Distance learning

Teaching interpreting (ASL/English is a visual task that may seem incompatible with distance delivery. However, with current technology, distance delivery options might be what your program needs to extend its reach and meet wider community needs. IEC can help you determine if distance delivery is a feasible option for your program, whether you are considering designing a fully online or hybrid program or wanting to maximize your use of technology in traditional face-to-face delivery. Not all programs are ready to deliver online content, nor should all programs feel compelled to incorporate online learning. IEC can guide your dialogue about faculty competencies for online teaching, content adaptation, and online learning communities to help you decide if, how, when, and why distance delivery makes sense for your program.

Hybrid programs, also called 'blended programs', incorporate a combination of onsite and remote learning activities using a 'flipped classroom' model. In a flipped classroom, instructional material is delivered online, perhaps in a split screen with PowerPoint and the ASL-using presenter. Students watch lessons, participate in individual and group activities (often through videoconferencing), and complete assignments online prior to meeting together. With content foundations firmly established by the time students and faculty meet together, 100% of the class time can be devoted to skill development  through authentic simulations (often with Deaf and DeafBlind community members present). Creating a hybrid template for the flipped classroom includes mapping courses to determine the face-to-face time requirements for each one, based on its student learning outcomes.