PERSPECTIVES OF TEACHING A DEAF STUDENT IN THE MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCES COURSE

摘要

This paper discusses the experience of a Deaf student and their professor in a material and energy balances course. This non-traditional combination was challenging for a few reasons. First, from a professor's perspective, it was initially distracting to have two interpreters by your side in the front of the classroom. Second, from an interpreter's perspective, it was difficult to come up with the appropriate sign for technical terms that they are not familiar with. Finally, from the Deaf student's perspective, the amount of information conveyed was less than that compared to the other students because of the lag time with the interpreters. To address this, the professor provided the interpreters a copy of the course notes at the beginning of every lecture. One interpreter will sign the first topic in parallel with the professor, while the second preps for the second topic. They switch roles during the transition. This on/off system has significantly improved communication to the student. Despite this improvement, professors who have a Deaf student must be aware of several issues. First, the lag time generates missed opportunities to answer questions that the professor verbally asks the class. Second, learning appears to be better with lectures delivered in Powerpoint versus the traditional chalk and blackboard. This may be due to the fact that all of the information is presented simultaneously, versus bits when writing on the chalkboard. Finally, professors should practice appropriate courtesy. They should address and speak to the Deaf student directly while listening to the voice of the interpreters, rather than engaging with the interpreters directly. Feedback from the Deaf student's classmates revealed that most of them have not experienced the presence of an interpreter in a classroom, and it was initially distracting during the beginning of the semester. However, most of the students became accustomed to the setup over time. Additionally, interactions with the Deaf student were not particularly difficult, indicating the ease of mixing Deaf and traditional students in an academic setting. Finally, students perceive that the Deaf student has a disadvantage in learning the same material, and would be aided with more written material provided by the professor.