2025 SoTL Grant Recipients

Congratulations to our 2025-2026 SoTL Grant recipients! The CTE awarded 6 grants, distributing a total of $20,000. One project is for a SoTL Collaboration to support a group of instructors working on a common SoTL project, while the others are to support individual faculty conducting SoTL research. The funded projects range from assessing engineering troubleshooting skills to examining the differences between two parallel sessions of an Engagement course, one with and one without AI integration. Learn more about our grantees and the SoTL research happening here at UVA.

Wendy Ligon Smith, Liza Flood, Caleb Henrickson, and Bo Odom

Engagements Program, College of Arts & Sciences

Grant Type: SoTL Collaboration Grant

Funding Awarded: $5,000

Project Title: Qualitative Analysis of the Efficacy of the Commonplace Book in UVA's Engagements Program

Abstract: We propose to design and run a qualitative study that measures the efficacy of the Commonplace Book as a pedagogical tool in UVA’s Engagements Program during academic year 2025-26. Since at least the 1st century AD, philosophers and writers have gathered their ideas in notebooks called commonplace books. The name comes from the conviction that thoughts, quotes, excerpts, poems, sketches, formulas, and notes should be collected and assembled in one notebook – one “common” “place” for holding and keeping. Centuries later, commonplace books still offer learners a distinct means of organizing thoughts and ideas. Entirely analog, the Commonplace Book has the added benefit of being an AI-resistant tool. In academic year 2024-25 we piloted a Commonplace Book for all Engagements students (approximately 3000) to use across their four Engagements courses. The degree to which faculty have implemented the Commonplace Book into their courses varies widely. Some faculty members have used the Commonplace Books to assign weekly reflective writing, sketching, collaging, or note-taking. Others have felt ill-equipped to design new assessments and activities that utilize the book. We propose using this grant to conduct a qualitative review - that we will design - to assess how the Commonplace Books are used in academic year 2025-26 and which pedagogical approaches were most and least successful. Using our findings, we will be able to better train and equip our faculty for effectively using the Commonplace Books in subsequent semesters.

George Prpich

Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering & Applied Science

Grant Type: SoTL Research Grant

Funding Awarded: $5,000

Project Title: Developing a Tool to Assess Engineering Troubleshooting Skills

Abstract: Troubleshooting is a critical yet underdeveloped skill in engineering education. Despite its importance to professional practice, troubleshooting is seldom taught explicitly, leaving students ill-equipped to address complex system failures. While traditional laboratory courses provide hands-on experiences, they often rely on inflexible equipment that limits opportunities for iterative failure and repair. In contrast, computer science curricula integrate debugging instruction through structured, low-risk activities, offering valuable insights for engineering education. This project aims to address the instructional and assessment gap surrounding troubleshooting by developing a diagnostic tool to evaluate engineering students’ troubleshooting skills across disciplines. We will assess student use of domain-agnostic strategies to detect, analyze, and resolve authentic engineering problems. We will conduct in-person sessions with students across all undergraduate levels to observe and document troubleshooting behavior. Findings will inform the design of assessment instruments that capture not only conceptual understanding but also strategic, metacognitive, and procedural dimensions of troubleshooting. This work will contribute to a framework for teaching and evaluating troubleshooting in engineering education, promoting more effective preparation of students for real-world problem-solving.

Jelena Samonina

Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences

Grant Type: SoTL Research Grant

Funding Awarded: $1,175

Project Title: Reimagining Discussions to Ignite Engagement and Boost Performance in a Large-Enrollment Organic Chemistry Class

Abstract: Organic chemistry is often labeled a “killer course” due to its fast pace, heavy content load, and high-stakes assessments. These challenges are compounded by student anxiety, reluctance to collaborate, and underdeveloped metacognitive skills. This project proposes a redesign of discussion sessions in a large-enrollment Organic Chemistry course to foster a more collaborative, reflective, and supportive learning environment. By shifting from primarily individual work to structured, small-group activities, the redesigned sessions will integrate metacognitive training, collaborative learning roles, and real-world applications of chemical phenomena. Three new types of group activities will be implemented: (1) problem-solving sets, (2) case-based learning rooted in everyday chemical phenomena, and (3) mock exams with reflection and study planning components. Each session will train students in the metacognitive cycle (evaluation → planning → monitoring → evaluation) while fostering teamwork and accountability through rotating roles such as group leader, presenter, and timekeeper. The project will be evaluated through surveys, direct observations, TA interviews, peer/self-assessments, and comparative analysis with prior course cohorts. This mixed-methods approach will assess gains in student engagement, metacognitive development, and academic performance. The goal is to create a replicable and scalable model of organic chemistry instructions, ultimately contributing to broader efforts to make high-stakes STEM courses more inclusive, equitable, and effective.

