Students at the North Carolina School for the Deaf now have a new avenue for their pursuit of science with the outreach of the Biotechnology Program, or BIT, at NC State.
The BIT program is expanding, making its classroom resources available beyond NC State to also serve students with disabilities at other schools. BIT is focused on making “science for all” a reality. As part of one of BIT’s several education outreach programs, a group, led by postdoctoral associate Thomas Lentz, conducted science laboratory activities at NCSD through modified-instruction techniques to aid those who are deaf/hard-of-hearing.
By employing the principles of universal design in learning, based on courses brought to him through the NSCU Professional Development Award, Lentz renovated the content of the freshman course “BIT 100: Current Topics in Biotechnology,” to make these labs accessible to students of all learning styles, not just those who are disabled.
The activity protocols were made more visual and demonstrative to students who are used to receiving instruction in American Sign Language and through interactive classroom tools such as the application Nearpod and the BBC Bitesize Science, according to Daphne Peacock, a science teacher at NCSD involved in the collaboration.
“NCSD students are smart kids and no less capable than a typical NC State student in grasping the concepts behind the activities,” Lentz said. “The real challenge lay in designing the method of conveying the concepts to them.”
Lentz said the experience was “eye-opening” and that it made him aware of how reliant instructors are on verbally communicating science to their students. Lentz said he found himself becoming increasingly more expressive than in any class at NC State. He also said that instead of using a lecture format of teaching, he now finds that employing more demonstrative methods will improve teaching with all students, not just NCSD students.
Robert Kelly, the director of biotechnology at NC State, said the collaboration with NCSD is aimed at eventually inspiring the students to pursue a career in science.
“The Biotechnology Program has very much enjoyed working with the NCSD students and faculty,” Kelly said. “I think we are teaching each other in many ways, especially in how to communicate. I hope that through our collaboration, the NCSD students will be motivated to learn about science and eventually consider this direction in college. From what we’ve experienced, they are certainly a talented group with a lot to offer.”
The future plans of Lentz and his team are focused on the aspect of aiding the NCSD students in finding their niche in academia and research for themselves, according to Lentz. Although there are institutions such as Gallaudet University and Rochester Institute of Technology, National Technical Institute for the Deaf that are great institutions specifically for those who are deaf/heard-of-hearing, Lentz said the program aims for NCSD students to feel welcome at NC State and other public universities as well.
In the foreseeable future, there are also ideas of opening research opportunities at NC State to impart skills necessary for a career in biotechnology for undergraduates who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. The initiative would make the classrooms more accessible.
“It’s been a successful year of collaboration with not only the BIT visiting the NCSD, but also hosting their high school class at the Department of Biotechnology at NCSU,” Peacock said. “The students are reported to have relished their time interacting with university-level faculty members and are looking forward to more classroom activities in the coming school year, as part of a continued collaboration in 2016-17.”
Lentz said he believes that although this initiative might not remove all barriers that students with disabilities face every day in their professional and educational careers, it is definitely taking a step forward to achieve that goal.
A version of this article appeared in print on July 14, 2016, on page 7 with the headline: “NCSD collaborates with biotech.”
