Overcoming Barriers to STEM Success for Deaf Undergraduates

Gallaudet University是世界上唯一一所文科大学，其课程和服务专门为聋人和重听学生设计。Gallaudet的S-STEM项目为主修生物、化学或数学的聋哑学生提供奖学金。该项目的智力价值来自于通过提供一个具体的计划来帮助聋人学生为STEM职业做好准备，从而解决STEM领域聋人人数严重不足的问题。该计划的目标通过以下目标实现：1）招收聋人学生进入STEM专业，2）为有经济需要的有才华的聋人STEM学生提供奖学金，3）提供个人和团体活动，以支持本科S-STEM学者，4）帮助聋人S-STEM学者克服文化和语言障碍，和5）为聋人S-STEM学者提供支持服务，以最终进入STEM职业生涯。更广泛的影响来自于增加选择STEM专业的有才华的聋人学生的数量，以及增加准备好进入STEM职业的聋人STEM专业的数量。聋人S-STEM学者正在与聋人导师和聋人科学家互动，以了解他们确实可以为STEM领域做出重大贡献。在STEM学科教育聋人本科生方面需要可复制的最佳做法，该项目可以帮助发展这种做法。计划在Gallaudet的网站上向未来的学生和公众传播这些最佳做法。还制定了计划，通过在国家场所的演讲和专业和高等教育文献出版物，包括那些专注于教学和学习的出版物，接触STEM教育界。

Gallaudet University is the world's only liberal arts university with programs and services specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Gallaudet's S-STEM project provides scholarships to deaf students majoring in biology, chemistry, or mathematics. This project's intellectual merit results from addressing the severe under-representation of deaf individuals in STEM fields by providing a specific plan to prepare deaf students for STEM careers. The goals of this plan are realized through the following objectives: 1) recruit deaf students into STEM majors, 2) provide scholarships to talented deaf STEM students with documented financial need, 3) provide individual and group activities to support undergraduate S-STEM Scholars, 4) assist deaf S-STEM Scholars in overcoming cultural and linguistic barriers, and 5) to provide support services to deaf S-STEM Scholars to ultimately enter STEM careers. Broader Impacts result from increasing the number of talented deaf students who choose a STEM major, and increasing the number of deaf STEM majors who are well prepared to enter STEM careers. Deaf S-STEM Scholars are interacting with deaf mentors and deaf scientists to understand that they truly can make significant contributions to STEM fields. There is a need for replicable best practices in educating deaf undergraduates in STEM disciplines, and this project can help develop such practices. Plans are in place to disseminate these best practices on Gallaudet's website for prospective students and the public. Plans are also in place to reach the STEM education community through presentations at national venues and publications in professional and higher education literature, including those that focus on teaching and learning.