Team learning in two-year college stem classes: designing effective teaching interventions for different institutional contexts and class modalities

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Highline College $489,156 on July 1, 2026, to develop evidence-based teaching interventions for team learning in STEM classrooms at two-year colleges through the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076).

The project addresses gaps in how group work translates to consistent student learning, professional skill development, and persistence in STEM, particularly as online and hybrid instruction has created new barriers to effective teamwork. Faculty from Washington two-year colleges will co-create teaching modules, teamwork tools, and professional development resources designed to support team learning across face-to-face and online modalities. The project pursues three goals: identifying psychosocial predictors of student engagement and perceptions of group work effectiveness through surveys; explaining mechanisms underlying differences in those predictors across class modality, student characteristics, and institutional contexts through focus groups and faculty interviews; and developing, testing, and evaluating instructional practices for effective group work responsive to two-year college student needs. Outcomes aim to increase student persistence, support transfer to four-year programs, and enhance readiness for STEM careers.

Performance occurs in Des Moines, Washington, with a period of performance extending from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. This is a Track 1 Improving Teaching and Learning through Curricula and Learning Materials (ITYC) project grant.

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by strengthening the preparation of a stem workforce ready to succeed in real-world team environment. The project focuses on improving evidence-based teaching practices for team learning in stem classrooms at two-year colleges (2YCS). Group work can improve learning, build professional skills, and improve student persistence. However, these benefits are not experienced consistently. This GAP points to a need for better approaches to teaching teamwork. The rapid shift to online and hybrid courses, accelerated by the pandemic, has introduced new barriers to effective team learning at a time when employers are putting more emphasis on teamwork skills. This track 1 ityc project will study how specific group work strategies and how they can be applied in the classroom. Faculty from washington 2YCS will CO-create teaching modules, teamwork tools, and professional development resources that help instructors support and engage students across face-to-face and online settings. By improving how students learn and practice teamwork, the project aims to increase persistence, support transfer to four-year programs, and enhance readiness for stem careers. The project has three goals: 1) identify and explain psychosocial predictors of student engagement and perceptions of group work effectiveness through student surveys; 2) explain mechanisms underlying observed differences in psychosocial predictors across class modality, student characteristics, and institutional 2YC contexts through the use of student focus groups and faculty interviews; 3) develop, test, and evaluate instructional practices for effective group work across class modalities that are responsive to the needs of students at 2YCS. This approach is innovative because IT integrates motivational theory and self-regulation to explain how and why group work succeeds. The project will address gaps in the literature by examining how student characteristics, class modalities, and institutional contexts shape group work experiences. The project also examines how faculty learning communities across institutions and disciplines support sustained instructional change and how professional development models can be adapted to 2YC contexts. Finally, this mixed-methods study will generate methodological tools and instructional artifacts that can be used in other contexts to investigate and improve groupwork outcomes. Findings will be shared through a public-facing website, multiple publications, and workshops at teaching conferences. The NSF iuse: innovation in two-year college stem education (ityc) program seeks to accelerate and advance knowledge about the impact of emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate stem education at two-year colleges. 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.- subawards are planned for this award.