Engineering education for visually impaired students

Abstract

Engineering Education for Students with Visual Impairments (EEVI) is a two-year professional development program for teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs), targeting grades 5-12 focused around bio-engineering. The overarching program goals are 1) Increase the science, math, and engineering content knowledge for TVIs; 2) Increase TVI's capacity to teach science, math, and engineering concepts to students with visual impairments (VI); 3) Increase TVIs efficacy in science, math, and engineering; 4) increase TVIs capacity to make modifications and accommodations for students with VI to pre-existing science, math, and engineering lesson plans; and 5) Improve students' with VI achievement in science, math, and engineering. To date the TVI professional development, which was intended to accomplish the first four goals, has been completed and post-professional development data are being analyzed. Determination of any affect these interventions have had on the students, goal five, will take more time to assess. This paper will focus on the development of 3D printed models as teaching tools to help remove barriers and misconceptions that VI students have with understanding math, science, and engineering concepts. The TVIs were given professional development to support them in creating 3D models using computer aided design tools, and how to print these models in their class.