Improving STEM Student Fundamental Math Skills with Tailored Activity-Based Instruction

通过基于活动的定制教学提高 STEM 学生的基础数学技能

• 批准号: 2225226
• 负责人: Monika Neda
• 金额: $ 99.98万
• 依托单位: University of Nevada Las Vegas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2225226&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Improving; STEM; Student; Fundamental; Math

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Implementation and Evaluation (Track 2) project aims to increase mathematics preparation for STEM undergraduate students. The need for a stronger foundation of mathematical skills is a major contributing factor to STEM attrition. Therefore, interventions that bridge the math gap between high school preparation and STEM degrees within the first years of college are critical. Faculty of mathematics, engineering, education, and computer science from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) seek to develop motivating and conceptually rich mathematics exercises for students enrolled in pre-STEM and engineering. The exercises will target mathematical concepts that have been shown to be persistently misunderstood by students. The anticipated outcomes of this project are: decreased time to graduation, higher achievement, less STEM attrition, lower degree cost to students, and expanded opportunities for students who are underrepresented in STEM fields of study to pursue advanced degrees in STEM.This project aims to develop math exercises and associated Canvas applications through: (a) building on co-requisite models which compress enrollment time; (b) reinforcing math concepts as modularized exercises specialized with engineering content; and (c) enhancing student motivation using culturally-relevant pedagogy. The project's STEM education research component will provide formative evaluation for activity improvement and demonstrate how the exercises work to improve STEM outcomes. The initial evaluation of the exercises will use a cluster randomized trial design featuring hierarchical linear modeling to examine learning motivation and mathematical knowledge of students who use them. It is hypothesized that this will lead to improved STEM outcomes especially for students whose participation in STEM is underrepresented. The exercises will be made available online for general public use. The UNLV Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education will disseminate them among secondary school math teachers in Nevada. The exercise-enhanced remediation strategy will be shared campus-wide at UNLV and CSN through the Faculty Development centers and nation-wide through research- and practitioner-focused conferences and journals. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs. Achieving these aims, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires innovative approaches that incentivize institutional and community transformation and promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) that improves our understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs.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.

在改善本科STEM教育的支持下：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划），该实施和评估（轨道2）项目旨在增加STEM本科生的数学准备。需要更强的数学技能基础是STEM减员的一个主要因素。因此，在大学的第一年内弥合高中准备和STEM学位之间的数学差距的干预措施至关重要。来自内华达州拉斯维加斯大学（UNLV）和南内华达州学院（CSN）的数学、工程、教育和计算机科学学院寻求为就读于STEM预科和工程的学生开发激励性和概念丰富的数学练习。这些练习将针对那些被证明是学生持续误解的数学概念。该项目的预期成果是：缩短毕业时间，提高成绩，减少STEM流失，降低学生的学位成本，并为STEM研究领域代表性不足的学生提供更多机会，以追求STEM高级学位。该项目旨在通过以下方式开发数学练习和相关的Canvas应用程序：（a）建立压缩入学时间的共同需求模型;（B）加强数学概念，作为工程内容的模块化练习;以及（c）利用与文化相关的教学法提高学生的学习动机。该项目的STEM教育研究部分将为活动改进提供形成性评估，并展示练习如何改善STEM成果。练习的初步评估将使用具有分层线性模型的群集随机试验设计，以检查使用它们的学生的学习动机和数学知识。据推测，这将导致改善STEM成果，特别是对于那些参与STEM的学生代表性不足。这些练习将在网上提供给公众使用。UNLV数学、科学和工程教育中心将在内华达州的中学数学教师中传播这些课程。加强锻炼的补救策略将通过教师发展中心在UNLV和CSN的校园范围内共享，并通过以研究和教学为重点的会议和期刊在全国范围内共享。HSI计划旨在加强本科STEM教育，扩大STEM的参与，并建立HSI的能力。实现这些目标，鉴于HSIs的多样性和背景，需要创新的方法，激励机构和社区转型，促进基础研究（i）参与学生学习，（ii）关于如何有效地使STEM多样化和增加参与，以及（iii）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得支持通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。