Project-based engineering program nets $500K award

Annual award recognizes excellence in cultivating engineering leadership

engineering-curriculumWorcester Polytechnic Institute educators Diran Apelian, Arthur C. Heinricher, Richard F. Vaz, and Kristin K. Wobbe are recipients of the 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, “for a project-based engineering curriculum developing leadership, innovative problem-solving, interdisciplinary collaboration, and global competencies.”

The $500,000 annual award, announced by the National Academy of Engineering, recognizes new modalities and experiments in education that develop effective engineering leaders.

The Gordon Prize ceremony will be held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) this spring.…Read More

21 students compete to win coding contest

Semi-finalists will compete to design innovative learning applications with measurable impacts on learner outcomes

coding-contestPearson has announced the 21 semi-finalists for its third annual Student Coding Contest. The 2015 contest places an emphasis on recruiting college students and teams to develop original groundbreaking learning applications that integrate with Pearson Application Programming Interfaces or APIs.

Semi-finalists include a U.S. Air Force (USAF) Academy cadet team, which consists mostly of computer science club members. As students develop their applications, they are challenged to make a positive, measurable impact on learning.

The semi-finalist teams will complete the design and coding of their apps and present them to the contest judges, who will select the top three winners.…Read More

4 principles to guide math learning

New initiative aims to help boost student success with math courses that follow a learning path

math-pathwaysA new initiative from The University of Texas at Austin’s Charles A. Dana Center will work to help entering college students choose math pathways that give them a rigorous course of study, while at the same time boosting college success.

Leaders and policymakers in five states will develop state mathematics task forces and work to improve college student success through the new initiative, known as the New Mathways Project.

The three-year project is funded by a $2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.…Read More

Have universities been looking at STEM data all wrong?

STEM data reveals it’s just as important to measure behavior and engagement in different  fields as it is to measure outcomes to increase STEM student retention.

STEM-girlsSTEM is often lumped into a broad category of learning with specific fields overlooked in general research. But recent STEM data research into behavioral differences within specific subjects reveals that not all STEM classes are created gender equal—and some colleges and universities are better at supporting female engagement than others.

“We went into this research with no preconceived notion of how the dynamics within a biology class or computer science class should be,” explained Jessica Gilmartin, head of business and lead researcher at Piazza—a STEM platform designed to connect teachers and students to those in the STEM field. “But we did know there’s a dearth in data when it comes to measuring behaviors within STEM. There’s lots of information on outcomes, and that’s also needed, but we need data on student/teacher interaction within class; such as asking questions, posting on class forums, interacting with other students, et cetera.”

Piazza’s research focused on 976,000 college and graduate STEM student enrollments at traditional college and graduate programs within the U.S. and Canada (1.126 million total student enrollments, including humanities and social sciences). Researchers tracked students over nearly four terms: Spring 2012, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, and Fall 2014 through November 10th. Data collected involved more than 2.3 million questions asked and answers given, 2.1 million of which involved STEM and computer science coursework.…Read More

Study: Chemistry students boost grades with digital solution

Texas Tech professor’s study finds participating students using MindTap’s digital learning solution outperformed peers

chemistry-studentsTexas Tech Chemistry students using Cengage Learning’s MindTap digital learning solution received significantly better outcomes than those using comparable products, according to results from a study of nearly 1,800 chemistry students.

The study, conducted by Professor Gregory Gellene, compared the course grades and the success rates of students using MindTap General Chemistry with those using alternative e-learning platforms.

The percentage of participating students using MindTap General Chemistry who received a course grade of A or B more than doubled from 32 percent to 66 percent. The percentage of participating students earning less than a C was reduced almost threefold, from 39 percent to 14 percent. This resulted in a course success rate of 87 percent, an increase of 26 percentage points over those using a leading competitor’s product.…Read More

Partnership brings immersive tech to science education

Cyber Science 3D, Gale pairing will combine interactive learning with science subjects

science-learningCyber Science 3D, a creator of virtual reality in the education space, and Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, are partnering to create a new line of educational science products for the school and academic library markets.

The partnership will pair Gale’s content expertise with Cyber Science 3D’s 2D and 3D interactive capabilities in multiple subjects.

“We have been interested in Cyber Science 3D’s unique immersive and interactive software and educational content for quite some time,” said Liz Mason, Vice President of Product for Gale.…Read More

Helping students handle scientific data

Vernier and LabArchives strive to make it easier for higher education students to export and analyze scientific data

data-vernierVernier Software & Technology and LabArchives have partnered to streamline the data-collection process for higher education students. New system features allow students to directly export data from Vernier Logger Pro software to LabArchives Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN), whereas previously students had to save the file locally and manually upload it. Students can now also directly open Logger Pro from LabArchives ELN.

“Digital work spaces appeal to today’s tech-savvy students and help prepare them for real-world lab practices where electronic laboratory notebooks are widely used,” said David Vernier, co-founder of Vernier and former physics teacher. “Logger Pro’s new functionality with LabArchives further supports the use of electronic laboratory notebooks in education by simplifying the data-collection process, saving students time, and facilitating collaboration during college-level labs.”

Logger Pro is a data-collection and analysis software for Windows and Mac computers. It supports data-collection from more than 80 Vernier sensors and enables real-time graphing, features powerful analysis functions, and supports intuitive hands-on learning in K-12 and higher education science and STEM classrooms.…Read More

Minority institutions receive $13M for STEM education

Grants will help institutions implement STEM education programs, initiatives.

stem-educationThe U.S. Department of Education is awarding more than $3 million in new awards to 13 colleges and universities that serve large minority populations to strengthen STEM education programs through the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP).

“Strengthening these institutions that serve large minority populations in STEM is vital to building a strong economy and competitive workforce, while helping ensure that all students have the opportunity to be successful in college, careers and life,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “These grants will help ensure that students, particularly our underrepresented and minority students, are well-prepared for the 21st century global marketplace and on the path to a successful future in a STEM field.”

MSEIP grants are three-year awards that support a variety of activities, including: the development of pre-college enrichment activities in science; tutoring and enhancement of research skills in science education for students; faculty training to develop specific science research or education skills; curriculum development in STEM fields; renovation of STEM labs/classrooms; and any other activities designed to address specific barriers to the entry of minorities into STEM disciplines.…Read More

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