NSF Org:	DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education
Recipient:	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date:	July 15, 2008
Latest Amendment Date:	July 15, 2008
Award Number:	0737142
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Myles Boylan DUE  Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU  Directorate for STEM Education
Start Date:	July 1, 2008
End Date:	December 31, 2012 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$150,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$150,000.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2008 = $150,000.00
History of Investigator:	Robert Culbertson (Principal Investigator) Culbertson@asu.edu Stephen Krause (Co-Principal Investigator) Dale Baker (Co-Principal Investigator) Michael Oehrtman (Co-Principal Investigator) Janice Meyer Thompson (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Arizona State University 660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204 TEMPE AZ  US  85281-3670 (480)965-5479
Sponsor Congressional District:	04
Primary Place of Performance:	Arizona State University 660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204 TEMPE AZ  US  85281-3670
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	04
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	NTLHJXM55KZ6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	S-STEM-Schlr Sci Tech Eng&Math, CCLI-Type 1 (Exploratory)
Primary Program Source:	04000809DB NSF Education & Human Resource 1300CYXXDB H-1B FUND, EDU, NSF
Program Reference Code(s):	SMET, 9178
Program Element Code(s):	153600, 749400
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.076

ABSTRACT

Interdisciplinary (99)
This project (SEMI-STEM) is creating instructional materials in the "science and engineering of musical instruments" (SEMI) in order to connect student learning in each of: science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The project is developing and implementing a freshman math-science block course that uses science, math, engineering, and technology as a means to understand music, particularly the design of musical instruments. Although there have been courses for decades that connect science, technology, math, and music theoretically, this project is adding design and development components that culminate in the building of musical instruments. With these additions, this course is being created as a large "block" course sized at 7-credit hours. The learning context is inquiry-based. Students are learning to use engineering techniques as well as the underlying science to design, construct, and demonstrate musical instruments. The course development and instruction is being guided by an interdisciplinary team consisting of a physicist, mathematician, engineer, educator, musician, and science teacher.

Intellectual Merit: The merit of this project rests is derived from improvements that are expected to occur in the technical literacy, problem solving ability, creative thinking, and STEM self-efficacy of first-year undergraduates who complete this SEMI-STEM course. Criteria are being developed for a general approach to developing coordinated math-science-engineering courses, especially for diverse populations, by monitoring student outcomes. This entails modifying, developing, and testing assessment tools to measure changes in students' affective attributes and cognitive skills. Ways are also being created to measure each student's prior knowledge and misconceptions, and subsequent conceptual changes as the course proceeds.

Broader Impact: This project is developing a prototype methodology for integrating STEM with the fine arts and developing assessment tools to judge the effectiveness of prototype courses.

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