2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 211: Building a 'Project-Based Learning for Rural Alabama STEM Middle School Teachers in Machine Learning and Robotics' RET Site (Year 2)

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

This paper describes results from the second year of a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science grant. The objective of this project is to establish an RET Site under CISE at Auburn University (AU) in Alabama. With the title "RET Site: Project-Based Learning for Rural Alabama STEM Middle School Teachers in Machine Learning and Robotics", it provides research experiences to a cohort of middle school math and science teachers in the 7th-8th grades each year via a 6-week summer program and 9-month academic year follow-up, with the research focused on machine learning and robotics.
Teachers in traditionally underserved rural areas of Alabama often lack content knowledge and pedagogical skills for teaching interdisciplinary curriculums that focus on math, science, and engineering. To engage students from underrepresented groups and these underserved areas in STEM experiences, it is of vital importance to support their teachers through professional development, so that they can prepare their students to become future scientist, engineers, innovators, and entrepreneurs in these areas.
In this RET project, teachers participate in education and research activities on state-of-the-art technologies in robotics and ML/AI, to explore various research topics encompassing faculty mentors' research areas, including machine learning, mobile robot, computer vision, virtual and augmented reality, and unmanned ariel vehicle. To support inquiry-based, hands-on research projects, we are leveraging an innovative platform of ML-based mobile robots that is friendly and accessible to teachers. Teachers collaborate with engineering and STEM education faculty to develop engaging project-based curricular modules on robotics and ML/AI for classroom education. Teachers practiced teaching the curricular modules that they have developed in a one-week camp and then they are implementing them in the own classrooms.
Seven teachers, one male and six females, participated in the second year RET project. Of the seven teacher participants four were African American, two were White, and one biracial. The Project Knowledge Scale, the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS), Computer Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale were used to measure teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, computer, and teaching self-efficacy changes before and after the summer six-week professional training. Results indicated that their knowledge, teaching attitudes, computer self-efficacy, and teaching self-efficacy slightly increased after the professional development.

Authors

Dr. Xiaowen Gong http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5124-7941 Auburn University [biography]

Xiaowen Gong received his BEng degree in Electronics and Information Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2008, his MSc degree in Communications from the University of Alberta in 2010, and his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from the Arizona State University in 2015. From 2015 to 2016, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Auburn University. His research interests are in the areas of wireless networks and their applications, with current focuses on machine learning and AI in wireless networks, edge computing, and network security. He received IEEE INFOCOM 2014 Runner-up Best Paper Award as a co-author, ASU ECEE Palais Outstanding Doctoral Student Award in 2015, and NSF CAREER Award in 2022. He is currently an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, a Guest Editor for IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering, and a Guest Editor for IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society.
Dr. Daniela Marghitu Auburn University [biography]

Dr. Daniela Marghitu received her B.S. in Automation and Computing from Polytechnic University of Bucharest, and her Ph.D. degree in Automation and Computing from University of Craiova.

She is a faculty member in the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department at Auburn University, where she has worked since 1996.

Her teaching experience includes a variety of Information Technology and Computing courses (e.g., Object-Oriented Programming for Engineers and Scientists, Introduction to Computing for Engineers and Scientists, Network Programming with HTML and Java, Web Development and Design Foundations with HTML 5.0, CSS3.0 and JavaScript, Personal Computer Applications, Spreadsheet-Based Applications with Visual BASIC, Web Application Development).

Her research areas include STEM K12 Inclusive Computing Research and Outreach; Web Applications Design and Development; Education and Assistive Technology; Software Engineering; Web and Software Engineering Usability and Accessibility.

Dr. Marghitu has received funding for research and education projects from National Science Foundation (e.g.Co-PI of NSF RET Site: Project-Based Learning for Rural Alabama STEM Middle School Teachers in Machine Learning and Robotics; Co-PI of NSF INCLUDES Alliance: The Alliance of Students with Disabilities for Inclusion, Networking, and Transition Opportunities in STEM (TAPDINTO-STEM); Co-PI of NSF EEC "RFE Design and Development: Framing Engineering as Community Activism for Values-Driven Engineering"; Co-PI of NSF CISE "EAGER: An Accessible Coding Curriculum for Engaging Underserved Students with Special Needs in Afterschool Programs"; co-PI of NSF INCLUDES: South East Alliance for Persons with Disabilities in STEM, Co-PI of NSF CE 21 Collaborative Research: Planning Grant: Computer Science for All (CS4ALL)).

Dr. Marghitu was also PI of grants from Center for Woman in Information Technology, Daniel F. Breeden Endowment for Faculty Enhancement, AccessComputing Alliance, Computer Science Collaboration Project, Microsoft Fuse Research, Altova Co., and Pearson Education Publishing Co.

Dr. Marghitu has mentored over one thousand high school, computing undergraduate, graduate students including representatives of underserved/underrepresented communities, women, and people with disabilities.

Dr. Marghitu has participated in numerous administrative activities at Auburn University. Among these activities are the following: Auburn University Board of Trustee Faculty Representative; Auburn University representative for National Center for Women in Information Technology, AccessComputing, Access10K, and AccessEngineering Alliances; Auburn University Persons with Disabilities Committee chair; Founder and Director Auburn University Laboratory for Education and Assistive Technology; faculty representative Auburn University Core Curriculum Oversight committee and Multicultural Diversity Commission.

Dr. Marghitu also served as World Usability Day Web Site Committee Chair; Alabama STEM Education board chair, Panel member for the National Science Foundation; member of the congressionally mandated Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering; member of the Committee on the Future of NSF EPSCoR; and member of the Computer Science for All (CSforAll) Accessibility Board.

Dr. Marghitu published seven Information Technology books at Pearson Publishing Co., articles at International Journal On Advances in Software, International Journal On Advances in Internet Technology, Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, National Science Teaching Association Journals, Journal of Computer Science Education,International Journal on Advances in Internet Technology Transactions of the SDPS: Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science, User Experience Magazine, Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, International Journal for Virtual Reality, Journal of SMET Education and Research.

Dr. Marghitu has published peer reviewed papers and gave presentations at numerous international conferences(e.g. ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education Technical Symposium, International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, International Conference on Software Engineering Advances, EDUCAUSE, Association for Advancement of Computing in Education, International Society for Technology in Education, Society for Design and Process Science, American Society for Engineering Education, Human Computer Interaction International Conference, and International Academy, Research, and Industry Association) in USA, Canada, England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Romania. Her work was also presented by co-authors at conferences in Brazil, Taiwan and S. Korea.

Among Dr. Marghitu's honors and awards are the following: 2011 AccessComputing Capacity Building Award, the 2012 Auburn University Access award, the 2012 Society for Design and Process Science Outstanding Achievement Award, the 2013 Microsoft Fuse Research award, the 2015 DO-IT Trailblazer award, the 2017 International Academy, Research, and Industry Association Fellowship, the 2017 Society for Design and Process Science Fellowship, and the 2019 Samuel Ginn College of Engineering 100+ Women Strong Leadership in Diversity Faculty Award.
Dr. Thaddeus A. Roppel Auburn University [biography]

Dr. Roppel earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University in 1986. He has served on the faculty of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Auburn University since that time. He teaches and conducts research in the fi
Chih-hsuan Wang
Melody L Russell [biography]

Dr. Melody L. Russell is a Professor of Science Education and Endowed Alumni Professor in the College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Auburn University. Dr. Russell's research focuses on broadening participation in STEM and promoting equity and social justice in STEM teaching.

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