2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Targeted Infusion Project: Using Immersive VR Environments to Improve Student Success for Online Students
Overview

In this project, North Carolina A&T State University will implement online, experiential information and electronics technology (IET) courses through virtual reality technology to measure impact on student success, retention, and engagement for postsecondary students from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM. Metrics will include both quantitative assessments of annual enrollment that track individual demographic groups and qualitative assessments to capture student perceptions of equity and inclusion. Mixed-method assessment will include student perceptions of success correlated to class size to investigate best practices in future scalability. Our investigation will build knowledge with respect to STEM education by evaluating the effectiveness of our three objectives:
1. Enrich online technology course offerings with virtual reality technology to bolster attraction and persistence.
2. Strengthen the online student engagement to increase student knowledge and retention.
3. Investigate relationship between student perceptions of subject proficiency and levels of engagement and learning outcomes in the online VR courses.

Intellectual Merit – Innovation in instruction and curriculum development

The pandemic has provoked a paradigm shift in education towards cyberlearning. As such, this project proposes a strategic initiative that cultivates STEM talent from an under-utilized resource, online students at HBCUs, using an immersive virtual reality platform to foster student success in STEM education. Studying the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of the proposed project will advance future recruiters’ and researchers’ knowledge regarding how virtual reality can offer effective results for improving online STEM education at HBCUs. This project’s intellectual merit is in its use of cutting-edge strategies aimed at increasing the number of students in technology programs at HBCUs and other IHE, thereby promoting innovation leading to economic growth while relieving the forecast US shortage of skilled STEM professionals.

Broader Impacts
The project will impact the society by (1) diversifying the technology workforce, (2) supporting traditionally marginalized groups in STEM education, (3) enhancing online infrastructure for research and education and (4) improving faculty expertise and competitiveness. Understanding and addressing the fundamental barriers that under-utilized students’ groups face will contribute to decreasing the educational achievement gaps among US populations. This project will thus broaden immediate participation by attracting and guiding technologists successfully into the STEM workforce and increase future participation in the STEM workforce via the lessons learned from this project.