The Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf has developed the Distance Learning Science Project for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students. The goal of this three-year project is to increase deaf and hard of hearing students' interest and aptitude in science. The project's objectives include increasing the degree of interest in science among deaf and hard of hearing students in elementary, middle school, and high school programs; decreasing the gap in science knowledge between deaf/hard of hearing students and students who can hear, and increasing the target population's knowledge of various science topics over the life of the project. The goal and objectives will be achieved with the provision of science enhancement lessons and activities integrated with technology. Science enhancement lessons will be provided to deaf/hard of hearing students in several educational programs throughout the state via interactive television. Video-conferencing technology will enable the students and teachers to work together from four remote locations at the same time. The teachers from the participating schools planned six ITV science lessons per year, and the lessons follow the state standards for science education. During the classes, students will present projects and solutions to problems that were assigned to them at the previous class. Between classes, they will communicate with each other about the projects via e-mail, if they are old enough to have the written language skills. For the first time, educational programs for deaf students across New Jersey will be coordinating instruction in a content area. This is beneficial for the students, who tend to move from one program to another throughout their educational careers. In addition to the ITV science classes, students will participate in summer science camps, which are viewed as fun and educational mechanisms to increase students' interest in science and knowledge about scientific topics. The project is expected to increase students' interest in science in several ways. The use of interactive television will create excitement in and of itself. Interest will also be generated for the students through the experience of working cooperatively with other deaf/hard of hearing students. Additionally, science is often a neglected area in deaf education, because communication skills and basic reading and writing skills are viewed as having greater importance for deaf students. The emphasis on science through the enhancement lessons and activities is expected to facilitate the achievement of the project's goal. The project includes a plan to collect and analyze data in order to determine if the goal and objectives are met.
