This book sets forth the characteristics and challenges of adult learners with disabilities, and provides an overview of services in post-secondary educational settings. Starting with the premise of improving services for adult learners with disabilities, the book focuses on data analytics. It details systematic project design and management with the goal of improved efficiency and client satisfaction. Two chapters provide a statistics primer and describe practical statistical tools. The last part of the book consists of 30 case studies that encompass various aspects of disability services management and relevant data analytical approaches, which helps disability services staff to understand and utilize data analytics to identify and implement targeted interventions. Especially as institutions and businesses are data-driven, disability service staff need to know how to demonstrate their value and practice continuous improvement through high-quality, impactful data analytics. Most personnel in these positions have little training in this area, so this book offers a practical guide for program assessment and improvement through data analytics, including a statistics primer.
Dr Lesley S.J. Farmer, Professor at California State University Long Beach (CSULB), US, coordinated the Teacher Librarianship program. She now manages the CSU Information and Communication Technology Literacy Project. She earned her MS in Library Science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, US, and received her doctorate in Adult Education from Temple University, US. A frequent presenter and writer for the profession, she is a Fulbright scholar and has garnered several honours, from local to international groups. Farmer's research interests include school librarianship, digital citizenship, information and media literacy, and data analytics.Dr Alan M. Safer heads the Los Angeles Analytics consultancy, and created and coordinated the applied statistics program at CSULB. His research focuses on data mining and quality control involving data-driven processes and other efficiency methods. He has conducted efficiency studies for the campus disability support centre, bookstore, local community organizations, and private companies. In these consultancies, he has focused on efficiencies of resource allocation and deployment along with improved user satisfaction.
