Principal Investigator: Michael Stinson
CoPrincipal Investigator(s): Lisa Elliot, Mitchell Rosen
Organization: Rochester Institute of Tech
Abstract:
“Analyzing the Use of C-Print Mobile Technology in STEM Lab Settings across Multiple Postsecondary Sites” is based on previous work on C-Print Mobile technology which was funded by the NSF’s Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) program (Award 0726591) which enables deaf or hard of hearing (d/hh) students to receive speech-to-text (captioning) support services in mainstream college STEM courses. The two purposes of the proposed project are to (1) expand the types of venues in which the service (C-Print Mobile software) is used to several other universities, a community college, and institutions with RDE-funded Alliances for Students with Disabilities in STEM; and to (2) conduct experimental investigations to evaluate the extent to which the service aids students’ access and learning in STEM labs at the postsecondary level. The research goal is to examine the effects of the use of C-Print Mobile on the academic performance of d/hh students in laboratory sections of STEM courses and on their confidence and interest in their STEM major.
Research questions related to STEM students who are deaf or hard of hearing include:
1. What are the effects of C-Print Mobile on laboratory and overall course performance?
2. What are the effects of C-Print Mobile on dimensions of STEM interests?
3. Do student characteristics and use of features of Co-Print Mobile relate to laboratory and course performance?
4. Do student characteristics and use of features relate to specific dimensions of STEM interests
Research participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups: (a) a C-Print Mobile intervention group, or (b) a continuation of regular services control group, yielding a 2 (Support: C-Print Mobile vs. standard support service, a between subjects factor) X 2 (Class: intervention/control class vs. comparable class, a within subjects factor) mixed ANOVA design. The inclusion of a standard service “baseline” in each of the two conditions will allow for within-subject comparisons of students’ performance and self-ratings with and without the C-Print technology will contribute importantly to determination of effectiveness.
Related studies will include research on captioning accuracy for the purpose of determining the level of accuracy that a provider of services in a laboratory setting can achieve, and the observation of captionists’ and students’ use of C-Print Mobile. The observations will be designed to obtain information pertinent to provision of C-Print Mobile services to students and the use of the service by students. In addition, instructors and captionists will be interviewed to discover critical implementation issues that will inform scale-up and dissemination efforts.
The project team will work with three partnering institutions: Louisiana State University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Bristol Community College. Five of the RDE-funded Alliances for Students with Disabilities in STEM will collaborate, including the Alliances in New York (MIND), Maine (EAST2), Ohio (OSAA), Washington (AcessSTEM2)and Wisconsin (MIDWEST).
Dissemination activities will involve information for scale-up of C-Print Mobile if positive results are found. Websites, professional presentations and publications, outreach to RDE Alliances and other practitioners, and C-Print training will provide avenues to broaden the participation of d/hh students in STEM education.
The project’s external evaluator is Dr. Martha Gaustad, Associate Dean of the Graduate College at Bowling Green University. She will provide formative evaluation as a basis for ongoing project assessment and improvement and summative evaluation to determine the extent to which the project has met its goals.
