DSA Brochure Spring/Summer 2017

Quality technology.

Designed for the DSA. Sonocent releases and updates for Spring/Summer 2017

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More of Our Favourite Student Testimonials...

“I am dyspraxic and find it hard to listen and write notes at the same time. Plus my handwriting is illegible and I struggle with disorganisation.

Sonocent helps with all these problems.”

“Because of my anxiety, my brain can get quite scattered and full of ideas.

Sonocent helps me to get those ideas down and then organise, which is the best way of working for me.”

Chloe Spicer

“Dyslexia and dyspraxia make it difficult for me to handwrite notes and follow along in lectures. Sonocent helps me return to the sections I struggled to keep up with and take in the information.”

Nadia Eldekvist

Sophie Howell

“There’s so much going on in lectures and there’s a lot to take in with my ADHD. But with the software I can focus on one thing. It’s effortless, because everything I need is there in front of me.”

Ebony Thomas

Contents A Letter from Our CEO

pg 3-4

What’s new and why it’s good news for your students

New for the DSA

pg 5-6

Giving students access to Sonocent on the day of their assessment

Software Updates

pg 7-8 Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Mac v4 - NOW RELEASED pg 9-10 Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Windows v4.25 - NOW RELEASED Sonocent’s Products for the DSA

pg 11-12 pg 13-14

Option one: Sonocent for DSA Option two: Sonocent DSA Mobile

Study Strategies with Sonocent

Pg 15-16

More about how Sonocent helps students with disabilities

Student Feedback

Pg 17-18

Proof of Sonocent’s effectiveness; findings from our 2016 user survey

Any questions?

If you want more information about any of the content in this brochure, get in touch with Lucy Toffolo, our friendly DSA & Training Manager.

Email Lucy: lucy@sonocent.com Phone Lucy: 0113 831 4380 Tweet Lucy: @Sonocent_Lucy

A letter from our CEO, Dave Dear DSA professional, Punxsutawney Phil may have seen a shadow this year, but the sun is now shining and we have great news to share.

You may feel like you’re starring in your own ‘Groundhog Day’ reading this introduction to our Spring/Summer brochure.

The structure follows the same four key points as our Autumn edition. But we feel it is a message worth repeating.

Sonocent is committed to making a difference to the lives of the students who use our software, many of whom face additional barriers to learning. That’s why all our new releases and updates have the following attributes, which we believe lead to student success:

Flexibility • Quality • Reliability • Effectiveness Flexibility Learning is no longer confined to the classroom.

From tutorials to placements, YouTube to recorded lectures, DSA students now need a way to take notes from spoken information delivered in many different settings - both online and offline - and to review them on the go. In short, they need flexibility.

That’s why we developed a feature-rich mobile app for the DSA called Sonocent Link that transforms the device in a student’s pocket into a powerful, portable tool for recording, review and study.

We released the app last October. But as of April 3, students will be able to download and activate it for free on the day of their assessment, along with a special, full-feature 60-day trial of Sonocent Audio Notetaker on their desktop (see page 5). It’s flexibility plus plus!

Quality This February, our in-house development team identified and addressed a significant audio quality issue affecting all recording software, caused by the automatic noise-cancellation technology applied by Mac OSX and Windows (see page 9).

Taken together with the release of our Sonocent Clear LectureTM toolkit, which is now also available to Mac users (see page 7), our audio engineering innovations will reassure DSA students that their recordings will both be of the best possible quality, and valuable for study.

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Reliability Feedback from DSA professionals on the robustness and reliability of the hardware included with our new Sonocent DSA Mobile product for the DSA has been highly encouraging.

Turn to page 13 for a reminder of what students get with Sonocent DSA Mobile and to hear what Murray Kendall, from Heriot-Watt University’s Disability Service Student Support & Accommodation Department, makes of the product.

Effectiveness In the next few months, we will conduct our annual survey of student users and the professionals who support them. The team and I are motivated by making genuine improvements to how students study, and the survey is our big chance to determine how successful we’ve been in meeting this objective.

Last year’s results were quite conclusive: Sonocent makes a huge impact on student success. You can find some of the headline numbers from our 2016 survey on page 17.

If you have a question that you would like us to ask our student users this time around, please do send them across to us at dsa@sonocent.com.

