Federal Grant Award Summary

Award Details: Northeastern Illinois University received $248,274 in Project Grant funding from the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) for a collaborative research initiative spanning September 15, 2025, through August 31, 2028.

Products and Services: The award supports a collaborative research project designed to scale evidence-based teaching practices across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) undergraduate courses. The project implements flipped instruction methodology—where students engage with pre-prepared materials outside of class and apply knowledge through active learning activities during class time—across four institutional pairings (each pairing comprising one four-year institution and one two-year institution). The consortium includes Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Northeastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Chicago State University, and their community college partners: St. Louis Community College, City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College, Oakton College, and Shawnee Community College. Deliverables include comprehensive professional development activities for faculty, investigation of factors affecting flipped instruction effectiveness, and assessment of how institutional, disciplinary, instructor, and student characteristics influence STEM teaching outcomes. The project builds on prior exploratory research and aims to provide evidence-based findings regarding the conditions under which flipped instruction transforms undergraduate STEM education.