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DARE TO CARE (Disability Accommodation tRaining Environment) is an interactive, multimedia, simulative training program teaching faculty to identify and handle disabled student issues in their on- and off-campus classes, resulting in faculty's application of reasonable accommodations and strategies and in greater success for students with disabilities in accessing and participating in all aspects of the college’s instructional environment. This interactive environment has become a key training component, enhancing current efforts made by Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS), Faculty Professional Development, and the Department of Human Resources to disseminate information and resources related to faculty accommodation of students with disabilities.
Specifically, this project provides a preparatory tutorial for faculty to address potential DSPS-related issues before they actually encounter them in class. The project engages faculty in a series of computer-based interactive training modules that introduce, enhance, and reinforce fundamental concepts related to disabled student success by providing classroom awareness and access to students with disabilities. The project provides faculty with the opportunity to learn from errors they make while handling simulated scenarios, instead of aggravating a disabled student or not providing the best possible educational environment in real practice. During the virtual experience, instructors identify DSPS-related access barriers, review and analyze potential attitudinal options suggested by colleagues, and apply conflict management methodologies. Additionally, the training environment provides faculty with useful informational, communication, and instructional features.
The project provides a tangible product: an e-learning environment available on the Internet (and alternatively on a CD) for "anytime, anywhere, anyone" access. The program is designed for both delivery formats to ensure easy and friendly access for all part- and full-time faculty. Performance tracking is built into both formats, and data gathered from both formats is used for comprehensive analysis in various milestones throughout the project. The program aims to: 1) provide faculty with interactive, multimedia courseware to make them more knowledgeable and comfortable in accommodating students with disabilities and applying this knowledge in their face-to-face and distance-learning courses, thus contributing to disabled students' success; 2) encourage communication between faculty, the DSPS office, and students with disabilities; 3) provide ongoing access to resources and comprehensive information about students with disabilities and effective accommodation strategies; and 4) provide core material in faculty training sessions.
Project evaluation included various methods, such as surveys, observations, and analysis of statistical data to measure the effectiveness of the modules, participation frequencies including the number of faculty trained, the courseware impact on faculty learning and attitude, and the effectiveness of the training activities.
The project was developed by the Instructional Technology Development Center (ITDC) at Long Beach City College (LBCC). As of May 2006, the project was fully institutionalized and became an integral part of on-going college-wide training and faculty development activities. A total of 433 LBCC faculty members have been trained through the program. The project has also been disseminated externally: 211 non-LBCC users from 96 academic institutions across the United States have accessed the project on the LBCC server and worked with the various training modules in it. A few of these institutions requested the project packet and intend to customize the project with their institution-specific information.
In April 2006, Dare to Care was nominated for the California Community College Chancellor's Office Technology Focus Award.
ONLINE REFERENCES:
Project home page
http://dare.lbcc.edu
This project is developed at the LBCC Instructional Technology Development Center
http://itdc.lbcc.edu
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Amit Schitai
Project Director
Long Beach Community
College District
4901 E. Carson St.
Long Beach, CA 90808
Tel: 562-938-4626
Fax: 562-938-4814
View Personal Web Site
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