This $399,797 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) supports the development of improved teaching methods and assessment tools to enhance undergraduate biology students' understanding of experimental design and scientific literacy. The primary objectives are to:
Gather data through student and faculty interviews to inform the development of better assessment tools for experimental design skills.
Collect baseline data on experimental design and scientific literacy skills from students in introductory biology courses at a diverse institution.
Design and implement an intervention integrated throughout the lecture and lab components of the introductory biology curriculum to support the development of metacognitive and experimental design skills.
Assess whether improved experimental design skills demonstrate transfer to enhanced scientific literacy abilities.
The project aims to generate insights that could benefit STEM education at the undergraduate, primary, and secondary levels. The award supports a 3-year period of performance, with no plans for federal grant sub-awards.