The Use of Response Card Interventions to Increase Active Responding in Students with Disabilities in the Postsecondary Classroom

Inclusive Postsecondary Education [IPSE] programs are designed to provide students with disabilities the opportunity to seek postsecondary education while receiving explicit instruction and support in social and emotional, independent living, and vocational skills. Most instructors in IPSE programs do not have training to include and engage students with disabilities in the classroom. This dissertation includes four chapters, each structured to provide information to individuals involved with IPSE programs on how to engage students and increase active responding in the classroom. Specifically, two interventions will be explored—response cards and virtual response cards. The first chapter is a review of IPSE programs, student engagement, and response cards. The second chapter describes an empirical study in which response cards successfully increased active responding in a IPSE program classroom. The third chapter is a review of online postsecondary courses and student engagement in such courses. The fourth and final chapter describes an empirical study in which a virtual response card intervention was adapted for use in an online, synchronous IPSE program course to increase active responding. Implications for instructors and future directions for research will also be discussed.