Michele Fish Cornell University November 11, 2014 BUILDING AN ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Overview ¥ Rationale for the project? ¥ Review of model components ¥ Academic community activities ¥ Recruiting strategies? ¥ Monitoring community usage ¥ Future activities? ¥ Extending beyond D/HH? ¥ Q & A The Project ¥ Deaf STEM Community Alliance Ð Only Alliance specifically for D/HH students ¥ Supported by the National Science Foundation, HRD #1127955 ¥ 3-5 year project (Sept 2011- Aug 2016) Ð Now in our 4th year Campus Partners RIT is the lead institution for this project, with Camden County College and Cornell University as partners. Project Rationale ¥ Participation gap in STEM exists for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). This gap negatively impacts: Ð BachelorÕs degree graduation rates Ð Advanced degrees ¥ Between 1997-2006, 420 out of 265,790 (~.2%) of new STEM PhDs were D/HH Ð Employment opportunities in STEM: ¥ Hearing 17.9% v 15.5% D/HH ¥ Hearing in higher-earning STEM sectors than D/HH Barriers to Success in STEM Student Preparation Socialization Accessible Media Project Rationale ¥ Solution: Deaf STEM Community Alliance ¥ Student preparation ¥ Remote tutoring ¥ Remote captioning ¥ Remote interpreting ¥ Socialization? ¥ Remote mentoring ¥ Peer interaction ¥ Accessible media? ¥ Curated collection of STEM resources Goal and Objectives ¥ Goal Create a model virtual academic community (VAC) to increase the graduation rates of postsecondary D/HH STEM majors in the long term Ð Iterative and incremental (Cockburn, 2008) ¥ Iterative Ð testing what works and revising what doesnÕt ¥ Incremental Ð building model in stages instead of all at once Goal and Objectives ¥ Objectives 1) Document and disseminate a description of the process of creating a model VAC for replication 2) Increase the GPAs and retention rates of D/HH students in STEM majors Remote Tutoring ¥ Framework based on traditional, face-to-face model used at RIT/NTID: Ð NTID faculty provides tutoring to D/HH students who are enrolled in other RIT colleges (more than 14,000 hours in STEM tutoring to ~500 students in 2011-12) Ð Appointment-based (not walk-in) ¥ Synchronous vs. asynchronous models Remote Tutoring Photo of student receiving tutoring. Student is seen on computer screen, tutoring professor pictured sitting at his desk in front of the computer. Remote Synchronous Tutoring Strategies ¥ Ê1:1 or 1:2+ ? ¥ ÊGoogle+ Hangouts as videoconference/chat platform ¥ Ê15 min-3 hr sessions (average 61 min) ¥ ÊAppointment-based scheduling ¥ ÊHomework-oriented (vs. basic skills) ¥ ÊMacs, PCs, desktops, laptops, Chromebooks Synchronous Tutoring Benefits ¥ ÊSharing documents ¥ ÊSearching & highlighting key phrases with student ¥ ÊObserving studentsÕ homework, watching for mistakes, providing faster feedback ¥ ÊClasses with many online resources ¥ ÊBetter accommodation to student schedules ¥ ÊMeet multiple students simultaneously Synchronous Tutoring Challenges ¥ Digital whiteboard? ¥ Unannounced changes in Google+ interface ¥ Eye contact & turn-taking different online Remote Asynchronous Tutoring Strategies ¥ Ê1:1 tutoring sessions ¥ ÊE-mail & VP messages, photos, diagrams, handouts, shared documents ¥ ÊHomework-oriented (vs. basic skills) ¥ ÊMacs, PCs, desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, Chromebooks Asynchronous Tutoring Benefits ¥ ÊProvided flexibility for travel when there were time differences between tutor and student or other schedule conflicts ¥ ÊAllows students to process material at their own pace Asynchronous Tutoring Challenges ¥ Helping students to problem-solve ¥ Lack of spontaneous dialogue between student and tutor Remote Tutoring Ð Lessons Learned to Date ¥ Tutoring strategies Ð Synchronous vs asynchronous ¥ Scheduling? Appointments vs Òwalk-inÓ ¥ Challenges Ð Network/browser inconsistencies Ð Training & technical assistance Ð Google+ UI changes ¥ Strategies Ð Ethernet connection/Chrome browser Ð Ongoing feedback & technical assistance Ð On-line guides Ð Google Educational Enterprise account Socialization ¥ Remote mentoring Ð D/HH STEM professionals ¥ Personalized recruiting ¥ Application including background check ¥ Google+ presence Ð Mentoring platforms ¥ Google+ private community ¥ Google+ Hangouts ¥ Email ¥ Face-to-face meetings ¥ YouTube video interview Socialization ¥ Peer-to-peer (community) interaction Ð Google+ private community ¥ ÊSTEM articles of interest ¥ ÊShare student schedules ¥ ÊAnnouncements (events, internships, scholarships) ¥ ÊOpen forum for mentors to provide 1-to many mentoring in forms of Ð Information sharing (e.g., pictures of work) Ð Job opportunities Ð Offers for assistance Socialization Ð Lessons Learned to Date ¥ Someone to facilitate engagement ¥ Encourage through personal contact ¥ Biweekly newsletters ¥ Critical mass of participants ¥ ÊStarted Google+ Private Community with about 25 participants (January, 2013) ¥ ÊActivity increased with approximately 55 participants (September, 2013) ¥ ÊCurrent membership ~70 participants Accessible Media ¥ Curated STEM Resource library on our public website: www.dhhvac.org Ð Project publications and presentations Ð Relevant work by others Ð STEM ASL dictionaries (e.g., ASL-STEM Forum) Ð Links to accessible STEM resources (e.g. Khan Academy, Math for College) ¥ STEM-relevant articles and videos in Google + Private community Accessible MediaÑ Lessons Learned to Date ¥ Importance of being assertive! Ð Not all videos are captioned Ð Sometimes, captioned versions are available, but havenÕt been posted Future Activities ¥ Remote Captioning in Hangouts ¥ Remote Interpreting in Hangouts ¥ Procedure manuals Ð Remote Tutoring Ð Remote Mentoring Ð Implementation Extending Beyond D/HH ¥ Benefits for students with other kinds of disabilities Ð Mobility Ð Autism Spectrum Ð Low vision - Chronic medical conditions Ð . . . Discussion Questions? Answers! Contact Information Deaf STEM Community Alliance hjp://www.dhhvac.org OR lisa.elliot@rit.edu Thank you!