CAREER: The Impact of Power on Active Learning in Learning Assistant-supported General and Organic Chemistry Lectures

NSF Award Search · 04002526DB NSF STEM Education · $988,134 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

NSF CAREER: The Impact of Power on Active Learning in Learning Assistant-supported General and Organic Chemistry Lectures The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program is a National Science Foundation-wide initiative that supports early-career faculty in advancing research and education. The U.S. STEM workforce plays a critical role in driving innovation and economic growth, to ensure that these goals are met, additional initiatives must be implemented in courses within STEM curricula to ensure student readiness and preparation. Active small-group learning supported by students who took the course previously and return as Learning Assistants (LAs) is beneficial for undergraduate students in gatekeeper general and organic chemistry lectures. However, variation in student learning for different student groups is understudied and has been hypothesized to be connected to students’ relationships with each other and the subject matter. This CAREER project studies the impact of student relationships on their learning as it occurs in the moment of their interactions with each other in LA-supported general and organic chemistry lectures. This research investigates dynamic power relationships amongst students and between students and instructors (professors and LAs) as well as students and concepts that are co-constructed in interaction. Specific research goals of this project are to: (R1) describe patterns of how power relations impact learning as it occurs in the moment

Key facts

NSF award ID
2440934
Awardee
Tufts University (MA)
SAM.gov UEI
WL9FLBRVPJJ7
PI
Ira Caspari-Gnann
Primary program
04002526DB NSF STEM Education
All programs
CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev
Estimated total
$988,134
Funds obligated
$988,134
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2030