Project-ACE: Active-learning (A) based Engineering Curriculum-transformation (C) for Excellence in Equity (E)

该项目旨在通过在电气，电子和计算机工程课程中实施主动学习教学法，显着提高学生的工程身份，自我效能和工程归属感，从而为国家利益服务。工程课程有很长的、高度管制的先决课程链，称为“关键路径”，往往是学生及时毕业的瓶颈。在这个项目中采取的新方法是针对选定的必修课程沿着这些关键路径转换为主动学习教学法，学生从事真实的，积极的学习经验，并解决开放式的，现实世界的问题，采用专业的研究实践中使用的领域。在被指定为西班牙裔服务机构和亚裔美国人，美洲原住民，太平洋岛屿服务机构的机构中实施项目，将确保对来自STEM研究领域代表性不足的背景的大量学生产生直接影响。具体来说，它将帮助历史上少数民族学生在一个主要的本科院校之间的理论和工业应用的差距差距，从而提高他们的内容知识，自我效能，毕业率和职业准备。该项目计划重新设计六个工程课程沿着关键路径，让学生在真实的，积极的学习经验，包括基于课程的本科研究经验和基于项目的学习。通过将重点从单一的课程重新设计转移到沿着工程课程的关键路径沿着进行战略重新设计，该项目将填补工程教育文献中的重要知识空白。主动学习为基础的课程重新设计将由训练有素的教师进行，并将有一个主题“设计和优化的电子电路在现代智能设备。“三个研究问题，提出来指导调查，将衡量i）归属感的变化，（ii）失败率，和（iii）坚持的意图。将收集和分析关于失败率的调查和机构数据。将招募本科生和研究生提供指导和其他支持。将通过出版物和一个公共网站传播为该项目积累的学习经验。从该项目中收集的见解将对改善STEM教育，减少公平差距，并帮助加强和多样化国家的STEM劳动力具有广泛的相关性。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。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by significantly enhancing students’ engineering identity, self-efficacy and sense of belonging in engineering through implementation of active-learning pedagogy in Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering programs. Engineering curricula have long, highly regimented chains of pre-requisite courses called “critical paths” that often represent bottlenecks to student’s timely graduation. The novel approach taken in this project is to target selected required courses along these critical paths for conversion to active learning pedagogy in which students are engaged in authentic, active learning experiences, and solving open-ended, real-world problems that employ professional research practices used in the field. Project implementation in an institution designated as both an Hispanic Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Island Serving Institution will ensure direct impact on large numbers of students from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM fields of study. Specifically, it will help historically minoritized students at a primarily undergraduate institution bridge the gap between theory and industrial application, thereby improving their content knowledge, self-efficacy, graduation rates and career readiness.The project plans to redesign six engineering courses along critical paths to engage students in authentic, active learning experiences, including course-based undergraduate research experiences and project-based learning. By shifting the focus from a single course redesign to strategic redesign along the critical path of engineering courses, the project will fill an important knowledge gap in the engineering education literature. The active learning-based course redesign will be carried out by trained faculty and will have the theme of "design and optimization of electronic circuits in modern smart-devices." Three research questions, posited to guide the investigations, will measure the change in i) sense of belonging, (ii) failure rates, and (iii) intention to persist. Survey as well as institutional data on failure rates will be collected and analyzed. Undergraduate and graduate students will be recruited to provide mentoring and other support. The learning experiences developed for this project will be disseminated through publications and a public website. The insights gleaned from this project will have broad relevance for improving STEM education, reducing equity gaps, and helping to strengthen and diversify the nation’s STEM workforce. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.