Esther Tian

First Year Engineering Center, School of Engineering & Applied Science

Grant Type: SoTL Research Grant

Funding Awarded: $5,000

Project Title: Tracing the Progression of Engineering Design Process Learning: From Foundations to Capstone

Abstract: Understanding how early design education influences long-term student learning is critical for improving engineering curricula and preparing students for professional practice. This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project builds on a prior study that assessed the progression of design process knowledge in first-year engineering students. The proposed study extends that work by investigating how students’ early experiences with the engineering design process in Engineering Foundations (EF) courses impact their readiness for capstone design in their fourth year. Specifically, it explores differences in design preparedness between students who completed the EF sequence and those who took a more traditional Introduction to Engineering course without a structured design curriculum. Using a longitudinal, mixed-methods approach, data will be collected from first-year and fourth-year students through the Design Process Knowledge assessment tool, administered at four key timepoints. Additional survey items will capture students’ prior design experiences, including internships and other extracurricular involvement. Findings from this study will inform improvements to first-year engineering curricula by identifying strengths and weaknesses in students’ understanding of the design process, as well as which early experiences most effectively support long-term design learning. This project will contribute to the growing body of literature on longitudinal learning outcomes in engineering education and help align course design with desired professional competencies.

Cynthia Tong

Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences

Grant Type: SoTL Research Grant

Funding Awarded: $4,650

Project Title: Chalkboards vs Chatbots: A Longitudinal Experimental Study on AI in Classroom Learning

Abstract: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into undergraduate education has gained significant attention in recent years. While AI offers numerous advantages in education, such as transforming teaching and learning practices, enabling personalized learning, providing instant feedback, and enhancing student engagement and performance, educators also express concerns about potential drawbacks, including the dehumanized learning experience, overreliance on technology, as well as issues related to equity and ethics. Most current findings and discussions on these topics are based on surveys and interviews of teachers and students, or observational studies where researchers observe classroom interactions and behaviors. Given the powerfulness of experimental studies for investigating causal relationships, testing hypotheses, and evaluating interventions, we aim to conduct a longitudinal experiment in the classroom to examine the differences between classrooms with and without AI integration, and comprehensively evaluate the impact of allowing AI usage in the classroom on student performance and feedback. Although experimental studies in real-world educational settings can be resource-intensive and difficult to implement, teaching two parallel sessions of an Engagement course provides us a perfect longitudinal experimental setting. Both numerical and textual data about teacher's and students' perceptions of teaching and learning will be gathered. By disseminating our research findings to colleagues and other educators, the impact of this project will extend beyond our course to our university and the education community. The project will contribute to shaping future AI guidelines in the classroom.

Miao-fen Tseng

East Asian Languages, Literatures, & Cultures, College of Arts & Sciences

Grant Type: SoTL Research Grant

Funding Awarded: $1,175

Project Title: Empowering Differentiated Learning through Copilot-Enabled Deliberate Practice in Media Chinese

Abstract: AI technologies are emerging as accessible and empowering tools that enhance differentiated learning, provide personalized feedback, and create adaptive learning paths. These tools help bridge gaps in access to quality education, fostering a more inclusive and equitable classroom environment. This semester-long study is the first attempt to examine the effects of Copilot-enabled deliberate practice in the acquisition of expressions through reading news in Mandarin Chinese, a proven effective strategy in second language acquisition. Students enrolled in Media Chinese (CHIN4810) in fall 2025 will participate in the study. They will generate a Copilot-enabled passage using the core news expressions identified by the instructor, interpret and analyze the passage, internalize the learned components, and finally create various formats to assess and reinforce learning outcomes. This four-step deliberate practice process ensures frequent and quality interactions, with Copilot providing continuous feedback and guidance as a supportive and knowledgeable tutor. Students will complete a language profile and a Likert-scale survey and participate in interviews about their learning experience and feedback on Copilot. To measure progress in the acquisition of frequent expressions through news reading, students will take a pre-test at the onset and a post-test at the end of the semester. The findings will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of Copilot-driven deliberate practice in the mastery of news expressions through reading and inform future pedagogical strategies, contributing to the broader discourse on integrating AI technologies in world language education.