"I Learned as I Went": an online distance education case study

Area of Science:

• Education
• Online Learning
• Deaf Studies

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of online distance education (ODE).
• Increased interactions between deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students and instructors in ODE necessitate understanding specific needs.
• Existing ODE formats are evolving with multimodal, multilingual, and interactive features.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review literature on ODE formats for DHH students.
• To empirically investigate the experiences of DHH students and faculty in higher education ODE.
• To identify key themes in student-faculty interactions within ODE.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was conducted.
• A collective case study employed four data collection strategies: faculty interviews, teaching-learning observations, DHH student focus groups, and curriculum document analysis.
• Data were coded using MAXQDA software to identify themes.

Main Results:

• The literature review indicated a trend towards more multimodal, multilingual, and interactive ODE features.
• The case study uncovered 10 triangulated themes related to instructors, students, and their interactions.
• Key themes focused on instructor strategies, student engagement, and the dynamics of student-faculty communication in ODE.

Conclusions:

• Qualitative analysis provides insights into the lived experiences of DHH students and faculty in ODE.
• Recommendations are proposed for enhancing ODE practices based on research findings.
• Further research is needed to improve the effectiveness of ODE for DHH students.