Social and Interactive Learning at Community Colleges: Investigating Data-driven Feedback for Improving Student Outcomes with Project Based Learning

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

This IUSE Engaged Student Learning project aims to serve the national interest by addressing the gap between unfilled tech jobs and the number of graduates with the skills needed to fill them. It is estimated that over half a million tech jobs will be added to the U.S. economy in the next decade. While schools have tried to expand computing programs, they are not producing enough graduates to meet the needs of industry. Community colleges are a critical component of meeting this need, and of broadening participation in the STEM workforce. The goal of this project is the implementation of innovative methods and tools for improving teaching and learning in computing courses at community colleges. This work has the potential to transform computing education at community colleges, by providing research-based courses, helping to level the playing field for educational opportunities, especially for students at small, rural, and under resourced schools. The project will build on SAIL, a cloud-based platform that incorporates modularized computing content in a project-based learning model, with automated detectors providing ongoing assessment, feedback, and data to faculty and students. In addition to creating two new “gateway” courses, the project will investigate theories around predictors of student outcomes, faculty use of data to inform their practice, and how to use various feedback cycles to improve learning outcomes. The project will pilot professional development modules for project based learning, data-informed teaching, and culturally responsive practices, then move those modules to an online, asynchronous environment. The SAIL platform will be enhanced to include mechanisms to analyze student behavior to predict performance, self-efficacy, and STEM-identity, and automated suggestions for instructors to intervene when these predictors indicate students may be struggling. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the 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.