Enrichment : Testing the Concept of a Virtual Alliance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing STEM Students at the Postsecondary Level

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The Testing the Concept of a Virtual Alliance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing STEM Students at the Postsecondary Level is an enrichment project that will advance the knowledge of how students who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing access a cyber-enabled social and support network in STEM education. This enrichment project will establish a comprehensive baseline profile of current and recently graduated mainstreamed Deaf and hard-of-hearing STEM students and then formulate specific plans for enriching the academic performance of these students through a virtual Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM. There is a specific project goal to establish a baseline profile of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in STEM education from four or five postsecondary programs selected to participate in the expected Alliance. A baseline profile will be created to provide sufficient information to accurately describe the education, background, STEM interest area, and support requirements of the expected first group of students to participate in the eventual Alliance. The structure of the baseline data will permit the eventual establishment of a student tracking system in the projected alliance. The profile will be sufficiently detailed to provide reporting on the demographics of the students served, their preferences regarding provision of support services and anticipated benefits of participating in the alliance. Profile data will be consistent with proposed Research in Disabilities Education Project Data Management System.The project will specifically address the following:1. Examine national databases and reports for information regarding deaf and hard-of-hearing students in STEM programs across the USA.2. Analyze programs listed in the College and University Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students (2007) to determine STEM programs that self-reported as having deaf or hard-of-hearing students enrolled.3. Conduct four on-line focus groups with key members and leadership of the four Postsecondary Education Programs Network (PEPNet) regions regarding key attributes related to academic success of current and recently graduated deaf and hard-of-hearing STEM students. The PEPNet network has been funded by the US Department of Education for the last 12 years and is partnering on this proposed project.4. Identify four or five postsecondary institutions to partner for a future Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM.5. Identify elements of successful support services for STEM students, utilizing as a baseline the results of the national Summit on Cyberinfrastructure held at NTID/RIT in June 2008. 6. Identify the features of successful Alliances that can be implemented virtually for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.7. Develop and pilot a rudimentary, prototype, cyberinfrastructure system that can support the features of a virtual Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM.Dr. Barbara McKee, a recognized regional expert in project evaluation, will serve as the external evaluator for this project. The project information and findings will be disseminated to the public via PEPNet, professional journal publications, and to other RDE-funded projects.