STEM Education Research Capacity Building Individual Investigator Development: Building Computational Capacity in Biochemistry Education for the AI+ Era

About This Grant

The NSF ECR Building Capacity of STEM Education Research (BCSER) program contributes to the NSF mission 42 U.S. Code Chapter 16 by building the US workforce undertaking STEM education research. The BCSER Individual Investigator Development in STEM Education Research (IID) track supports individual investigators who are experienced STEM education researchers to develop expertise in new areas that will contribute to advancing STEM education knowledge. STEM education research generates the knowledge, theories, and understandings on which viable strategies for improving U.S. STEM education and workforce outcomes are based. This BCSER IID project supports the PI in building expertise in STEM education research through mentorship and professional development focused on education research design, qualitative methods, and statistical analysis. These experiences will enable the PI to design and conduct rigorous education studies, assess curriculum impact, and contribute meaningfully to discipline-based education research in undergraduate biochemistry. This project addresses a critical gap in undergraduate biochemistry education through a Delphi study with biochemistry educators, researchers, and industry professionals to identify artificial intelligence (AI) and computational competencies essential to modern biochemistry. These competencies will then be integrated into a modular, project-based curriculum with CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience) components. Research questions focus on identifying and integrating essential AI and computational skills into undergraduate biochemistry curricula and advancing knowledge about how project-based computational training affects students' preparedness for research and industry careers. Using a mixed methods approach, the project assesses students' gains in computational competency and confidence. Using case-based problem-solving activities that simulate real-world industry scenarios involving the use of computational skills, the project also assesses career preparedness. The project contributes to STEM education research by extending existing discipline-specific, competency-based frameworks and advancing understanding of how undergraduate curricula can adapt and evolve in response to emerging scientific and technological advances. 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.