2022–2023 DELTA Grants Yearbook

From flipping traditional classrooms to creating virtual reality experiences, the 2022–2023 grant year demonstrated the innovation, collaboration and hard work of our dedicated faculty and staff. Their passion for student engagement and success made a meaningful difference in our classrooms and communities.

A graphic with multiple pictures of educational activities. Text reads "Class of 22-23 DELTA Grants, what a great year!"

During the 2022–2023 DELTA Grants cycle, the following 13 projects were completed with deliverables that reflected a broad interest in course improvement, raising student engagement and fostering exploration to benefit student success:

Course Design (5) – AAE 435 (Joy Morgan), CSC 281 (Ignacio Dominguez) , PRT 286 (Martha Brown), EC 468 (Thayer Morrill) ADN 219 (Patrick Fitzgerald)
Critical Path (2) – BAE 200 (Lucie Guertault), BIO 181 (Lisa Paciulli)
Exploratory (6) – CH 222 (Aram Amassian, Ryan Chiechi), ECD 652 (Angie Smith and team) ECI 519 (Julia McKeown), ENT 121 (Terri Billeisen), FTD 419 (Chanmi Hwang), PRT 152 (Nathan Williams)

Two student actors sit in chairs facing each other. Lormarev Jones (left) and Laurel Ullman (right) re-create a counseling session for a video shoot.

Providing Counselors-in-Training Interactive Chatbot and Video Practice (ECD 652)

This Exploratory Grant helped students prepare for their internships with the development of a interactive chatbot and an updated scenario video. The simulated counseling session allows students to practice counseling techniques and take advantage of videos and branching dialogue paths to promote a realistic experience.

Discover the immersive approach

Flipping Interactive Game Design (CSC 281)

This Course Design Grant integrated online theoretical learning and game engine tutorials with in-class game analysis and discussion and project-based learning opportunities to prepare students with real-world game design and development experience. The team created 3D game assets for the Unreal tutorials to allow more advanced game development.

Explore the redesign project

Converting a Course to Interactive and Fully Virtual (AEE 435)

This Course Design Grant employed innovative technology and experiential learning strategies to create a virtual community for students. It emphasized a lively online community for class discussions, collaborative group work and peer review. New best practice videos assisted students to prepare for presentations.

Learn about the results

Overhauling Moodle Organization to Prioritize Course Content (ADN 219)

This Course Design Grant reorganized the course to present more challenging content early on, which helped to build students’ foundational knowledge and reduce course attrition. The team created a student work image carousel, and it was added into Moodle to share student work and foster engagement.

A college classroom with many students seated around tables. The instructor and two video technicians are standing at the front of the class, holding a microphone and video equipment.

Standardizing Projects in an XR Repository (ECI 519)

After defining best practices for external video and written contributions for the xr.ncsu.edu site, participants in this Exploratory Grant focused on developing an exemplar project showcase video as well as standardized assets that can be used by other contributors to create high-quality content to share with the community.

Using Hybrid/Flipped Learning in a Problem-Centered Course (BAE 200)

Students engaged in solving bioengineering problems, which were presented as real-world scenarios with roles and central tasks that included progressing levels of challenges from online, in-class and lab learning. Assessment showed that students’ final exam scores improved significantly after redesign.

A screen capture of the student web client that provides students with live video streams into the lab space and actions to perform the TLC experiment.

Taking the Rob-O-Chem Lab Participation Beyond Virtual Reality (CH 222)

From this Exploratory Grant, organic chemistry students received “hands-on” experience during lab sections by remotely controlling a robotic arm from miles away. Through live video feeds, students observed as the robot replicated their lab technique, down to the micrometer and the millisecond. Students experienced real-world challenges and results based on their decisions, resulting in flexible participation options and better student engagement.

Watch the video and read the article

A person standing in a grassy field using a camera on a tripod.

Developing Virtual Case Studies for Pesticide Application (ENT 121)

To facilitate practical application and real-world implications, this Exploratory Grant developed interactive case studies to simulate the decision-making process of pest management. The team used 3D scanning technology to capture locations and render for students to virtually “walk through.” These case studies are delivered using the enterprise tool TopHat, and are designed to be customizable and modifiable for different courses and semesters.

Read about the redesign

A screen capture of a virtual fashion gallery.

Providing a Public 3D Gallery for Real and Virtual Designs (FTD 419)

This Exploratory Grant used existing platforms and tools to create a student gallery site where students could share their entire garment design process for the course — from inspiration and initial sketches to interactive 3D model and photos of the wearable garment — all in a space where they can share with the larger community and receive valuable feedback from industry professionals.

Students in a classroom wearing virtual reality headsets.

Facilitating Student-Created VR Experiences for Virtual Recreation (PRT 152)

This grant developed a process and training materials so that students can author their own 360 video content. Using student-created virtual reality tours of recreation activities across North Carolina, this Exploratory Grant developed a publicly-accessible map that promotes and documents VR/360 experiences as a fun and engaging form of recreation.

Learn about the outcomes

A graphic of people in shadow following a

Flipping a Large Undergraduate Introductory Biology Course (BIO 181)

This grant reorganized the course into modules that involve basic conceptual learning delivered virtually and active learning for problem-solving in person. It also integrated self-regulation activities and tools. Assessment showed that subsequent exam scores improved significantly after redesign.

Converting a Game Theory Course to a Flipped Format (EC 468)

This Course Design Grant assisted the PI in the creation of his own video series as a comprehensive and accessible resource for understanding and engaging with course content. A library of graphic assets were developed for use in the videos, as well as a series of infographics to augment student learning through visualization.

Transforming Active Learning into Interactive Tasks (PRT 286)

Deploying innovative learning technologies to convert an in-person course to fully online, this Course Design Grant prioritized interactive engagement opportunities, including case studies, role-playing scenarios and community forums.