E-Learning for Deaf Adults from a User-Centered Perspective

Abstract

Deaf individuals present differences compared to their hearing peers in terms of their learning profile. In addition, deaf adults seem to still be socially excluded nowadays, given that the transition from school to work is more difficult for people with hearing loss. This study aims to analyze the cognitive characteristics of deaf adults, as well as the way they learn better, for the development of an innovative and user-friendly e-learning platform, which will be adapted to the educational needs of the target group. Fifty-three deaf or hard-of-hearing adults participated in the field research for the needs of this study. According to the results, participants prefer e-learning modules with continuity in terms of the content, which offer comprehension questions during the sessions, as well as practice exercises after their completion. Furthermore, participants had positive attitudes towards the use of special graphics and explanatory videos.

Supporting Autonomous Learning Skills in Developmental Mathematics Courses With Asynchronous Online Resources

“…DHH students arrive at school with various communication preferences (Leigh, 2008; Pappas et al, 2018). With increased advances in assistive hearing technology such as digital hearing aids and cochlear implants, some students depend on their residual hearing, and are educated in a mainstreamed, oral environment.…”

“…These features would also satisfy Universal Design for Learning requirements, as students with a variety of learning preferences could benefit (Rose et al, 2010). When designed with DHH learners in mind, online educational videos offer a preferential learning alternative for DHH students as compared with an in-person, mainstreamed setting with hearing learners (Long et al, 2007; Pappas et al, 2018).…”

“…For the general population, these videos incorporate many of the features that fulfill criteria for good instructional design of educational videos (Brame, 2015). However, the speed of narration, absence of a visual of the narrator's face, and lack of manual communication means that these videos are likely insufficient for many learners who are DHH (Pappas et al, 2018).…”

“…Third, even if instructional videos incorporate accurate and appropriate reading level "plain language" captioning, these features may not be sufficient for access by DHH students (McKeown & McKeown, 2019). Because of the wide variety of communication preferences of students are DHH, desirable features should include audio, visual display of content, a visual of the narrator's face, captioning, and ASL (Pappas et al, 2018). These features would also satisfy Universal Design for Learning requirements, as students with a variety of learning preferences could benefit (Rose et al, 2010).…”

Using online information technology for deaf students during COVID-19: A closer look from experience

“…There was little preparation time for instructors and even less for students. The quick migration to distance learning was problematic for many universities too ( Pappas et al., 2018 ). Therefore, the perceptions regarding the technological instruction and accommodations provided to deaf students in online distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic were investigated through the following research questions: From the perspective of deaf university students, how did online distance learning affect their learning experience during the COVID-19 pandemic?…”