Project Grant 2613842

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded the University of Idaho $318,523 on October 15, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to develop a minimal-item measurement instrument identifying stress ranges among undergraduate engineering students in collaborative learning environments.

The project develops and validates a cost-effective stress assessment tool for use in engineering courses where collaborative learning predominates. The research applies a community-of-learners social systems approach to identify optimal stress levels that enhance learning and memory while recognizing that collaborative structures—such as pair work—can reduce individual cognitive load and stress. The project seeks to establish the relationship between student-perceived workload and learning outcomes within collaborative learning communities and to determine the minimum number of survey items needed to effectively measure student stress, thereby enabling instructors to proactively assess and leverage emerging properties of collaborative learning environments to benefit undergraduate engineering education.

The award period runs through September 30, 2028, with performance at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.