UVA Awarded Grant to Improve Undergraduate STEM Education

The Association of American Universities (AAU) has announced that UVA is one of 12 member campuses active in the AAU STEM Education Network selected to receive mini-grants supporting initiatives to improve undergraduate education in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A&S Learning Design & Technology partnered with the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence to apply for the $20,000 grant, which will support plans to develop a training program for undergraduate teaching assistants assisting STEM faculty teaching undergraduate classes with large enrollments.

The network is an outgrowth of the AAU Undergraduate STEM Education Initiative, a major project launched in 2011 to encourage STEM departments at AAU universities to use teaching practices proven to be effective in engaging students in STEM education and in helping students learn. The mini-grants are made possible by a five-year, $1 million grant from the Northrop Grumman Foundation, which supports diverse and sustainable national programs to enhance the STEM education experience for students and provide STEM teachers with the training and tools they need to be successful in the classroom.