Thanks for reading. On behalf of the whole team here at Sonocent, I’d like to wish you a happy and prosperous 2017.

Dave Tucker CEO | Sonocent

“From April 3, we’re making Sonocent Audio Notetaker and our Sonocent Link companion app available to students on the very same day as their assessment.

Turn to page 5 to find out more…”

New for Spring 2017

Giving students access to Sonocent on the Day of Their Assessment

Overview From April 3, 2017, students can access an extended, 60-day trial version of Sonocent Audio Notetaker - immediately after their DSA assessment.

Why are we doing this?

From conversations with DSA professionals, it’s clear that students sometimes have a frustrating wait before receiving their recommended software. So we’ve decided to help them access the benefits of Sonocent on the very day they see an assessor.

How do students access the trial version?

Before April 3, we’ll send all assessment centres a batch of leaflets to give to students at the end of their DSA assessment.

This leaflet will point students towards a web page where they can download the 60-day trial.

They will also receive: Access to Sonocent training videos A guide to accessing the Sonocent Link mobile app Information on what to do when they receive their DSA equipment

Includes access to our feature-rich Sonocent Link mobile app.

• Unlimited playback • Colour highlight after recording

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Will students also have immediate access to the Sonocent Link mobile app?

Yes. Once they’ve registered their 60-day trial version of Audio Notetaker, they can download and activate Sonocent Link on any iOS or Android device. The welcome pack that we’ll send to students via email will explain all this.

“When students leave an assessment raring to put their recommended strategies into practice, they can now start using Sonocent to overcome barriers to learning without delay.”

Lucy Toffolo, DSA & Training Manager, Sonocent

What happens when the student receives the software through the DSA? They simply need to enter their new perpetual licence key into the software and carry on working with the Projects they’ve created so far.

If you have further questions, email dsa@sonocent.com or call 0113 831 4380.

Now released for Mac

Major free update for all existing users

What to look out for...

Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Mac v4 is packed with features previously only available to Windows users.

They include: A NEW Home Tab: create and manage projects with a few clicks A NEW Project Tab: simpler to use and rich with new features Editable Colour Keys: add layers of meaning to audio and text Themes: customise the look and feel of the software for accessibility Speak: integrated speech-to-text functionality Sonocent Clear LectureTM: powerful noise cancellation and audio enhancement features Transfer: transfer ďŹ les from the Sonocent Link mobile app by wiďŹ

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"I absolutely love the new Mac version...

I do not give praise easily, but I am so happy with this version - well done!"

Andrew Kitson, AT Assessor / trainer

Follow Sonocent Audio Notetaker on Facebook to be the ďŹ rst to hear about software updates and new releases.

New and improved

Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Windows “This February, we released Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Windows v4.25. Like all our updates, it was absolutely free to existing users. Here’s some more on the new features included with the update.”

David Keating, Technical Support

Audio quality Our in-house development team extensively test all Sonocent software and hardware to ensure optimal audio quality for your students.

Towards the end of last year, the team identified an issue with the noise-cancellation technology automatically applied by Windows and MacOS operating systems.

While this technology does a good job of enhancing the audio quality of video calls (the purpose for which it was designed), the team discovered that it makes recordings taken using laptops in lecture theatres significantly less intelligible.

Over recent months, the team have been looking at ways to address this issue, and the good news is that they have come up with a solution, which is included with Sonocent Audio Notetaker v4.25.

Following the update, Audio Notetaker now disables Windows Microphone Enhancements by default while recording. Consequently, your students will find that their lecturer’s voice will sound clearer on playback, especially when combined with the audio-enhancement features included with Sonocent Clear LectureTM. N.B. This groundbreaking feature is also included with our latest update for Mac (see page 7 for more on Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Mac v4).

What is Sonocent Clear LectureTM? The culmination of years of in-house R&D, Sonocent Clear LectureTM is a unique suite of audio-processing tools designed to optimise the quality of recordings taken in lecture theatres.

Now included as standard with Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Windows and Mac, features include: Clean up of background noise and keyboard clicks Automatic volume adjustment, dialling up the volume of the lecturer’s voice when the recording is particularly quiet

Designed for Quality “Sonocent Clear LectureTM makes a striking difference to the clarity of recordings taken in lecture theatres. If you would like to hear the proof, send us an email at dsa@sonocent.com or call 0113 831 4380 and we’ll send across some ‘before and after’ audio files.”

Dan Fry, Lead developer

Enhanced accessibility The update also includes enhanced accessibility for students who use screen readers or navigate our software with keyboard shortcuts: The screen reading software Jaws, NVDA and Window-Eyes will now let students know which Pane their cursor is in.

Keyboard navigation in the workspace and the Settings dialogue is now improved. Students can use the TAB key to cycle between Panes.

Students can now set the traditional Windows menu (the 'Alt menu') to always show. This will benefit students who primarily use the traditional Windows menu and Quick Access Keys when working in Audio Notetaker.

“The new noise-cancellation feature is really good. I do like the fact it can cancel out some of my typing, as well as the coughing and talking from other students.”

Carlie Andrews, BA History Student, Swansea University

10

Sonocent’s offerings for the DSA

Sonocent for DSA £99.99 exc VAT

20% off standard retail price

Now includes the Sonocent Link mobile app

Review recordings and notes on the go with Sonocent Link for iOS and Android Easily transfer files from mobile to Sonocent Audio Notetaker for Windows and Mac, by wifi, email, Dropbox™ and other Cloud services

“To ensure no student misses out on the premium features of our Sonocent Link app, we recently emailed every student awarded Sonocent Audio Notetaker through the DSA with a web link to download it. That includes students who were awarded our software before Sonocent Link was released!”

12

More info Sonocent Link features: Never miss a thing - record in high quality Stay engaged: highlight key audio as you record Create super study resources - add images and text notes Create your own Colour Keys to add depth of meaning to your projects Record discretely with new Glance Mode - great for interviews New for the DSA: Up your productivity - listen back to full recordings and colour highlight on your mobile device

Designed for Flexibility

How do students get Sonocent Link?

They simply need to search ‘Sonocent Link’ on the Google Play or App Store and activate using the last four digits of their Sonocent Audio Notetaker licence key. Resellers will provide students with a simple step-by-step guide.

If you have further questions about our software or want to book a visit from an accredited Sonocent trainer, email dsa@sonocent.com or call 0113 831 4380.

“These days, students learn not only in lectures, but through discussions with professors and mentors, seminars, tutorials, field trips, practicals and online materials. With the Sonocent Link mobile app they can capture all this spoken information with the device in their pocket and review whenever they have a spare moment.”

Sonocent’s offerings for the DSA

Sonocent DSA Mobile Special DSA price:

£129.99 exc VAT Standard retail price: £170.00 exc VAT

Record a full day of lectures and stay fully charged with a powerful mobile battery pack Reduce ambient noise in lecture theatres with a high quality shotgun microphone

“Sonocent DSA Mobile is now my preferred option. All students are different and with Sonocent they can work in the way that’s best for them.”

Murray Kendall, Technology Assistant, Disability Service Student Support & Accommodation, Heriot-Watt University

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More info Microphone features: Andrea SG-110m directional Microphone with enhanced sensitivity for far-field sound reception NEW - Enhanced protection against mobile interference NEW- Inbuilt connector for mobile devices Adjustable microphone tilt with rubber-padded base Compact and lightweight for easy portability 40-inch shielded cable with 3.5mm single plug Includes an adapter to enable the microphone to be used with laptops as well as smartphones and tablets

Battery pack features: ChargeUp Digital 6000mah portable charger in black with grey trim Compatible with smartphones and tablets Quickly charge devices with a powerful 2.0A output Dual USB ports - share the power between smartphone and tablet

Designed for reliability “With students’ educations at stake, you need to be confident that any solution you recommend is robust and completely reliable. So we have carefully hand picked the hardware included with Sonocent DSA Mobile. Take the portable charger from Cygnett. It includes a powerful 6,000 mAh battery, which was enough to fully charge an iPhone twice in our tests.”

When recommending this bundle...

You also have the option to include a USB-SA Premium External USB Stereo Sound Card from Andrea Communications.

The USB-SA utilises high quality digital circuitry to bypass the laptop's sound system. The result: improved recording quality on many laptops and especially lower-range models.

Study strategies with Sonocent

How can the software help my students?

“Every feature of our software has been designed to help your students overcome the challenges they might face at university. Here are just a few examples of students who can realise their potential with Sonocent. You’ll be seeing much more of these guys over the next few months, as we release a raft of new support materials for AT professionals.”

Becky “To help with my visual impairment, I use Sonocent Audio Notetaker to convert text-heavy documents to editable audio, which I annotate as I listen.”

Sanjay “My ADHD makes it hard to concentrate in lectures. So I use the Sonocent Link mobile app to highlight audio live, which helps me focus on what I am hearing.”

Ryan “I’m taking a distance-learning course, but I find it hard to watch long videos at one sitting due to my fatigue and chronic pain.

With Sonocent Audio Notetaker, I can capture everything and highlight key points to revisit when I’m feeling better.”

Lewis “In the past, my physical impairment has made it impossible to take my own notes. But with the Sonocent Link mobile app I can record my lectures and colour highlight the audio with a few taps.”

16 Aisha “I’m on a nursing degree but don’t have the energy to write detailed notes after a busy day’s practice due to my anxiety and depression. So now I just talk through what I’ve learned and record that with the Sonocent Link mobile app.”

Sally “Because of my dyslexia, my notes have always missed out information that I needed to know in exams. But with Sonocent software I can record everything and highlight that information with my own Colour Key.”

Paul “I have Asperger syndrome and work best when I can follow clear processes. So I use Sonocent Audio Notetaker’s Image, Reference, Text and Audio Panes to apply the Cornell method of note-taking, which is so effective when I come to revise.”

Kimiko “Because of my hearing impairment, I take recordings of my lectures and practicals. With the Sonocent Clear LectureTM tools, I can airbrush out background noise, meaning it’s much easier to make out what was said.”

“Sonocent Audio Notetaker is a truly great piece of software... all the students take to it.”

Jo Barents, Disability/Technology Adviser

Our accredited trainers can offer FREE training in audio-centric study strategies at assessment centres across the country. If you’re interested, email dsa@sonocent.com or call 0113 831 4380.

Student feedback

98% OF STUDENTS SAY THEY WOULD RECOMMEND SONOCENT SOFTWARE ...PLUS MORE FINDINGS FROM OUR 2016 USER SURVEY All statistics from a June 2016 survey of 929 students with Sonocent Audio Notetaker and 90 disability professionals

whether they We asked students atements... agreed with these st AFTER SONOCENT

BEFORE SONOCENT

e

“I found it easy to tak good notes”

od as, “My notes were as go or better, than my classmates’“ ised

“My notes were organ and easy to find”

“I felt able to study lp ut he ep ind endently, witho from others” red “I was very well prepa s, ay ess , ms exa for ge presentations and lar projects” ghout

“I was engaged throu my lectures”

26%

95%

24%

94%

33% 39% 36% 41%

95% 92% 93% 93%

18 Designed for Effectiveness “Like you, we care about whether our software helps DSA students overcome the challenges they face. So we conduct an online user survey every year to analyse how they use Sonocent software and the impact it has on their learning. Here’s a snapshot of our most recent survey, conducted in June 2016.”

Disability suppor t professionals to ld us they recom our software be mend cause it helps st udents… create better no

tes

keep their note s organised an d easier to find make their no tes clearer and easier to read or work with capture all the important points be more confide nt in their studying study more inde

pendently

with their prep aration for exams

86% 85% 84% 84% 73% 75% 72%

entric ing in audio-c Book free train with Sonocent: study strategies nocent.com email dsa@so 31 4380 or call 0113 8

Take CPD-certified training in Sonocent BOOK TODAY FOR FREE Learn how the software supports a diverse group of students with a range of audio-centric study strategies Get clarity on what recording equipment to recommend for optimal audio quality in every educational setting See how Sonocent can be used with lecture capture and online resources for active learning that supports memory retention Keep informed of the latest updates to Sonocent software for Windows, Mac and mobile We’re now taking bookings for the summer semester and demand is already high. To register your interest in free training, email us on dsa@sonocent.com or call 0113 831 4380.

“The training opened our minds to a broader range of study scenarios where Sonocent could be used to develop effective strategies, helping lower students’ barriers to learning” Andy Sweeting Assessor & Assessment Centre Manager, YorLinc