Targeted Infusion Project: Infusion of Evidence-Based Strategies to Enhance STEM Majors' Mathematics Performance

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The Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Undergraduate program provides support to design, implement, study and assess efforts to increase the numbers of students and the quality of their preparation by strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and research. This project at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff provides a strategic approach to reform the introductory mathematics curriculum to increase student success. Undergraduate students are involved in this project as peer leaders and researchers.The project seeks to develop faculty expertise in evidence-based instruction, specifically research and project-based learning, web-based learning, and peer-led team learning, and to infuse these strategies into introductory mathematics courses. It is envisioned that these approaches will improve the retention and graduation rates of STEM majors at the university. The proposed activities are: to update the College Algebra curriculum incorporating evidence-based instructions methods and pilot two courses; to develop a co-requisite College Algebra curriculum and pilot a course; and to develop a peer-led team learning center. The project is guided by formative and summative evaluation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.