HSI Implementation and Evaluation Project: Using Peer-Enhanced Blockchain-Based Learning Environments to Promote Student Engagement and Retention

在改善本科STEM教育：西班牙裔服务机构（HSI计划）的支持下，本项目旨在通过修改该机构最大的介绍性STEM课程——心理学导论（PSY100）的传统讲座形式，增加西班牙裔和其他在STEM领域历史上代表性不足的学生的归属感、保留感和研究参与度。与白人和亚洲学生相比，参加史坦顿岛学院PSY100课程的黑人和西班牙裔学生退学或不及格的比例更高。同伴领导的团队学习（PLTL）方法已被证明可以减少STEM课程中的公平差距，但通常不适用于PSY100等大型讲座课程。该项目将利用区块链、人工智能和机器学习方面的技术进步：1)使PLTL模型适应大型讲座课程；2)实时向学生展示他们为课程要求所做的工作如何转化为现实世界的就业相关技能。这些基于同行增强的区块链学习环境（鹅卵石）有望减少公平差距，消除学生保留和毕业的障碍。该项目将招募同行领导者，定制以学生为中心的技能映射应用程序，并在PSY100的多个部分实施鹅卵石，在纽约城市大学的两个hsi中招收超过1000名学生。与传统形式课程的学生相比，该项目预计将显著减少这门课程的退学或不及格学生人数。与其他心理学专业相比，这个项目的预期结果还包括减少人员流失，增加研究参与，以及作为同行领导者参与的学生的毕业率更高。最后，与其他以stem为重点的课程中同伴学习的实施一致，预计黑人和西班牙裔学生的进步最为显著。该项目旨在开发一种“盒子里的PEBBLE”解决方案，可以很容易地被其他学科和其他机构采用。HSI计划旨在加强HSI的本科STEM教育和能力建设。HSI计划支持的项目也将产生关于如何实现这些目标的新知识。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program), this Track 2 project aims to increase the sense of belonging, retention, and research participation of Hispanic and other students historically underrepresented in STEM by revising the traditional lecture format of Introduction to Psychology (PSY100), the largest introductory STEM-focused course in this institution. Black and Hispanic students that enroll in PSY100 at the College of Staten Island drop or fail this course at a higher rate compared with that of White and Asian students. Peer-led team learning (PLTL) approaches have been shown to reduce equity gaps in STEM courses but are not typically amenable to large-format lecture courses such as PSY100. This project will leverage technological advances in blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to: 1) adapt the PLTL model to a large lecture course, and 2) show students, in real-time, how the work they do for course requirements translates to real-world employment-related skills. These peer-enhanced blockchain-based learning environments (PEBBLEs) are expected to reduce equity gaps and remove barriers to student retention and graduation.This project will recruit peer-leaders, customize a student-focused application for skills mapping, and implement PEBBLEs in multiple sections of PSY100, with enrollment of over 1000 students across two HSIs in the City University of New York. This project is expected to lead to a significant decrease in the number of students who drop or fail this course, compared to students in the traditional format course. Expected outcomes of this project also include decreased attrition, increased research participation, and higher graduation rates of students who participate as peer-leaders, compared to other psychology majors. Finally, consistent with peer learning implementation in other STEM-focused courses, the most pronounced improvements are expected to be among Black and Hispanic students. The project aims to develop a "PEBBLE in a box" solution that can be easily adapted by other disciplines and other institutions. The HSI Program aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. Projects supported by the HSI Program will also generate new knowledge on how to achieve these aims.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.