Dataset Information

The Influence of a Blind Professor in a Bioengineering Course.

ABSTRACT: Although there is increasing literature on blind and visually impaired students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), there is a prevalent gap in the literature regarding STEM educators who are blind or visually impaired. This account aims to partially fill this gap by presenting the methodology and implementation of teaching by Dr. Mona Minkara, a blind bioengineering professor, as well as the tangible outcomes of this approach. We discuss the efforts taken by Dr. Minkara and a team of access assistants to develop accessible methods for teaching a largely visual course, including the use of assistive technologies, such as alternative text, braille, and text-to-speech software. Outside perspectives from teaching assistants, access assistants, and students are also discussed. Student feedback was collected in an end-of-term survey and analyzed to obtain quantitative and qualitative data. Evidenced by student feedback on their experience, we demonstrate that Dr. Minkara's visual impairment altered student perceptions about blindness in education and led to a more interactive and engaging learning environment for her students. This evidence also shows that students were overwhelmingly in support of more blind educators in STEM. We present this account and share our developing toolbox to demonstrate that a career in higher education can (and should) be accessible if given the right modifications. Efforts aimed at broadening the participation of blind and visually impaired individuals in STEM education can continue to alter student perceptions and lead to enhanced learning environments, as well as encourage instructors to increase the accessibility of their own teaching.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-021-00052-1.

SUBMITTER: Greenvall BR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8169403 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:As cornerstones of biomedical engineering and bioengineering undergraduate programs, hands-on laboratory experiences promote key skill development and student engagement. Lab courses often involve team-based activities and close communication with instructors, allowing students to build connection and community. Necessitated by the pandemic, changes to class delivery format presented unprecedented challenges to student inclusion and engagement, especially for students from underrepresented minority backgrounds. Here, we present a multi-faceted approach for fostering inclusion and community-building in a hybrid bioengineering laboratory course. A basis for this project was an approach for team-based project work which allowed students to have hands-on experience in the lab and collaborate extensively with peers, while abiding by social distancing guidelines. Members of each student team worked together remotely and synchronously on a project. One team member executed the hands-on portion of each lab activity and the remote student(s) engaged in the project via online communication. The hybrid lab course was supplemented with interventions to further promote inclusivity and community, including instructor modeling on inclusion, team-based course content, attention to lab session logistics, and instructor communication. Students responded positively, as indicated by the median ratings in course evaluations for the four lab sections in the following categories concerning course climate (using a 5.0 scale): their overall comfort with the climate of the course (4.8 to 5.0), feeling valued and respected by lab instructor (4.8 to 5.0) and their peers (4.8 to 5.0), peers helping each other succeed in the course (4.5 to 5.0), and the degree to which the experience in the course contributed to their sense of belonging in engineering (4.2 to 5.0). When asked to describe aspects of the class that contributed to inclusivity towards differences, students cited a collaborative environment, course content on implicit bias and inclusivity, and an approachable teaching team. Overall, our approach was effective in fostering a sense of community and inclusion. We anticipate many of these initiatives can transcend instructional format to positively impact future lab course offerings, irrespective of modality.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-022-00081-4.

Dataset Information

The Influence of a Blind Professor in a Bioengineering Course.

Supplementary information

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