The purpose of this project is to offer a model program of undergraduate education in communication sciences and disorders (CDIS) that will integrate science and technology throughout the curriculum. Laboratory experiences and experiments have been designed to actively engage students in the scientific investigation of critical parameters in speech production. Students will employ problem solving skills relative to the physiological and acoustic aspects of speech production. Students will formulate hypothesis, design experiments, and by the senior year, engage in independent research exploration. The infusion of laboratory experiences into the undergraduate curriculum will increase students understanding of the complex relationships among all speech processes and increase and develop skills in critical thinking and scientific methodology. Building the scientific base at the undergraduate level will: (1) Allow for a laboratory-based curriculum with scientific inquiry to teach students scientific methods and that research contributions are rewarding and important; (2) Allow for the early introduction and active use of a scientific and research ethic among the students; and (3) Allow CDIS to be pursued as a field of study in and of itself, in order to prepare students to enter related fields that require basic science background as well as to enter a graduate program in CDIS. Various instrumentation has been requested to set up specific physiological and acoustic work stations to allow scientific inquiry into the basic speech sciences. Incorporated into the proposed project will be the development of a laboratory manual for each work station. In addition, project outcomes will be disseminated through presentations at professional conferences and manuscript submission to an appropriate scholarly journal. Dissemination of the project results will be useful to other universities as they attempt to improve the science base in the undergraduate curriculum in communication sciences and disorders.
