Phrases like “Let’s Google it” and “Text me” are familiar to the youth of today.  Though simple, the phrases speak to a greater reality: the use of computing technology and high-speed communication is ubiquitous. Unfortunately, the full potential of cyberlearning has not been fully realized in undergraduate education. Program Officers in the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) are interested in exploring the possibilities of cyberlearning. Such interest is the impetus for this study.

The goal of this project is to explore ways in which cyberlearning might be used to promote excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. More specifically, a mixed methods research design was used to (1) perform a portfolio analysis of DUE awards funded over the past 10 years that relate to cyberlearning; (2) understand the perceptions of cyberlearning among a subset of Program Officers; and (3) provide recommendations about possible directions one could take with cyberlearning.

Jeremi London is a graduate student in the School of Engineering Education and the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University. She completed this analysis as part of her Summer 2011 internship project while working in the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation.