Although theories around Communities of Practice (CoP) have gained significant ground in recent years and have become an important focus for organisational development, there is a gap in studies that investigate what members gain from participation in these communities. This paper explains how the value creation framework was implemented in a transnational research and development project in autism education by examining cycles of value creation and drawing on two types of data identified by Wenger, Trayner and de Laat (2011). The value creation framework is a theoretically driven framework to assess social learning in communities.Participants involved in the learning space were co-researchers engaged in a process of investigating, sharing and reflecting on their practice. The paper discusses the methodological challenges and strengths of using the value creation framework, with a particular focus on how insights and interactions led to subsequent changes in the practice of the participants. This work has the potential to make an important contribution to methods and analysis in assessing social learning and pathways to impact in participatory research and development projects more broadly.

Little research has focused on the implementation of iPad practices in real contexts and the identification of relevant challenges and enablers. This work explored practices relating to using iPads for autistic pupils' social communication (SC) and emotional regulation (ER) based on key stakeholders' perspectives. It employed two case studies undertaken in two primary schools located in the United Kingdom's West Midlands. The data were gathered by interviewing practitioners and parents and analyzing the schools' computing policies. The outcomes varied from iPads being used as multimodal learning tools, to teachers focusing on SC and ER, and parents mainly on recreation and ER. The findings were evaluated using Abbott's concept of e‐inclusion (2007), considering the impact of the relationship between technology, individuals and context on iPad use in situ. Issues are highlighted around pedagogy and teaching methods, offering insights into what drives teachers to make decisions regarding technology use.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are experiencing a radical uptake of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) practices. However, there is a lack of robust research exploring how the changing landscape of HEI teaching impacts students who have a specific learning difficulty (SpLD). To address this, we conducted semi-structured interviews with nine undergraduate students with SpLDs, to explore their lived experiences and perspectives on TEL in HEI. The interviews were transcribed, analysed thematically, and four key themes developed. Participants accepted TEL as part of HEI teaching but expressed that it was not always fully integrated or sensitive to students’ learning needs. Staff readiness to implement TEL was also mentioned as an element that influenced students’ learning experiences. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to how the integration of TEL and its use by students can be improved to create a more inclusive learning environment.