Citation: Luangrungruang, T.; Kokaew, U. E-Learning Model to Identify the Learning Styles of Hearing-Impaired Students. Sustainability 2022, 14, 13280. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su142013280 Academic Editor: Hao-Chiang Koong Lin Received: 19 September 2022 Accepted: 11 October 2022 Published: 15 October 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Article E-Learning Model to Identify the Learning Styles of Hearing-Impaired Students Tidarat Luangrungruang and Urachart Kokaew * Applied Intelligence and Data Analytics Laboratory, College of Computing, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand * Correspondence: urachart@kku.ac.th Abstract: Deaf students apparently experience hardship in conventional learning; however, despite their inability to hear, nothing can stop them from reading. Although they perform impressively in memorizing the information, their literacy and reading capability still appear to be weak since they lack the chance to revise by listening and practicing repetitively. Currently, the teaching media for deaf students are quite rare and inadequate, forcing them to face difficulties in integrating new knowledge, even though most of the contents are in a form of written, printed, downloaded, or even accessible via an e-learning platform. However, it is crucial to bear in mind that each learner is different. There is evidence showing that some learners prefer particular methods of learning, also known as learning preferences or learning styles. Thus, the present study reports the sequence of learning styles obtained by using a modified VRK + TSL model that categorized students based on their learning styles. We also propose four different ways of teaching using content-adaptive learning styles, namely visual, reading/writing, kinesthetic, and Thai sign language. Based on personal preferences and the principle of universal design under synthesized learning, an e-learning model was developed to identify deaf learners’ learning styles. The objective is to provide e-learning to identify the learning styles of hearing-impaired students and to respond with up-to-date e-learning materials that can be used anywhere and at any time. These materials must support the education of deaf students. As a result, learners have increased efficiency and increased learning outcomes. Keywords: e-learning; hearing-impaired; learning style; universal design 1. Introduction It is difficult for students with hearing-impaired disabilities to learn language. Their first language is sign language since they cannot hear. This can cause problems for them in learning and in communicating with others, as they must put in more effort and have more patience than normal learners. Furthermore, deaf students require more attention, assistance, and suggestions to support them in learning. Therefore, providing educa- tion for this group is composed of preparing students and facilitating them to learn and acquire knowledge. Impaired-learning students or deaf students are considered as a special needs popula- tion when they have to access learning resources, communications, and environments [1]. Their disability cannot be physically seen, so people are not aware of the obstacles the deaf are encountering as they look similar to others. It could be concluded that, as “the deaf solely rely on their vision to access information, which differs from normal people who can use both eyes and ears, so the optimum media for the deaf is the visual ones” [2]. Therefore, the instruction created for the deaf students should be delicately constructed in terms of the curriculum, teaching method, instructional media, assessment, and educational support [3]. Education for hearing-impaired students was established on 10 December 1951. At present, there are 21 schools for deaf students under the Special Education Bureau of Thailand, namely Setsatian School for the Deaf under the royal patronage of His Royal Sustainability 2022, 14, 13280. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013280 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability