EDLI has received a National Science Foundation Improving Undergraduate STEM Education grant of $400k to support research aiming to improve student learning outcomes and equity in blended online and in-person courses. Co-PIs Dr. Caitlin Kirby, EDLI’s Associate Director of Research, and Dr. Casey Henley, Director of Online Programs for the Neuroscience Program and Assistant Professor, in collaboration with EDLI’s co-directors Drs. Scott Schopieray and Stephen Thomas, will head the three-year project, with data collection beginning in spring semester 2024.
The rise in blended learning methods makes it imperative for the STEM education community to comprehend the effectiveness and implications of such approaches, particularly for historically marginalized groups. This research aims to investigate the design features of blended courses to discern their influence on student learning outcomes. EDLI will also examine how blended learning impacts various student demographics, emphasizing inclusivity within STEM education. Professional development sessions and a blended course learning community will equip instructors with skills tailored for the blended environment.
To learn more about this grant, you can see this article from the College of Natural Science or view the award on NSF’s website. To read more about our work with blended courses, see our recent publication in TechTrends, our blog post on improving student and instructor satisfaction in blended courses, or our multimodal/blended course guide for instructors.
Interested in participating?
If you teach blended undergraduate courses at MSU and would like to be part of the study and/or professional development community related to blended courses, you can either contact Caitlin Kirby at kirbycai@msu.edu or view complete recruitment information here.