Targeted Infusion Project: Expansion and Implementation of the Interactive LearningExpress App

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU- up）通过有针对性的输液项目支持基于证据的创新模式和方法的开发、实施和研究，以提高HBCU本科生的准备和成功，使他们可以攻读STEM研究生课程和/或职业。林肯大学的这个项目旨在创建一个经济实惠的移动应用程序（app），专注于将数学概念应用于生物学问题。本研究将开发、测试和评估一个新颖、低成本、独立的应用程序，以促进生物应用问题的教学，并提高学生的定量素养。内容和应用程序都将由来自代表性不足群体的学生开发，并由主题专家监督。预计这个应用程序将增加学生的参与度，这将有助于学生在执行生物学应用问题方面取得更大的成功。这款应用程序将帮助学生按照自己的节奏提高数学能力，并允许教授在他们遇到困难的时候帮助他们。因此，这个应用程序将提高教师的能力，以解决一个重要的绊脚石，可以阻止学生继续在STEM领域。广泛使用这款应用程序的一个预期好处是增加了STEM专业学生的保留率。拟议项目的总体目标是为学生提供学习机会，将数学概念应用于生命科学问题，并通过开发和验证低成本交互式数学应用程序，为教师提供有关学生学习成果的实时信息。1)将招募学生来协助开发应用程序，2)将组建学生焦点小组来测试应用程序的内容并提供反馈，3)将招募数学和生物学教师来开发包含应用程序的课程模块，4)将在三门生物学课程中对应用程序进行评估。该应用程序的功能，包括多个难度级别，教程，示例问题，以及对学生和教师的反馈，再加上广泛的题库，将有助于加强各大学学生的定量素养。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue STEM graduate programs and/or careers. The project at Lincoln University seeks to create an affordable mobile application (app) that focuses on the application of mathematical concepts to biological problems. This research will develop, test, and evaluate a novel, low cost, independent app to facilitate the teaching of biology application problems and to enhance student quantitative literacy. Both the content and the app will be developed by students from underrepresented groups, with subject matter expert oversight. It is expected that this app will increase student engagement which will contribute to greater student success in performing biology application problems. This app will help students improve math competency at their own pace, and allow the professor to help them at the point where they are having difficulty. Thus, this app will improve faculty ability to address one important stumbling block that can prevent students from continuing in STEM fields. One expected benefit of wide scale use of this app is increased retention of students in STEM majors.The proposed project's overall goal is to provide students with learning opportunities to apply mathematical concepts to life science problems and to provide instructors with real time information on student learning outcomes through the development and validation of a low cost interactive math app. To achieve this goal: 1) students will be recruited to assist in development of the app, 2) student focus groups will be formed to test app content and provide feedback, 3) math and biology faculty will be recruited to develop curricular modules that incorporate the app, and 4) the app will be evaluated in three Biology courses. The features of the app, including multiple levels of difficulty, tutorials, sample problems, and feedback to students and instructors coupled with the extensive question bank, will assist in strengthening the quantitative literacy of students at a wide range of universities.