Transforming the Classroom into an Active Learning Environment to Improve Comprehension, Retention, and Graduation Rates

该项目旨在通过显着提高学生的留存率从39%，远低于全国平均水平，约为全国平均水平（59%）在工程学院在草原视图AM大学的国家利益。采用的方法是从传统的讲座模式的教学过渡到一个创新的方法称为形成性评估的学生为中心的教学和主动学习（FASCIAL）的方法。 FASCIAL方法侧重于更大的以学生为中心的教学，通过让学生参与测试学生对重要概念理解的个人和小组活动，使学习更具互动性。经常寻求反馈方面的学生的知识和困难，然后修改教学的方式，提高学习。计划对影响1900名学生的总共15门课程进行改造。预计FASCIAL方法的使用将提高学生的概念理解，并提高Prairie View AM University（一所公立、历史悠久的黑人土地补助机构）的保留率和毕业率。该项目将大大有助于（i）通过在新的FASCIAL战略中培训研究生和本科生助理来培养未来的合格STEM教师，（ii）通过加速毕业减轻学生贷款负担，以及（iii）降低学生流失率，从而提高保留率和毕业率，以帮助满足未来技术劳动力的迫切劳动力需求。该项目将涉及培训一个由9名教师组成的团队，从事基于学科的教育研究（DBER）实践。教师将来自化学，土木，计算机，电气和机械工程以及教育学院。15门工程本科课程将进行重组，以采用创新的教学方法，该方法使用基于DBER的主动学习来提高学生的概念理解。在教材中，将纳入六种不同的主动学习活动，包括思维-配对-分享合作学习和过程导向的探究学习。将通过严格的数据收集和分析来调查新的教学方法的有效性，此外，将传播调查结果，以便在机构内外广泛采用。适当的假设是假设，以指导调查，并有计划制定全面的调查，为学生，程序级教师和学生学习助理评估的假设。为了帮助教师从传统的讲座过渡到FASCIAL方法，将由知名专家进行系统的培训，从而提高教师设计有效学习任务的能力，这些任务对提高学生的学习，保留和毕业率至关重要。此外，为了促进以学生为中心的教学和主动学习，教室空间的重新设计和重新安排将按照众所周知的以学生为中心的主动学习环境与颠倒教学法（SCALE-UP）方法进行。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过机构和社区转型的轨道，该计划支持的努力，以改变和改善高等教育机构和学科社区的STEM教育.这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估支持.

This project aims to serve the national interest by significantly increasing student retention rate from 39%, well below the national average, to about the national average (59%) at the College of Engineering at Prairie View A&M University. The approach to be employed is the transitioning of instruction from traditional lecture mode to an innovative approach called the Formatively Assessed Student Centered Instruction and Active Learning (FASCIAL) approach. The FASCIAL approach is focused on greater student-centered instruction in which learning is made more interactive by engaging students in individual and small group activities which test students’ understanding of important concepts. Frequent feedback is sought with regard to student knowledge and difficulties, teaching is then modified in a way that enhances learning. Transformation of a total of fifteen courses impacting 1900 students is planned. The expectation is that the use of the FASCIAL approach will result in improved student conceptual understanding as well as enhanced retention and graduation rates at Prairie View A&M University, a public, historically black land grant institution. The project will contribute significantly to the (i) production of competent future STEM faculty through training of graduate and undergraduate student assistants in the new FASCIAL strategy, (ii) lessening of student loan burdens through accelerated graduation, and (iii) reduction in student attrition rate, hence increased retention and graduation rates to help meet the urgent labor demand for the future technological workforce. The project will involve the training of a team of nine faculty members in Discipline Based Educational Research (DBER) practices. Faculty will be drawn from Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering as well as the College of Education. Fifteen engineering undergraduate courses are to be re-structured for an innovative instructional delivery approach which uses DBER-based active learning to improve students’ conceptual understanding. Six different active learning activities including, Think-Pair-Share collaborative learning and process oriented guided inquiry learning, are to be incorporated in the instructional materials. The effectiveness of the new instructional approach will be investigated through rigorous data collection and analysis, furthermore, findings will be disseminated for broader adoption within the institution and beyond. Appropriate hypotheses are posited to guide the investigations, and there are plans to develop comprehensive surveys for students, program level instructors and student learning assistants to assess the hypotheses. To help faculty transition from traditional lectures to the FASCIAL approach, there will be systematic training by renowned experts, thereby improving instructors’ ability to design effective learning tasks that are critical to enhanced student learning, retention and graduation rates. Additionally, to facilitate student-centered instruction and active learning, the redesign and re-arrangement of classroom spaces will be carried out as per the well known Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP) approach. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities.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.