Web-based Multimedia Science Instruction for the Deaf

该项目将把最新的硬件和软件进步与一个行之有效的多媒体科学计划结合起来，向初中和高中的聋哑和听障学生提供有效的基于网络的科学教学。这类学生在科学方面的学习成绩通常较低。科学成绩不佳的一个主要原因是使用的科学材料是为既能听又能读的学生设计的。此外，聋人和听力障碍者的教师通常没有接受过美国手语的培训或培训不足，或者没有足够的科学背景。本项目将通过以下方式解决这些关键的教学问题：(a)利用互联网呈现一个有效的科学教学项目，提供专门为依赖美国手语的学生设计的视觉丰富的多媒体内容，(b)组织内容以促进掌握和更高层次的思维，以及(c)通过互联网向学生提供该指导。在第一阶段，将制作四门基础化学的原型课程，并在网上发布，并由不同年龄和英语/美国手语能力的中学生进行评估。在第二阶段，将开发一个完整的30课核心化学课程，通过网络发布，并在随机对照试验中进行评估。拟议的商业应用：该项目将为初中和高中聋哑和听力障碍学生制作一门关于化学核心概念的网络课程。该计划将利用美国手语，多媒体，替代签名和文本水平，音频叙述结合有效的课程。这对任何为这些年级的聋哑和听障学生服务的学校都是有吸引力的。

This project will incorporate recent hardware and software advances with a proven-effective, multimedia science program to deliver efficacious web-based science instruction to deaf and hard-of-hearing students in middle and high schools. Such students typically exhibit low academic performance in science. A principal cause of this poor science performance is the usage of science materials designed for students who can both hear and read on grade level. Furthermore, teachers of the deaf and hard-of-hearing are often untrained or poorly trained in ASL or have an inadequate science background. This project will address these critical instruction issues by (a) using the internet to present an efficacious science instruction program that provides visually-rich multimedia content specifically designed for students who rely on ASL, (b) organizing the content to facilitate mastery and higher- order thinking, and (c) making this instruction available to students using the Internet. In Phase I, four prototype lessons on basic chemistry will be produced for web delivery and evaluated with middle-school and high-school students with a range of ages and English/ASL abilities. In Phase II, a complete 30-lesson core content chemistry program will be developed, delivered via the Web, and evaluated in a randomized control trial. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: This project will lead to the production of a web-based course on the core concepts of chemistry for middle-school and high-school deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The program will utilize ASL, multimedia, alternative signing and text levels, audio narration in conjunction with an efficacious curriculum. It will be attractive to any school serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students in these grade levels.