TELEMENTORING AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Kenneth Barner, Richard Howell, and Richard Mahoney Applied Sciences and Engineering Laboratories, and The Ohio State University

Abstract

The Science, Engineering, and Math (SEM) program that the University of Delaware is developing strives to increase the number of students with disabilities in SEM academic programs. Younger students are provided with field-based activities through summer programs which features inclusionary environments set within a science context. The mentoring program pairs high school students, with disabilities and an expressed interest in SEM fields, with mentors who are professionals in SEM related fields. The mentoring program is designed to make use of current technology and telecommunication tools - hence the name "telementoring".

Background

The University of Delaware's SEM program strives to increase the number of individuals with disabilities in SEM academic programs by focusing on the students, their families, educators, and (future) employers. The fact that individuals with disabilities are underrepresented in SEM academic programs and professions is well documented. There is, however, no inherent reason why individuals with disabilities cannot succeed in these fields of study and professions. Indeed, although underrepresented, many individuals with disabilities are successful SEM professionals. In order to increase the number of individuals with disabilities in SEM academic programs and careers, students must be provided with positive science experiences and professional role models. In addition to students, the SEM program focuses on families, educators, and employers. These groups are brought into the process through educational lectures and workshops on topics such as assistive technology, legislative rights and obligations, disability awareness, and current medical/engineering research on disability issues. Students in the program are provided with positive SEM experiences through participation in extracurricular activities. For younger students, elementary and middle school age, these activities are inclusionary summer camp based. For high school students, positive SEM experiences and strong role models are provided through a mentoring program. This mentoring program not only involves students, but families and community members (mentors, and future employers) as well. This use of the Internet allows individuals to participate in the program from a wide array of geographical locations and work sites. Currently, the program enjoys tri-state participation (DE, NJ, PA) and individuals conduct their activities from either home, school, or work, depending on the site of their Internet connection. Thus, the summer programs and telecommunications based mentoring increases the students' interactions with other students, both disabled and non-disabled, and with professional adult role models.

Population

The target population of this research is composed of students exhibiting physical and sensory disabilities. Physical disabilities to be considered include spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, and other orthopedic disabilities. Sensory disabilities include blindness, low vision, deafness, and hard of hearing. The total number of students in both programs is currently 26, with an equal number of mentors. The mentors come primarily from professional and university environments and, in some cases, have a disability themselves. Currently, roughly half of the mentors participating in the program have disabilities

Telementoring

Mentoring is a process by which one person with specific experiences, knowledge, or skills shares their insights with another person who wishes to learn more about them. The traditional method of mentoring involves both face-to-face and more distant interactions between individuals. We will be using the term, "telementoring" to indicate that interactions between mentors and students which facilitated using telecommunications, primarily e-mail systems and telephones. This approach provides new opportunities, as well as challenges, for mentors and students as they engage in their ongoing relationship. In general, SEM mentors will work intensively with only one student but their names and areas of expertise will be entered into a common data base (the "mentor pool") which is accessible to all the students in the program. This allows for a generalized sharing of expertise when it is needed by anyone in the program over the course of the academic year. In addition, this approach allows small and large groups of mentor/student teams to efficiently engage in collaborative projects which require a common goal and shared efforts. The mentors have specific roles, with accompanying expectations, which will facilitate the development of their relationship. The roles to be fulfilled by mentors in the SEM program include:

• A willingness to share knowledge and skills in an area of science, engineering, or mathematics with one or more students
• A willingness, and the ability, to communicate at frequent and appropriate times with their student partners.
• A willingness, and the ability, to communicate at frequent and appropriate times with their student partners.
• Interest in learning more about the strengths and weaknesses of their student partners and the ability to use the information to guide/facilitate the development of their partners.
• Sensitivity to the challenges faced by persons with disabilities and a desire to understand and help the students overcome personal and academic barriers to their achievement and success.

In general, mentors are selected who provide their student partners with models of positive, professional performance; advice about problems, encouragement, clarification of future job goals, and a friendly, non-judgmental ear for their partners. Finally, there are three technological approaches to telementoring as it is practiced in the SEM program:

Eudora is used for e-mail communications between students, mentors and program staff. Eudora is a very popular type of software because it combines word processing and communications capabilities into a single application program. It allows you to write your message off-line using a built-in word processor. One a message is completed, the program then goes on-line briefly to mail it. It also uses an English-language set of commands that makes it easy to use and more understandable than many other communication software programs.

