Kendeou on team awarded NSF grant to improve student learning in STEM

Dr. Panayiota Kendeou headshot
Dr. Panayiota Kendeou

Panayiota Kendeou, associate professor of educational psychology in the psychological foundations of education program, is part of a team of researchers who were recently awarded a three-year, $498,485 grant, funded through the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program. The project, “Optimizing Testing Feedback for Improved Student Learning,” examines the role of testing feedback to promote and support learning in general chemistry and is led by Dr. Jamie Schneider, professor of chemistry and biotechnology at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Based on existing research in cognitive science, this National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will collect evidence on the effects of current practices of testing feedback on student learning. Various forms of feedback with a diverse set of student populations in the context of general chemistry will be examined. Findings from this work are expected to apply to general chemistry programs across the nation as well as more broadly to other STEM areas (physics, engineering, etc.) that also use complex content items in multiple-choice testing. Developing and using evidence-based strategies to enhance and support student learning is a critical step in producing a well-prepared and diverse STEM workforce.