Soon after Michael Faggella-Luby, Ph.D., director of the Alice Neeley Special Education Research & Service Institute and a professor in the College of Education, made the rapid transition to online learning last spring, he began researching the impact on college students with disabilities. In August and September, Faggella-Luby and colleagues from the University of Connecticut and University of South Florida conducted a national survey of more than 340 students with disabilities in both two- and four-year programs. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability.
Below, Faggella-Luby answers questions about the initial study, key findings and where the research goes from here.
For this project, you worked with researchers from the University of Connecticut. Have you collaborated with them before?
MFL: Yes! Our collaboration goes back almost 15 years. I was a tenured professor and researcher at the Collaborative for Postsecondary Education and Disability at UCONN from 2006-2013. Our team — with members at TCU, University of South Florida, UCONN Health and UCONN-Storrs — has been recognized for developing the P.A.S.S. Taxonomy, used to help understand research and practice for students with disabilities in postsecondary settings. We also have become wonderful friends. At this stage of my career, I am fortunate to have found such intelligent, generous and hardworking colleagues.
What initially inspired this research?
MFL: I think we can honestly say that this research was inspired by both the personal and the professional. Personally, we were all caught up in the rapid transition to remote learning — our courses for college students — but also for our own children, ranging from elementary school to college, who all moved to remote learning. The stories we were sharing helped us get through the early days of the pandemic — with laughter and tears! It didn’t take long though for our training as researchers to kick in, driven perhaps both by curiosity and as a defense mechanism against the challenges that COVID-19 presented in our daily lives. Our regular meetings for ongoing research projects surfaced these personal stories, but also led to a deep concern about college students with disabilities. We were interested in how their experiences, both positive and negative, were shaping their lives and opportunities. College is a wonderful and short period of time for students. It was critical to our team that we understood the perspective of students with disabilities to make sure they were not getting lost in the process.
This is the largest national survey of postsecondary students with disabilities regarding their experiences during the rapid move to remote learning last spring — how were you able to achieve such a high response rate?
MFL: Our survey came out early and through several national networks. We were also able to leverage professional contacts in disability services offices at several universities, including TCU. If you think back on that time, I think we all wanted to say something about what was happening to us — something to give us voice when we might have felt powerless. I think that is why so many students lent their voices to this project — they had something to say. And the great news is that they had so many positive things to share — universities were really working to problem solve learning for everyone. Faculty and staff were rising to the challenge. In my own courses, the mantra became “flexibility, problem solving and kindness.” For the most part, it seems that is how students experienced what was happening. Of course, nothing was perfect. Their suggestions were also practical and helpful — going so far as to suggest that some practices might be helpful if they continue when we come back face-to-face.
Were TCU students part of the response group?
MFL: Yes. Due to the confidentiality of human subject research, I cannot say much about the findings relative to TCU specifically, but I think TCU can be proud of how our staff and faculty responded. In particular, I was grateful for the support of Dr. Annorah Moorman, the associate vice provost for student success at TCU, and Stacy Mason, the associate director of Student Access & Accommodation at TCU. They are really looking out for the best interests of our students.
What were some of the most significant findings of this research?
MFL: Positive student experiences included support from their institution, faculty and disability service staff. Students felt connected to faculty and supported by disability service staff. Most students felt that the increase in communication from both faculty and staff was critical to a positive transition.
Importantly, many of the previously approved accommodations by university staff were no longer appropriate. The rapid shift to remote learning created a variety of new needs, but also solved a variety of problems for learners. For example, some universities gave students a digital platform to both request and receive approval for new accommodations.
Additionally, students communicated concerns about personal, health and financial matters. Many students had to take courses as pass/fail, many were worried about their own health and that of family members, and of course many were concerned the pandemic-created fiscal crisis would impact their ability to pay for college.
What were the biggest surprises to the researchers?
MFL: There were really two big surprises for me. The first was that with the rapid transition to remote learning, professors began to accommodate ALL students with means, which had the added benefit of supporting students with disabilities to the point that some of their accommodations were no longer necessary. For example, if your course moves from face-to-face to synchronous Zoom, the professor can record and post the lecture and discussion after class. This eliminates the need for a note-taking accommodation, but also allows EVERYONE in class to go back and re-listen to something that was confusing or clarify a specific point. In special education, we call this universal design for learning, and it is a fantastic way to approach any kind of teaching as it really creates equity for all.
The second surprise was that faculty played a much bigger role than we anticipated in determining appropriate services for students with disabilities. In the triage model that surfaced as social distancing and online learning really ramped up, instructors were asked to carry a significant load in ensuring meaningful learning for students with disabilities. While it was not universally a smooth process, I think what was important is that faculty are in many ways the front door to the university on a daily basis — at least academically. Students felt most supported when communication was clear, materials were easily available and professors were flexible — that requires a high level of professionalism and humanity from instructors.
What do you think are the key takeaways for colleges?
MFL: Students with disabilities now comprise a significant percentage of their student population — and will continue to do so going forward. When faculty are trained to use best practices like universal design for learning, everyone wins — and the student-consumer is more satisfied. Investing in faculty and staff is investing in all students and improves the university experience.
In addition to the article published in the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, this research also has two companion pieces under review?
MFL: Yes. We have done a deeper dive in the qualitative data to examine student perceptions about disability service staff and faculty interactions. Both articles try to capture what worked, what problems surfaced and finally what practices we might continue when we return to campus.
What’s next for this research?
MFL: We are conducting a follow-up study with participants to compare how spring 2020 and spring 2021 experiences were similar and different. We hypothesize that students in our first survey, like most of us, were willing to be as flexible as possible initially. However, by comparing spring semesters, we can better understand perceptions as COVID-fatigue set in. We will learn what changes (positive and negative) were short lived and which persisted. This is exciting and important research for our country in general and universities like TCU in particular.
Anything else to add?
MFL: Nationally, students with disabilities make up about 20% of the postsecondary education population. However, about 50% of college students with disabilities do not disclose that disability when arriving on campus. So, two things stand out: First, meeting the needs of students with disabilities in postsecondary settings, like TCU, is a critical need to ensure meaningful opportunities for all accepted students. Second, by examining the experiences of college students with disabilities — students typically marginalized because of differences — we are better able to judge the experiences of all college students within the university system. In short, when college students with disabilities are thriving, it is a safe bet that other students are thriving too!