| Summary: | Distance learning courses are on the rise and an increase in American Sign
Language (ASL) education enrollments call for implementation of, and maintaining, best
practices to ensure student success. The ASL curriculum should encompass content and
resources that meet the learning needs of students from various cultural backgrounds. The
purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to understand the online students'
perspectives and the impact of multicultural content embedded in an online American Sign
Language curriculum within a distance education program. The study aimed to identify: 1) how
the multicultural content promoted language acquisition, and 2) how the online program could
integrate further materials that foster cultural competency for online students learning
American Sign Language. This inquiry was conducted through a multicultural lens,
specifically the Multicultural Curriculum Reform (MCR) Theory. Along with semi-structured
interviews with online participants and end-of-session surveys, observations of archival
videos and video artifacts were used as data sources. Three primary themes and nine
sub-themes emerged from the data analysis: Cultivating Cultural Competence (cultural
cognizance through awareness progression), Building Cultural Competence Through Engagement
(perceptions of engagement practices), and Discerning Cultural Relevance (acknowledging
content value). The findings were analyzed, interpreted, and positioned within the context
of the multicultural framework and existing peer-reviewed literature. The study addressed
implications for curriculum reform and practice, limitations within the study, and
recommendations for future inquiry.--Author's abstract
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