RDE-DEI: Universal Design in College Algebra: Customizing Learning Resources for Two Year Students with Learning Disabilities

Landmark College, Putney VT

Investigators

Abstract

The project RDE-DEI: Universal Design in College Algebra: Customizing Learning Resources for Two-Year College Students with Learning Disabilities is a $99,924 dollar award funded by the Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) program's Demonstration, Enrichment and Information Dissemination (DEI) track. The primary goal of this project is to positively impact the number of students with learning disabilities who succeed in STEM courses and careers by making universally designed teaching and learning resources available to college algebra instructors and their students at public community colleges and two-year private colleges. The primary hypothesis being investigated in this study is that students with learning disabilities who use universally designed algebra learning resources combined with teaching techniques and learning strategies will have higher algebra test scores and will report greater confidence in their math ability when compared to students who are not provided these resources, techniques and strategies. This project builds on the successful work being conducted by the PI, funded by the US Education Department (P333A050035), to implement a best practices professional development program for teaching students with learning disabilities in a community college setting. This team from Landmark College, which is lead by a research psychologist, includes an expert in post-secondary mathematics education for students with learning disabilities and a team member with expertise in post-secondary learning strategies for students with disabilities and the use of assistive technologies for accessible college learning. The proposal includes a quasi-experimental design to compare the math performance of students assigned to the intervention and control groups on pre- and post-unit algebra content. 200 subjects are being recruited to participate in this study from four two-year post-secondary institutions: Landmark College, Berkshire Community College, Holyoke Community College and Suffolk Community College. The project directly addresses the DEI track goals by making the learning resources accessible and available, by enriching students with learning disabilities' academic experiences in post-secondary algebra courses, and by demonstrating the effectiveness of mathematics intervention with public community college and private two-year college students with learning disabilities. There is a formative and summative project evaluation plan which is conducted by an external evaluator from the University of Massachusetts' Donahue Institute. Additional formative project input is provided by a team of expert advisors who include experts in either mathematics education or in disability services for students at two-year colleges: Kris Kozuch from Springfield Technical Community College; Cathy Jenner and DeEtta Ryan from Renton Technical College; John Reno and Clen Vance from Houston Community College; and Marianne DiMascio, John Devino and Christopher Mason from the Community College of Vermont. There is also a dissemination plan which includes sharing information with the RDE community via existing collaborations with two (2) of the RDE-funded Regional Alliances for Students with Disabilities in STEM Education: the University of Washington's AccessSTEM Alliance and The University of Southern Maine's EAST Alliance. Additional dissemination efforts include publishing in peer-reviewed professional journals and presenting information at annual usability conferences held in the northeast.