DATE: November 12, 2008

CONTACT: Lamont Flowers, 864-656-0313
lflower@clemson.edu

WRITER: Jessica Lance, 864-656-2061
jrlance@clemson.edu

Clemson receives NSF grant to study online education in science, math

Study to focus on online courses offered at historically black schools

CLEMSON — Clemson University, Fayetteville State University and Ohio State University have been awarded a $499,981 grant from the National Science Foundation to study online distance education in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Lamont Flowers of Clemson’s Charles H. Houston Center for the Study of the Black Experience in Education and Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership, will serve as a co-principal investigator for the three-year study titled “Examining the Impact of Online Distance Education on Student Learning and Student Engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Disciplines at Historically Black Colleges and Universities."

"The purpose of this grant is to increase the general knowledge base regarding the impact of online distance education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines on student learning experiences and outcomes at historically black colleges and universities utilizing a mixed-methods research design," Flowers said.

A survey regarding students’ involvement in online and traditional courses in the STEM disciplines at historically black colleges and universities will serve as a quantitative study of students’ learning styles, academic outcomes and learning experiences. There also will be a qualitative-research analysis using interviews of individuals and groups of students.

This project seeks to support student learning and engagement in online STEM courses, Flowers said. It also will identify student-centered teaching practices for online courses that will enhance students’ learning experiences, complement students’ learning styles and provide students with a strong foundation of knowledge in the STEM disciplines.

"It is my hope that the findings of the study will provide post-secondary institutions with research-based strategies for enhancing learning outcomes for students in online distance-education courses in the STEM disciplines," Flowers said.

Due to a lack of research on online distance-education courses, despite increased enrollment in them, the project will provide noteworthy information needed to enhance the curriculum of online and traditional STEM courses at colleges and universities nationwide, Flowers said. The mixed-methods research design also will serve as a model for STEM educators to use when evaluating their online instruction techniques at historically black colleges and universities.