The Targeted Infusion project entitled - Informatics as Targeted Infusion for Education and Research in the Sciences (iTIERS)- will focus on advancing the inclusion of interdisciplinary informatics in the undergraduate curriculum at Morgan State University. This will be accomplished through enhancement of the teaching and research infrastructure for STEM students. To achieve this overarching goal, the iTIERS project has the following three objectives: 1) to increase the number of undergraduate STEM students who receive iTIERS academic enhancement for the improvement of computation skills building; 2) to increase the retention of lower division students in STEM disciplines as they continue to receive iTIERS academic enhancement in informatics; and 3) to increase the number of opportunities in which STEM students can learn more about informatics applications as an academic enhancement strategy to increase retention, progression, and graduation rates.
The focus of the iTIERS project is directed to freshmen and sophomore STEM students who will be engaged in fundamental computational skills building through the incorporation of mentors, technology, laboratory exercises in STEM, and critical thinking activities. Upper level students, who were previously taught computational skills building, will be introduced to interdisciplinary informatics as a way of infusing into their research different approaches and techniques to algorithmic development and programming, and dataset integration and analysis.
The overall program was designed to transform the Morgan State University STEM disciplines and academic ecosystem by integrating computaional and Smart technologies into the teaching and learning infrastructure. A major aim was to prepare URM students for a technology-based and data-driven future by enhancing access to education and training, as well as improving teaching and research infrastructure. Resources of the program were complemented by collaborations with several other public and private entities who provided both material and human resources support for student training and career development. Among the most significant outcomes, was the impact of the program on improving the technological footprint or physical infrastructure of the campus, particularly in the STEM disciplines. Through the use of Smartboards and other inergrated academic support and learning tools, this provided a platform for greatly enhancing teaching and learning capabilities. Further, iTIERS facilitated the establishment of a dormitory-based 'learning community' for continuous student engagement outside the classroom. As a result, the campus learning environment was transformed via technology acquisition and the integration of software for academic support, curricula enhancement and research skills development. MSU STEM programs have therefore seen positive outcomes in student performance and retention, and have also benefited from improved collaborative activities across science and non-science disciplines. Moeover, there have been improved outreach and partnerships with the local public school systems, as well as opportunities for enhanced pedagogy and assessment through teacher training and engagement. Overall, the program met its goals by using state-of-the-art computational skills building to facilitate interdisciplinary knowledge transfer and improvements in the level of engagement, learning and participation of students and faculty in STEM.
