This project is creating hands-on activities to improve STEM problem-solving skills of students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. Engineering professors affiliated with Rochester Institute of Technology, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Toyota Production Systems Laboratory are collaborating to develop three modules to present problem-solving content to students in a visual and hands-on mode that is closely tied to the type of problems that engineers solve in different industry settings. A professional evaluator is helping the investigators understand how the modules are assisting deaf and hard-of-hearing students' learning. This project is improving training for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and will ultimately broaden participation of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in STEM fields including engineering, mathematics and science. The results are being shared with faculty who serve students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing at specific institutions, through NSF Alliances for Students With Disabilities in STEM, and at conferences in disabilities education and engineering education.
