Targeted Infusion Project: Technology Enhanced Education and Practices for Success (TEEPS) in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry at Clark Atlanta University

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. The project at Clark Atlanta University seeks to improve faculty and students’ teaching and learning experience by revising the sophomore organic chemistry courses to include technological interventions.

The project aims to hone students’ ability to utilize and apply advanced technologies to ultimately, increase student preparedness for future STEM graduate and career opportunities.

The goals of this project are to: (1) enhance the quality of the sophomore organic chemistry courses by implementing new technology including visualization, computation, active learning, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality (VC+ALAIVR) and (2) implement the evidence-based practices of faculty-graduate student team mentoring and early intervention/advising. The team of faculty, graduate student teaching assistants (GTAs) and supplemental instructors (SI) will work collaboratively in creating a question bank of 5,000+ questions for student use.

CAU’s undergraduate students will use cyberinfrastructure technological tools for learning organic chemistry. Professional training for the faculty, coupled with the questions database with answers and multimedia tools/presentations has the potential to impact hundreds of students via delivery of the courses with technology implementation.

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.