Equipment: Strengthening Instrumentation Education at UPR Mayaguez Implementing New Resources and Practical Training for Computer Science and Engineering Courses

About This Grant

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Hispanic Serving Institution (IUSE:HSI) program, this Educational Instrumentation project aims to expand access to hands-on learning in Computer Science and Engineering by integrating embedded computing devices into core undergraduate courses. Students will use tools like the Raspberry Pi and SunFounder IoT Kit to explore computing systems through real-world applications. This project will help students develop practical skills in areas such as systems programming, machine learning, and computer architecture. It will also create new opportunities for students to engage with emerging technologies in a supportive, project-based learning environment. By making modern computing tools available across the curriculum, the project will better prepare STEM students for the workforce, and serve as a model for other institutions seeking to modernize computing education. This project will introduce low-cost, high-impact embedded computing devices into foundational courses such as Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, and Capstone Design. Faculty will receive training to incorporate these tools into course content, and students will begin with guided exercises before progressing to open-ended projects. The initiative includes both formative and summative assessment strategies, including pre- and post-course surveys, lab assignment analysis, and evaluations of student capstone projects. The project will also compare learning outcomes between courses that use the equipment and those that do not to evaluate impact. Results will be disseminated through presentations, workshops, and academic publications to support adoption by other institutions. This project is funded by the HSI Program, which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, and increase capacity to engage in the development and implementation of innovations to improve STEM teaching and learning at HSIs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.