ASCIT

2020 update

This project ceased some years ago.

Original entry

The ASCIT project (Again at my School by fostering Communication through Interactive Technologies for long term sick children) was a project focusing on providing primary education for sick children. The project ran from 01/09/2005 to 31/08/2007 in Flanders, Belgium

Through research, the project developed a proof of concept (computer/terminal) through which sick children could connect virtually to their class and collaborate with both teacher and fellow pupils. The prototype consisted of an internet connection, video camera to videoconference and a scanner and printer to exchange documents.

You can watch a (Dutch) video on the project here. A Dutch project page on the IBBT website provides information as well as an English leaflet (PDF).

ASCIT is the predecessor of Bednet, which works at both primary and secondary school level.

Details

According to a paper by Vos, G., Lombaert, E. (2007), the ASCIT-project aimed to

• pursue the design, development and experimental implementation of an IT-tool (a proof of concept) for long-term sick children (8-12 years old )
• virtually connect the child with its own classroom
• using audio-video-communication, document management (eg. exam forms, exercise forms…)
• strongly integrated tool: “both social and educational aspects in one box, ready-to-use”

The project wanted to limit the learning disability and social isolation of children with prolonged absence from school due to illness. The project focused on the (re)establishment of high quality communication between the sick children and their regular school and classroom learning environment (teacher, peers, school friends). Within this project, th user needs and habits were identified and the user-friendliness of the prototype was evaluated at different stages in the development cycle. The final product, a computer or terminal, was evaluated in the natural environment of the sick children, and besides usability research the focus was also on accessibility and likeability.

As part of this study the Flemish Platform for Patients noted the experiences of patient organisations that are daily confronted with children with a long-term illness and researched the issues long-term ill children experience in school, how they are taught at home and whether they suffer from a learning disability. Some of the conclusions/further research that came of the trial and research were:

• addressing educational and social needs are both crucial for (re-)integration in the “home class”
• critical issues are possible with hardware configuration at home and in classrooms (bandwidth, connection speed…)

Partners

In 2005 the Flemish Platform for Patients (Vlaams Patiëntenplatform vzw) submitted a project to the Interdisciplinary Institute for BroadBand Technology (IBBT) to research and support chronically ill children's learning by ICT applications. The project ASCIT (Again at my School through Fostering Communication through Interactive Technologies for Sick Children) and started the approved project in September 2005.

ASCIT was carried out by a consortium of companies and care institutions:

• industrial partners: Androme NV, Alcatel, Artec-Electronics, Televic
• 6 institutions: Bednet, Vlaams Patiëntenplatform vzw, UZ Gasthuisberg Leuven (University Hospital Gasthuisberg Leuven) and Vlaamse Liga tegen Kanker (Flemish League against Cancer)
• IBBT research groups: Centre for Usability research (CUO) and ICRI from the K.U.Leuven, MICT, OWK and IBCN from the Universiteit Gent and EDM from the Universiteit Hasselt.

Resources

Information in Dutch about ASCIT can be found through the involved "partner" websites:

• Dutch ASCIT project page on IBBT website with video and English leaflet (PDF)
• Dutch ASCIT project page on the Flemish Platform for Patients website.
• English ASCIT project page on the website of the Centre for Usability research (CUO) at the K.U.Leuven.

Papers on ASCIT

• Vos, G., Lombaert, E. (2007). Education for long-term Sick Children: Towards an integrated IT-solution. Poster presented at CAL-conference 2007 , Dublin, Ireland

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