Synchronous Online Tutoring for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students: An Analysis of Observed Functions

Literature on online learning suggests that many faculty members are reluctant to participate in online learning activities. Concerns raised include faculty concerns that the experiences may be impersonal and that technology will stand in the way of the learning experience. Despite this resistance, students are more likely to endorse online learning strategies, especially because they provide more flexibility in managing complex schedules. Previous research from the Deaf STEM Community Alliance project found that students were positive about their experiences—the opportunity to communicate online enabled students to seek out tutoring that they would not have been able to get otherwise due to scheduling conflicts. Furthermore, students felt that the synchronous online experience was not different than an in-person tutoring session (Elliot et al., 2013). A case study analysis of some of these online sessions suggested that synchronous online tutoring is more beneficial than in-person sessions for some courses, and less beneficial in others. Specifically, synchronous tutoring can be helpful in situations in which tutoring materials can be incorporated into the tutoring session to foster active learning. (Gehret, Elliot, MacDonald, 2017). One of the key activities of the Deaf STEM Community Alliance has been the opportunity for students to receive synchronous tutoring from NTID tutors and project staff. Through the project, more than 35 students have received this type of tutoring, and there have been more than 170 tutoring sessions to date. The proposed presentation reports on the synthesis of coding of a subset of these sessions, which lasted between 15-120 minutes, with an average length of 60 minutes. The research question guiding the analysis is, “what is happening during synchronous tutoring?” Using conversational data analysis techniques (Sidnell, 2012), the research team coded more than 500 segments of tutoring sessions that were video recorded. The segments come from 29 videos that represented STEM tutoring sessions in Biochemistry, Mathematics and Physics. The coding was largely conducted by student research assistants associated with the project, including native ASL speakers and those who were fluent in ASL. Preliminary data for this project has been presented at the NTID Student Research symposia (REF; REF) and an earlier NTID Scholarship Symposium (Elliot, 20??) and the Lilly Conference on College Teaching and Learning (Elliot, 20??) Tutoring conversations were analyzed for who was speaking (learner, tutor), communication strategies, the nature of the interaction, the types of materials being used, and issues related to technology. The analyses suggest that a) the majority of the communication used ASL, with some SimComm and text chat also used; b) most of the interactions involved hardcopy, paper documents; and, c) tutoring sessions experienced very few technical problems (less than 1% of codes accounted for technical problems). While a primary barrier of online adoption commonly expressed by faculty relates to concerns about technology and technology breakdown, the data from this study do not support that hypothesis. With adequate training and available technical assistance, it is possible to have successful synchronous tutoring sessions that focus on student learning

Special Education Needs across the pre-school period

The Early Years Transitions and Special Educational Needs (EYTSEN) project builds on the work of the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project, a major longitudinal study of a national sample of young children’s progress and development through pre-school and into primary school until the end of Key Stage 1 (age 3+ to 7 years) (Sylva et al., 1999).1 Both the EPPE and EYTSEN research studies are funded by the DfES. The EYTSEN study explores evidence of possible special educational needs (SEN) amongst pre-school children. It uses a range of information to identify children who may be ‘at risk’ in terms of either cognitive or social behavioural development and investigates links with a variety of child, parent and family characteristics. It also describes variations in the policies and provision offered by different pre-school centres designed to support children with special needs. Information for over 2800 children attending 141 pre-school centres selected from five regions across England has been analysed. Centres have been drawn from a range of types of providers (local authority day nursery, combined centres, playgroups, private day nurseries, nursery schools and nursery classes). The research was designed to study the six main types of institutional provision, not other forms of pre-school care such as relatives, childminders or nannies. One-to-one assessments of different aspects of young children’s cognitive development were conducted by trained researchers at entry to the study (age 3+) and later at entry to primary school. In addition, ratings of individual children’s social and behavioural development have been collected from pre-school workers at entry to pre-school, and from teachers when children enter primary school. We thus have several sources of information that can be used to explore young children’s cognitive attainment and progress and their social behavioural development. In addition to child assessments, parental interviews conducted when children entered the study have been used to collect detailed information about childcare history and health, and characteristics of children, their families and home environments. Interviews with centre managers of the pre-school settings attended by children have been used to provide details about pre-school settings including provision for SEN. Observations concerning aspects of centre ‘quality’, and measures of the environment experienced by children were made by trained researchers. The distribution of children in the sample identified as \u27at risk\u27 of SEN between different types of pre-school settings has been examined. In addition, the extent of variation in provision made for SEN between different centres and type of pre-school setting has been investigated. The EYTSEN study analysed these different sources of information and the linkages amongst them with a view to informing policy and practice related to the characteristics of young children ‘at risk’ of SEN and pre-school centre practices associated with changes in risk status

