A project co-proposed by Professor of Agronomy Brian Hornbuckle, materials science and engineering graduate student Liz Griffin and statistics graduate student Audrey McCombs received one of seven Miller undergraduate teaching grants for the 2021-2022 academic year. Grant recipients submitted proposals that focus on improving undergraduate courses to strengthen student learning.
They received the funding for their project titled "Does Top Hat improve student performance?." The summary of the project is, "Each semester, approximately 300 ISU classes use the personal response system Top Hat as a learning tool, but there hasn't been an evaluation of its effect on student performance. The team will analyze data from more than 3,000 students enrolled over 14 years in an introductory science class to test the hypothesis that more thinking in the classroom (measured by students answering a higher percentage of Top Hat questions) results in more learning (measured by exam performance). The goal is to improve pedagogy and instructional delivery and increase student performance."
Miller grants are funded in part through the F. Wendell Miller endowment, managed by the president's office, and distributed through CELT. Miller, an attorney and farm manager who died in 1995, stipulated in his will that the bulk of his estate would create the Miller Endowment Trust, with income divided equally between Iowa State and the University of Iowa. Former ISU President Martin Jischke established the faculty fellowship program in 1996. CELT supplements the Miller trust funding each year.
More information on the other Miller grant projects is located here.