Project Grant 2226601

The National Science Foundation awarded a $171,743 Project Grant to the University of Massachusetts Lowell under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041). The grant will support research collaborating between UMass Lowell and Tufts University researchers to develop machine learning tools for analyzing student-written justifications for challenging concept questions in engineering statics courses. Over a three-year period from April 2023 through March 2026, researchers will collect student response data, conduct manual coding of responses, and develop and evaluate machine learning models to replicate human coding and apply learnings across similar questions. The tools and findings aim to provide instructors insights into student reasoning and support learning of difficult concepts. Outcomes will also further understanding of machine learning approaches for education and their ability to generalize across related questions.