Collaborative Research: Supporting Project-Based Learning in Undergraduate Software Engineering Courses

Information

  • NSF Award
  • 2111318
Owner
  • Award Id
    2111318
  • Award Effective Date
    5/15/2021 - 3 years ago
  • Award Expiration Date
    4/30/2024 - 9 months ago
  • Award Amount
    $ 368,630.00
  • Award Instrument
    Standard Grant

Collaborative Research: Supporting Project-Based Learning in Undergraduate Software Engineering Courses

This project aims to serve the national interest by increasing the use of evidence-based teaching practices in undergraduate computer science curricula. One such practice is project-based learning, which gives students opportunities to learn as they work on authentic real-world problems. Project-based learning, and other active learning practices, have been shown to increase student motivation and engagement, raise exam performance, and reduce failure rates. A major barrier to implementing project-based learning in the classroom is that instructors must provide students with the support they need to be successful learners as they complete project tasks. Without that support, students can get bogged down performing unessential tasks instead of learning the targeted concepts and skills. This project aims to increase the use of project-based learning in software engineering courses. To do so, the project will design, develop, and evaluate a reference software engineering course with a repository of twelve ready-to-use projects and associated active learning activities. These resources will enable instructors to easily assign project tasks for students to complete at home. It is anticipated that these resources will increase the capacity of instructors to effectively use project-based learning in their courses. In addition, project-based learning can help students prepare for industry careers by providing learning experiences that are like the work that software engineers do.<br/><br/>The overarching goal of this project is to increase student learning by encouraging and facilitating authentic computer science learning experiences. Data for formative evaluation of the developed project-based learning resources will be gathered through advisory board reviews, undergraduate beta testing, and in-house classroom trials. Field tests at multiple volunteer sites will assess the feasibility of implementing the project-based learning resources in college or university settings. Finally, a pilot study will be performed to assess the promise of the developed materials to improve student learning outcomes. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. This project is in the Engaged Student Learning track, through which the IUSE program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.<br/><br/>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.

  • Program Officer
    Paul Tymannptymann@nsf.gov7032922832
  • Min Amd Letter Date
    5/24/2021 - 3 years ago
  • Max Amd Letter Date
    5/24/2021 - 3 years ago
  • ARRA Amount

Institutions

  • Name
    Clarkson University
  • City
    Potsdam
  • State
    NY
  • Country
    United States
  • Address
    8 Clarkson Avenue
  • Postal Code
    136761401
  • Phone Number
    3152686475

Investigators

  • First Name
    Jan
  • Last Name
    DeWaters
  • Email Address
    jdewater@clarkson.edu
  • Start Date
    5/24/2021 12:00:00 AM
  • First Name
    Daqing
  • Last Name
    Hou
  • Email Address
    dhou@clarkson.edu
  • Start Date
    5/24/2021 12:00:00 AM
  • First Name
    Yu
  • Last Name
    Liu
  • Email Address
    yuliu@clarkson.edu
  • Start Date
    5/24/2021 12:00:00 AM

Program Element

  • Text
    IUSE
  • Code
    1998

Program Reference

  • Text
    Improv Undergrad STEM Ed(IUSE)
  • Code
    8209
  • Text
    UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
  • Code
    9178