Distance learning has become an essential educational option during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, students with varied needs require diverse learning experiences. For example, deaf and hard-of-hearing students need specific accommodations to aid their learning. This study aimed to identify the obstacles that instructors face when conducting virtual classroom sessions for these students. Data were collected from 11 lecturers who taught deaf or hard-of-hearing students using distance learning tools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Time, technical problems, and lack of simultaneous translation are among the barriers that must be overcome to address the learning needs of this group of students. Recommended improvements to the virtual classroom experience for deaf or hard-of-hearing students were provided.

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The integration of Student Response Systems (SRSs) into classroom teaching is a pioneering progression in social sciences research that has shown potential in boosting student engagement and elevating academic success. However, no extensive study has examined the impact of its use on academic achievement within a sizable number of students of diverse cofactors, such as scientific discipline and study levels. The current study aims to conduct a comprehensive score analysis investigating the effect of SRS use on academic performance. It involved a total of 6047 male and female undergraduate students from four scientific disciplines, seven colleges, four campuses, and 13 courses covering all study levels within King Saud University. The student’s scores along with their attributes were anonymously collected from the university system. A voluntary anonymous survey was distributed to collect students’ perceptions of SRS along with their personal attributes, such as learning style, and class interaction preferences. Upon data collection, the Python programming language was exclusively implemented for comprehensive data analysis including grouping, validation, random sampling, visualization, and statistical analysis. The overall score analysis study showed a non-significant effect of SRS use on student scores compared to the control (non-SRS) group, while the survey findings proved a significant enhancement of students’ scores (in courses that utilized SRS) compared to their overall GPA. In addition, the differential score and survey analysis within various study subcategories showed significant positive effects in certain subcategories, particularly science and community colleges, and four of their representative courses. SRS showed higher levels of overall student satisfaction (average—4.4/5.0), yet it was also significantly influenced by scientific discipline, preferred interaction methods, and study levels. Overall, SRS provides a highly engaging tool with excellent student acceptance and potential academic performance enhancement.

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