Research Funding & Briefs

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Lindgren, Perry, and Alumni Connect on $1.5M NSF Project

Educational Psychology professors Robb Lindgren, Michelle Perry, and Shereen Beilstein (DPI) and Jason Morphew (Purdue University) are working on a study titled, Understanding Cueing Gestures within Video Learning Environs for Statistics Education. The goal is to improve online learning environments by including instructional gestures and cueing to help students conceptualize abstract theories.

Marchand, Dornfeld Tissenbaum Collaborate on Chancellor’s Call to Action Project

Assistant professors Aixa Marchand, Educational Psychology, and Catherine Dornfeld Tissenbaum, Curriculum & Instruction, received a $99K award from the U. of I. campus for Developing and Evaluating a Practice-Based Teacher Education Unit to Advance Social Justice in Parent-Teacher Relationships. The project addresses Illinois State Board of Education Culturally Relevant Teaching and Learning Standards

Smith, Hardy Receive $3M NSF Award to Support Early Math Learning

Stephanie Smith, associate professor in Curriculum & Instruction, and Jessica Hardy, assistant professor in Special Education, are PI and Co-PI on a project supported by the NSF’s Division of Research on Learning. Math Partners: Collaborations to Support Early Math Learning will focus on working with teachers and teaching assistants to establish positive relationships with parents and caregivers that center families’ knowledge and experiences, especially as related to the development of math skills.

Jayathirtha Awarded $2M NSF Grant for CS Education

Gayithri Jayathirtha, an assistant professor in Curriculum & Instruction is co-PI on a NSF funded project titled Researching Equity, Access, & Learning in Computer Science Education. In this CS for All Research-Practice Partnership project, Jayathirtha will work with school districts across the U.S. to create systemic change within high school computer science by iteratively designing, implementing, and studying generative efforts to broaden participation in computing in collaboration with teachers.

Tarconish to Study Inclusive Solutions for Grad Students and Faculty with Disabilities

Emily Tarconish, a teaching assistant professor in Special Education, is a collaborator on a new $650K NSF research project titled DisMANTLE: Barriers and Solutions for Physics Graduate Students and Faculty with Disabilities in Training and Workplace Settings. Findings from the study aim to increase the engagement, academic career retention, and career advancement of faculty and students with disabilities in STEM and advancing a robust STEM workforce.

González Receives $1.4M for Math Teacher Engagement Project

Gloriana González, Curriculum & Instruction professor, has received funding from the National Science Foundation as PI on the project Engaging Teachers in Integrating Human-Centered Design for Geometry Problem-Based Instruction. Saad Shehab, associate director of assessment and research at the campus’ Siebel Center for Design, is Co-PI. This project supports teachers in designing and implementing mathematics lessons using a human-centered design approach.

Lambert a Co-PI on Work to Improve Communication for Severely Impaired Children

Matt Lambert, professor and department head in Special Education, is collaborating on a $600K NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders funded project titled Foundations of Patient-Oriented AAC Access for Children: Evaluating Picture-Based P300 Brain-Computer Interface Control and Design Preferences. The findings will advance brain-connected technology to support communication abilities for children with severe speech and physical impairments.

Ruedas-Gracia Receives $250K NIH Diversity Supplement Award for Research Project

Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, assistant professor in Educational Psychology, will be responsible for leading efforts to examine racial and ethnic disparities in the biomedical research for the project Social- Environmental Predictors of Sleep Disparities During the Transition to College. With collaborators at Fordham University, she will design and implement methods to foster participation in the research project equitably and ethically.