Project Grant 2540050

Project Grant Award Summary

The University of California, Irvine received a $1.08 million Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076), effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030. The award funds "Intelligent Agents in the Classroom: Supporting Machine Learning Understanding Through Collaborative Design," an initiative designed to advance undergraduate artificial intelligence (AI) literacy through experiential learning. The project will develop and test a three-week, hands-on learning unit that uses a physical model (a shaft loom) to represent matrix factorization—the mathematical foundation of machine learning—supported by an intelligent conversational agent. The instructional approach integrates collaborative design, tangible making, and AI-supported learning to make abstract AI concepts accessible to diverse learners.

The project aims to produce tangible educational outcomes including improved conceptual understanding of AI systems, strengthened interdisciplinary problem-solving skills, and increased student confidence in reasoning about artificial intelligence. By grounding instruction in evidence-based learning science principles, the project seeks to create a scalable model that prepares undergraduates to understand, critique, and engage thoughtfully with AI technologies in both professional practice and civic contexts. This work addresses the national need for broad undergraduate AI literacy and career readiness across diverse institutions.