficulties. It's also possible that since Tim was technologically evolved as part of the course, his academic impetus was also heightened and he found more enjoyment in exploring the web both as part of the course and as a recreational activity.