NC State College of Education Awarded $3.9 Million in Research Funding January-March, 2021

Faculty and researchers at the NC State College of Education, including the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research, were awarded $3,927,703 to support 13 projects from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2021.

Faculty and researchers in the College of Education, Friday Institute and Belk Center are currently engaged in 170 active research projects totaling $84,961,434. As of March 31, the college has spent $13,248,184 on research expenditures during the 2020-21 academic year so far.

Design and Pitch Challenges in STEM: Merging Entrepreneurship and Mathematics Learning

This $1,424,834 project funded by the National Science Foundation will facilitate the development of nine design challenges rooted in the high school mathematics curriculum that will encourage students to build, test and refine prototype STEM products, design business plans to demonstrate product viability and pitch their products to a panel of judges. Assistant Professor Erin Krupa, Ph.D., is the project’s principal investigator while Assistant Professor Robin Anderson, Ph.D., will serve as co-principal investigator.

Redefining Scientific Literacy at the Community Level Using a Social Network Approach

This $1,103,218 project funded by the National Science Foundation’s CAREER grant program will facilitate the development of a theory and test metrics for measuring community level science learning through social networks by using social network analysis to quantitatively measure the features of community organizations in three North Carolina coastal communities that must make scientifically-informed adaptation decisions to combat the effects of sea level rise. Assistant Professor K.C. Busch, Ph.D., is the project’s principal investigator.

Digital Learning Object Pilot

This $455,822 project funded by The Institute of Education Sciences will facilitate the development of a series of 10 digital learning objects to be offered as the first course in a potential partnership to produce rapid and responsive online content development and deployment. Professor Carla Johnson, Ph.D., is the project’s principal investigator.

DIT Broadband New Technologies Pilots

This $264,000 project funded by the North Carolina Department of Information Technology Services will provide technical assistance in developing two pilot projects to test the feasibility of new wireless technologies to facilitate internet connections to K-12 students in rural areas without internet access. Ray Zeisz, director of the Technology Infrastructure Lab at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, is the project’s principal investigator.

Connecting Students with Autism to Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) Careers

The College of Education will receive $216,025 of $1.3 million in total funding from the National Science Foundation for this project, which aims to help prepare students for Geographic Information Science and Technology careers using an innovative, research-based workforce development model that increases student self-regulation, interest and motivation while expanding their knowledge of geographic information science and workforce development technology. Assistant Professor Jamie Pearson, Ph.D., is the project’s co-principal investigator. Jason Painter, Ph.D., of The Science House in the NC State College of Sciences, is the principal investigator.

Preparing Teachers who are Content Leaders V.2 — English as a Second Language Cohort Program

This $177,097 project funded by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools will facilitate an add-on teacher licensure program in English as a second language that is adapted and contextualized to the needs of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs John Lee, Ph.D., is the principal investigator while Assistant Teaching Professor Joanna Koch, Ph.D., is the co-principal investigator.

Next Steps in Interfaith Innovations: Introducing the Welcoming Worldview Index

This $85,448 project funded by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation aims to create an empirical index that measures, evaluates and represents an institution’s efforts and commitment to a welcoming worldview climate using data gathered from the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS) project. Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor Alyssa Rockenback, Ph.D., is the project’s principal investigator.

Healthy and Connected Workforce initiative: ARC Power Implementation Grant

This $60,000 project funded by the North Carolina Department of Information Technology Services will allow the Friday Institute to use a real-time evaluation approach to assess the quality and effectiveness of the Broadband Infrastructure Office’s proposed implementation of a comprehensive, innovative program to increase access to healthcare for vulnerable populations while increasing the economic viability and digital skills of residents seeking to re-enter the workforce. Shaun Kellogg, Ph.D., director of the Friday Institute Research and Evaluation Team, is the project’s principal investigator while Friday Institute Research Associate Erin Huggins will serve as the co-principal investigator.

NC Mathematics and Science Education Network Pre-College Program

This $50,000 project funded by the Intuitive Foundation aims to create an Awards Day program to encourage students in the North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network (NC-MSEN) Pre-College Program to continue and raise their levels of academic success. Braska Williams, director of the NC-MSEN Pre-College Program at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, is the project’s principal investigator.

ESF-REM: Light the Way

This $40,000 project funded by the U.S. Department of Education aims to enable the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation to support the North Carolina Education Stabilization Fund-Rethink K12 Education Models team’s design of the program’s professional development and facilitator certification process. Friday Institute Research Scholar Patricia Hilliard, Ph.D., is the project’s principal investigator while Research Scholar Jaclyn Bell Stevens will serve as the co-principal investigator.

Postsecondary CTE Collaborative Mini-Grants

This $19,582 project funded by the ECMC Foundation will award funds to research fellows to support projects related to career and technical education (CTE). Associate Professor James Bartlett, Ph.D., is the project’s principal investigator while Assistant Teaching Professor Michelle Bartlett, Ph.D., will serve as a co-principal investigator.

NC Virtual Computer Science Summit

This $16,336 project funded by the University of Texas-Austin will facilitate a convening of 75 stakeholders in the field of computer science education from across North Carolina to increase awareness of computer science education opportunities and encourage the development of initiatives to broaden participation among all students in the state. Sam Morris, a program manager at the Friday Institute, is the project’s principal investigator.

NC K-12 CS Standards Crosswalk and Mappings Project

This $15,341 project funded by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will enable the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation to support the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as they implement newly adopted NC K-12 CS Standards. Sam Morris, a program manager at the Friday Institute, is the project’s principal investigator.