The Quality of Life Technology Model for Graduating and Transitioning Postsecondary Students with Disabilities in STEM

生活质量技术丰富(QUOTE)项目授予匹兹堡大学生活质量技术工程研究中心(QOLT ERC)。美国国家科学基金会资助的QOLT是卡内基梅隆大学和匹兹堡大学之间独特的合作伙伴关系，其使命是改变人口中大量且不断增长的人的生活：由于衰老或残疾而功能能力下降的人。PI和她的团队将专注于建立一个模式，让残疾学生跨越中学后STEM教育的两个关键学术关口。他们将创建和评估一个涉及网络基础设施发展的模式，该模式可以很容易地被其他高等教育机构复制和调整。该项目的具体目标是：1.创建一个全大学范围的残疾学生数据收集系统；2.开发一个基础设施，以支持STEM领域残疾教职员工和残疾学生的在线学习社区(连接能力门户网站)；3.试验和评估该模式和该模式的组成部分。连接能力门户将包括基于网络的教师和导师培训模块；一个为期两个课程的系列课程，一个面向新生，一个面向初高中学生，涉及过渡问题；以及一个电子辅导方案，利用两个课程系列促进导师和学员之间的交流和互动。连接能力门户将设计为允许其他机构轻松复制和改编，并作为所有计划工作人员和参与者的一站式门户。该项目将确保门户的可访问性，并符合当前的无障碍标准和准则(例如，WCAG 2.0和第508节标准)。该项目的评估计划将使用教育过程和结果措施，以解决计划在(1)收集和分析数据以及(2)开发、试验和评估干预措施方面的有效性。该项目的成果有可能通过建立和评估可复制的模式来提供信息和影响残疾学生的中学后STEM教育，以促进残疾学生在STEM中学后教育和与就业相关的计划中取得成功。

The Quality of Life Technology Enrichment (QuOTE) Project was awarded to The University of Pittsburg's Quality of Life Technology Engineering Research Center (QoLT ERC). The NSF-funded QoLT is a unique partnership between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh whose mission is to transform lives in a large and growing segment of the population: people with reduced functional capabilities due to aging or disability. The PI and her team will focus their efforts on building a model to transition students with disabilities across two critical academic junctures in post-secondary STEM education. They will create and evaluate a model that involves the cyber infrastructure development and that can be easily replicated and adapted by other post-secondary institutions. The specific objectives of the project are:1. Create a university-wide data collection system on students with disabilities;2. Develop an infrastructure to support an online learning community for faculty and students with disabilities in STEM fields (the ConnectAbility portal);3. Pilot and evaluate the model and the components of the model. The ConnectAbility portal will include web-based faculty and mentor training modules; a two-course series, one for Freshmen and one for Junior and Senior students related to transition issues; and an e-mentoring program that uses the two-course series to facilitate communication and interaction between mentors and mentees. The ConnectAbility portal will be designed to allow easy replication and adaptation by other institutions and serve as a one-stop gateway for all program staff and participants. The project will ensure the accessibility of the portal and comply with current accessibility standards and guidelines (e.g., the WCAG 2.0 and the Section 508 standards). The evaluation plan for this project will use educational process and outcome measures that address program effectiveness in (1) gathering and analyzing data and (2) developing, piloting, and evaluating interventions. Results from this project have the potential to inform and influence post-secondary STEM education for students with disabilities by building and evaluating a replicable model for the delivery of practices the promote success for students with disabilities in STEM post-secondary education and employment-related programs.