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The typical student mind-set is focused on getting the ‘right’ answer for a problem with certainty that every problem has one and only one correct answer. However, this viewpoint is not consistent with real life problems as the information available for solving a real-life problem can be stochastic and incomplete. As a result, many correct answers could be possible and the acceptable one would depend on several factors. Students must therefore be exposed to such ambiguous problem spaces. This paper presents a comparison of undergraduate students’ tolerance of ambiguity. The modified Rydell-Rosen Ambiguity Tolerance scale was administered to a cross-section of students to measure their responses. Differences between engineering and non-engineering students were observed. The influence of academic classification and gender were also observed. 

The traditional educational paradigm encourages the development of dualistic intellectual mental models of the world view. Students strive to get the correct answer as expected by the teacher. With the development of understanding of the world view and student agency, the mental models move towards multiplicity and finally to a relativistic understanding. This paper discusses the cognitive development of undergraduate students and the impact of duration of stay in college. A validated instrument was used to measure anchoring of student mental models across the spectrum of duality, multiplicity, relativity, and commitment. Data were analyzed to determine the differences between engineering and non-engineering students. The influence of gender was studied. The effect of the academic standing was also investigated. Results of these analyses are shared. 

Real world problems are rarely well-defined and are usually with incomplete information, in other words epitomes of ambiguity. In contrast, undergraduate students are rarely exposed to the class of problems that they will encounter in their professions. The correlation between students’ tolerance of ambiguity as signified by their cognitive models of the world, and academic success has received limited attention. A cross sectional and longitudinal study at an HBCU is being conducted to establish baselines for the mental models of students and their tolerance to ambiguity. Analysis of cross-sectional data collected at an HBCU indicates little change in tolerance of ambiguity of undergraduate students with time spent in college. This research is supported by NSF Grant# . 

Implementing a technology-mediated learning environment is a challenge for teachers. They have to not only use the learning materials effectively (pedagogical content knowledge) but also integrate the technology that mediates the learning. It is important that prior to the implementation of technology-mediated learning content in the classroom, teachers feel confident on how to use the technology. Therefore, an effective professional development should be provided to the teachers. This paper includes details of the design and conduct of a professional development workshop on a technology-mediated learning environment for middle school math and science teachers from rural and economically depressed school districts. The teaching of active-learning math and science modules supported by flight simulation software was modelled during a one week summer professional development. The participating teachers’ attitudes were measured using the Math/Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instruments. The teachers were also administered a post-workshop survey to solicit their perceptions of the effectiveness of the professional development. Analyses of the data indicated high self-efficacy in using the pedagogical approach and confidence in the effectiveness of the pedagogical approach. This paper will share the methodology of developing the pedagogical approach and some results based on the data analysis. 

An authentic learning environment with the integration of technology can effectively engage students and improve their academic performance. Technology can support learning situations that relate to real life, and provide opportunities for inquiry and collaboration, fostering engagement. This paper will provide details of an authentic learning environment that utilizes flight simulation software to engage middle school students in the learning of several math and science concepts. Active learning lessons were developed using missions flown on the flight simulator. The pedagogical approach was implemented in a one-week long summer camp for students from rural counties with low socio-economic status. Data on student attitudes towards STEM was collected using a 65-item questionnaire. The performance on the content taught during the camp was also measured. The pre-post data analysis indicated positive impact of the approach. The results of this study will be included in this paper. This work is supported by NSF Grant# 1614249. 

Longitudinal and cross-sectional data is being collected at a Historically Black College (HBCU) to understand the cognitive development of students in their tolerance of ambiguity that may translate into their ability to solve open-ended problems. The data is expected to provide insight into the correlations between academic success, tolerance of ambiguity, intellectual development and development of a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) identity in undergraduate students. This work-in-progress paper provides preliminary data on tolerance of ambiguity in college students. Some results from the analysis of the data are included. 

Longitudinal and cross-sectional data is being collected at a Historically Black College (HBCU) to understand the cognitive development of students in their tolerance of ambiguity that may translate into their ability to solve open-ended problems. The data is expected to provide insight into the correlations between academic success, tolerance of ambiguity, intellectual development and development of a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) identity in undergraduate students. This work-in-progress paper provides preliminary data on tolerance of ambiguity in college students. Some results from the analysis of the data are included. 

This paper will share the design of a learning environment that uses flight simulator-based activities designed to cognitively engage middle school students. The flight simulator provides an exciting, realistic, and engaging learning experience. It allows students to recognize the linkage between the concepts and application in real-world. Lesson plans were developed for several math and physics concepts integrating the flight simulator activities. To ensure buy-in for classroom implementation, the topics of these lessons were identified in consultation with the local middle school STEM teachers. Professional development on using the pedagogical approach was then provided to teachers from the middle schools that serve primarily underrepresented populations. Middle school students experienced the learning environment as part of a summer camp to deeply understand some science and math concepts. A quasi experimental between-subjects research design was used. Pre-post content and attitude instruments were utilized to collect data for determining the effectiveness of the approach. This paper provides an updated analysis (N = 50) combining the previously reported data from the 2017 camp and the implementation results of the summer 2018 camp. Results indicated statistically significant gains in students’ content knowledge and positive changes in attitudes of mainly female students towards science, technology, engineering and math.