Implementation Project: Enhancement of CUREs-based Curriculum and Immersive Engineering Studio to Enhance Engineering Education and Retention of Underrepresented Engineers at TSU

HBCU-UP计划中的实施项目为设计，实施，研究和评估全面的机构努力提供支持，以通过加强科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）教育和研究来增加学生人数及其准备质量。田纳西州立大学的这一实施项目旨在解决与代表性不足的工程师的入学率和毕业率下降有关的问题。该项目的目标是创建一个为期五年的试点工程课程，其中包括一个工程预科课程和基于CURES的沉浸式工程工作室，以提高田纳西州立大学代表性不足的学生的保留和毕业。一个社会文化教育研究项目将调查有助于HBCU工程专业学生成功的因素。该项目旨在大津州立大学开展一个为期五年的试点工程项目，旨在提高学生的完成率，重点是为新生实施创新的工程预科课程。将成立一个STEM增强研究所，为在工程预科课程中学习STEM课程的学生提供支持。学生将每年参加CURES和沉浸式工程工作室项目，以提高他们在STEM学习中的参与度和能力。沉浸式工程工作室将使用虚拟/增强现实（VR/AR）辅助教学模型来增强学生的视觉空间能力，创建情境学习环境，鼓励学生参与，并在STEM教室中实现数据驱动的教学决策。教师团队旨在围绕工程课程进行干预，以提高学生的学习承诺，动机和学业成绩。该项目旨在建立一个受过训练的本科生与各种工程分析和设计技能的管道，同时也系统地研究影响在本科工程课程的代表性不足的学生保留的社会文化因素。总的来说，该项目旨在通过创新的教学实践和跨学科研究，提高大津工程专业中代表性不足的学生的保留率和成功率。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

Implementation Projects in the HBCU-UP program provide support to design, implement, study and assess comprehensive institutional 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 implementation project at Tennessee State University seeks to address issues related to the declining enrollment and graduation of underrepresented engineers. The goal of this project is to create a five-year pilot engineering curriculum that includes a pre-engineering program and CUREs-based immersive engineering studio to enhance underrepresented student retention and graduation at Tennessee State University. A sociocultural educational research project will investigate the factors that contribute to the success of HBCU engineering students. Formative and summative evaluation will be used to evaluate the project.The project aims to develop a five-year pilot engineering program at TSU to improve student completion rates, focused on implementing a innovative pre-engineering curriculum for incoming freshmen. A STEM Enhancement Institute will be formed to provide support to students who struggle with their STEM courses in their pre-engineering program. Students will participate in CUREs and an immersive engineering studio project every year to enhance their engagement and empowerment in STEM learning. The immersive engineering studio will use virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) facilitated instructional models to enhance students' visual-spatial ability, create a situated learning environment, encourage student engagement, and enable data-driven teaching decisions in STEM classrooms. The faculty team aims to structure an intervention around engineering curriculum to enhance students' learning commitment, motivation, and academic performance. The project aims to create a pipeline of trained undergraduate students with various engineering analysis and design skills, while also systematically studying the sociocultural factors affecting retention of underrepresented students in undergraduate engineering programs. Overall, the project aims to enhance the retention and success of underrepresented students in engineering programs at TSU through innovative pedagogical practices and interdisciplinary research.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.