Targeted Infusion Project: Innovating Writing-To-Learning Pedagogy To Promote And Assess Deep Conceptual Understanding And Mindful Learning Across Authentic STEM Education Settings

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based, innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) graduate programs and/or careers. This project explores the implementation of the Writing-to-Learn (WTL) pedagogy coupled with cognitive and metacognitive skills development for students enrolled in STEM courses at Jackson State University. The primary goal of the project is to use AI-empowered automatic assessment of students’ writing and metacognitive prompts to both assess student learning gains and help improve student learning and persistence in STEM domains. The proposal incorporates a virtual network of teaching and educational research professionals to engage in professional development and exchange knowledge on innovative instructional practices. Outcomes from the project will lay the foundation for institutionalizing the effective pedagogies that facilitate students' learning and skill development within HBCU communities and promote collaboration among STEM instructors and learning scientists, particularly newly minted HBCU academicians. 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.