The Internet is used for World Wide Web access by students. The WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW) is a name given to a hyper-media protocol on the Internet that provides easy access to people, products, images, and new ideas. The WWW provides an easy to access, intuitive interface for many of the InternetÕs most powerful resources including Gopher, newsgroups, ftp, and most recently, e-mail. Through use of the WWW, students and mentors can efficiently access many resources and data at most universities, laboratories, governments and corporations around the world.

Videoconferencing is another virtual tool used to facilitate student/mentor/staff relationships. This is a relatively new technology which allows for two-way audio and video interactions. At this point, videoconferencing has been used to facilitate a large-group meeting of students and mentors and soon will be used to facilitate the development of "virtual classroom" interaction between SEM students and students from other classes throughout the world.

The results of the mentoring partnership should elicit both tangible and intangible outcomes for students and mentors: 1. Cooperative research projects involving both their student partners and other groups of student/mentor teams 2. Locating and accessing reference materials and information using libraries and Internet resources 3. Guidance concerning academic choices/decisions leading to greater exposure to science, engineering, and mathematics in school 4. An authentic relationship between students and professional scientists leading to mutual respect and understanding.

Activity Descriptions

The activities in the project can be categorized as 1) individual, 2) student/mentor, and 3) virtual class projects. Current projects include the following:

The "Internet Pizza Challenge". This is an ongoing activity in which student/mentor teams are provided a series of intellectually challenging questions developed by ASEL/SEM staff. These questions are all be answerable through creative use of the Internet and World Wide Web using search and discovery tools with the focus being on developing the students' search and problem solving skills.

"Make a Difference (MaD) Scientists!". This is an initial social/historical design project in which students and mentors select and then research the life of a distinguished scientist and then construct a Web page that presents their greatest achievements and what makes them different and special.

The Student/Mentor Yearbook. This project involves the construction of a yearbook of all SEM participants and the posting of it on-line for others to come to know all of the students, mentors, and SEM staff. Each student and mentor are designing and writing their own HomePages for placement on the World Wide Web.

On-Line Publishing: students will utilize their biographical profiles of esteemed scientists to produce articles for an upcoming issue of the electronic magazine called "Newsday" published by a group called the Global SchoolNet Foundation.

Career Development: as the relationship between mentors and student matures, there will be an increasing amount of attention given to providing students with appropriately timed information about colleges and other post-high school vocations in the sciences and technical fields. This information takes the form of career counseling, virtual "visits" and real visits to college campuses, and financial assistance programs.

"Science Talks to Us". A series of telecommunications events are planned that will allow for on-line interactions with scientists, politicians, writers, and educators in the area of science education and policy. An emphasis will be placed upon discussions with those persons who have made significant contributions to the development of policy and procedures of persons with disabilities.

Assessment

Student learning and motivation is being assessed as an integral part of the SEM program. There has been a sincere attempt to make the assessment process as unobtrusive as possible by embedding the assessment information within the activities so that they are a part of the structure of activities rather than isolated, and easily identifiable, events. Performance Evaluations are embedded in activities like the Pizza Challenge and MAD Scientists. The types of data that are gathered within these activities include: 1) the number of Ss responding, and 2) the quality of responses by the students. Attitudinal Assessments are done in a pretest and posttest manner and are part of the Yearbook and HomePage design activities. The information gathered in the attitudinal assessments include the students perceptions of science and scientists as possible careers, how they like to use technologies for communications and learning, and their perceptions of the mentoring process.

Summary

The SEM project is not a project that uses "technology for technology's sake," rather it is designed to provide students, who are relatively isolated and excluded from the scientific enterprise of the nation, a sense of community and direction. The intent of the program is to continuously assist and track these students through their high school, college, and early careers with the expectation that the success of the program will be evidenced by an increase in the number of persons with disabilities engaging in productive and rewarding careers in later life.

Funding for this Ppoject was provided by the National Science Foundation, Grant #: HRD-9450019.

For Further Information contact: Dr. Kenneth Barner, ASEL/SEM Program, 1600 Rockland Rd., Wilmington, DE 19899. Phone: 302-651-6830, email: barner@asel.udel.edu