Creating an Online Community of Practice: The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Virtual Academic Community

This presentation describes the activities of the Deaf STEM Community Alliance project using the social media platform Google+ private community. The private community provides socialization opportunities and shares accessible STEM media with community participants. A pilot study was conducted on a segment of the community’s activity. Posting frequency was analyzed for the highest impact day, posting times, and types of posts that received the most activity. Tuesdays were the most active, and the best times to post were during the afternoon hours. Posts having content related to community members received the most responses. These findings were compared to research on posting frequency in open social media platforms. Future research should investigate in greater detail the uses of social media for education and for other groups with disabilities

UAS Literary & Arts Journal

Proof copy provided by Tidal Echoes.The 2015 edition of Tidal Echoes presents an annual showcase of writers and artists who share one thing in common: a life surrounded by the rainforests and waterways of Southeast Alaska.Dedication -- Editor’s Note -- Mid-Air -- Acknowledgements -- Salmon (Gohan Desu Yo/It’s Dinner Time) -- Xwaayeenák Richard Dauenhauer -- Loon -- Burney Falls -- Richard Dauenhauer -- Egg Carton Fox -- August Afternoon at Helle’s Pool, Vancouver, Washington -- Oak Run -- Buddy Tabor teaches me to filet a halibut -- Icelander -- Home -- Season’s End -- Young Me, Old Me -- The Window Seat -- Wind -- UAS Student Back Study -- Paintbrush Conversations -- Grey River Soulshine -- Across the Universe -- Aurora-Skaters’ Cabin 1 -- Whiskey and Autumn -- Leaf Wolf -- Spring Cleaning the Perennials -- Ode to a Rose -- Final Point -- After Spring Recital -- Olympic Ceiling -- Rodda-Hard going (too little snow) -- Birch Bark Calligraphy No. 2 -- Fishtailing -- Working the Corks -- Modern Alaskan Storyteller: An Interview with Ishmael Hope -- Bailer at the Back of the Boat (Excerpt) -- Close Up -- Bothering the Dauenhauers -- In Memory of Andrew Hope III -- Wolf Brimhat -- I Am From -- Crossing -- Revelations and Realizations -- The Shrinking Girl -- Untitled (Andi in Niki’s Room) -- Afternoon Reading, Rainy Room -- My Grandmother’s House in Metlakatla -- Deacon Charles Rohrbacher, Icon of St. Nicholas -- Honoring Tibet -- Fumi Matsumoto: Finding Art in Culture -- Pathway of Thorns -- Minidoka Interlude -- Mountain Dew Parrots -- Watch Out for Falling Objects -- Loose Change -- An Unkind Demise -- A Place That Holds Names -- Immortality (skull side) -- Opening Again the Box of Wisdom -- Iff’n I Go -- Colorless Blues -- The Heartsdance -- King of Dreams -- Hungering -- Colonialism -- Inside Out -- Rachel Day -- Lying Here -- Note to Wife -- Death -- Round the Clock -- Untitled (trap) -- Seeds of Racism -- Auschwitz Remembrance -- Moab 1 -- Pearl of the Orient -- Moab 3 -- Scars -- Transporting -- In Eliason Harbor -- Poet Passes: Leaves Words Behind -- Tough Guy -- Wolf Helmet -- Biographie