Integration of experiential learning to develop problem solving skills in deaf and hard of hearing STEM students pervasive assumption about educating students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) is that overcoming the communication barrier between instructor and student is sufficient to effectively educate these students. However, research demonstrates that DHH students have additional needs that extend beyond the communication barrier. A critical challenge that DHH students face in pursuing STEM degrees is developing problem-solving skills and by extension,understanding the interaction among concepts or variables that are interrelated. Compared to their hearing peers, DHH students often bring a lower level of conceptual knowledge to the classroom. As a result, when faced with a problem involving an unfamiliar system, DHH students may not easily relate past experience to the problem at-hand. Furthermore, educators need to accommodate for the fact that deaf children learn differently, are more visual, and often process information differently than their hearing peers.To address these challenges, an approach was developed that combines interactive, experiential learning activities with the ‘A3’-based approach to problem-solving commonly used in industry. The approach is rooted in the traditional Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) philosophy and refers to the 11 x 17-inch paper on which each step of the problem-solving process is documented. The method provides a structured way of reporting problems and emphasizes the use of visual information (e.g., graphs and charts) to clearly and efficiently convey the problem as well as the stages leading to its mitigation. In this approach, students document experiential laboratory problems and step-through the initial stages of the PDCA cycle. The ‘A3’ problem solving requires students to develop and improve their critical thinking skills.Utilizing a state-of-the-art production systems laboratory, DHH students act as workers in manufacturing and warehousing scenarios and work in teams to solve problems they encounter first-hand. By being part of the system, students quickly develop the content knowledge needed to address problems introduced as part of the lab activity. To ensure accessibility of the laboratory content, such as providing equal access to information, online video clips were developed that use American Sign Language and captioning to define relevant technical terms.To evaluate the approach, students completed a series of four problem-solving case studies that were developed or adapted for this project and blindly scored using a previously developed rubric. The case studies were used as pre/post and follow-up instruments for assessment. Two control groups and two intervention groups were established in the experiment. Preliminary results (Figure 1) indicate that students who experienced the intervention realized, on average, a statistically significant, 10.6% improvement in assessment score compared to a pre-test baseline and maintained this performance at a six-month follow-up. By comparison the control group did not experience any statistically significant change in baseline performance. The intervention group scored higher than the control group at a statistically significant level for each test except the baseline pre-test. Data collection and analysis are ongoing, and improvements are currently being implemented to the intervention modules. It is anticipated that these enhancements and their effects on student performance will be presented in the full paper.Figure 1. Comparison of problem-solving assessment scores for the control and intervention groups. Pre-test was administered prior to the experiential learning activities, and Post-test was administered immediately after the learning activities.