Projects - AI in Teaching and Learning Research Group

Active Projects

Active 2025-2027

Collaborative Research: SaTC: EDU: A Scalable Platform for Remote Hardware Security Education

Designing an accessible, scalable remote platform to support hands-on hardware security education. The platform integrates physical development boards with a user-friendly software interface, enabling students—from novice to advanced—to conduct real-time experiments remotely. The project aims to enhance cybersecurity education by bridging theoretical learning with applied, practice-based experiences and expanding opportunities for underrepresented learners.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Lead PI: Dr. Robert Karam (USF)

Co-PIs: Dr. Ilene Berson (USF), Dr. Michael Berson (USF)

Collaborators: Dr. Tamzidul Hoque (University of Kansas), Dr. Venkata Yanambaka (Texas Woman's University)

FUNDING

Agency: U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)

Program: Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) – Education Track

Award: $267,999

Grant #: NSF-2432708

COLLABORATION

University of South Florida (Lead Institution), University of Kansas Center for Research Inc., Texas Woman's University

Active 2021-2025

Scaffolding Historical Inquiry for Preschoolers: School & Home Active Play-Based Explorations (SHIP-SHAPE)

This project supports home–school partnerships through inclusive, play-based historical inquiry in early childhood education. Grounded in wonder and guided by developmentally appropriate practice, the initiative curates community-based primary sources from the Library of Congress and the Tampa Bay History Center into interdisciplinary activity sets aligned with Florida's Early Learning and Developmental Standards. Innovative AI-powered tools are being piloted to extend children's creative engagement with cultural heritage.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

PI: Dr. Ilene Berson (University of South Florida)

Co-PI: Dr. Michael Berson (University of South Florida)

FUNDING

Agency: Library of Congress

Program: Professional Learning & Outreach Initiatives

Award: $354,907

Grant Period: 2021–2025

COLLABORATION

Tampa Bay History Center, Early Learning Coalitions of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando Counties, Tampa Bay Preschool Centers

Completed Projects

Reaching Across the Hallway: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching Computer Science in Rural Schools

2020-2025

Completed

Co-PI: Dr. Michael Berson (University of South Florida)
Advisor: Dr. Ilene Berson (University of South Florida)
Funding Agency: U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
Program: Discovery Research PreK–12 (DRK-12)
Award Amount: $2,990,460 | Grant Number: NSF-2010256

This project developed and evaluated an interdisciplinary model for integrating computer science into rural middle school classrooms. By fostering collaboration among teachers across subjects and providing targeted professional development, the initiative aimed to build local capacity, increase access to computer science education, and support sustainable implementation in under-resourced rural communities.

Collaboration: CodeVA, TERC, and Virginia Rural Middle Schools

Integrating Digital Play with Tangible Technologies into Inquiry Project Investigations in Early Childhood Classrooms

2018

Completed

PI: Dr. Ilene Berson (University of South Florida)
Co-PI: Dr. Michael Berson (University of South Florida)
Funding Agency: University of South Florida
Program: Nexus Faculty Global Collaboration Initiative
Award Amount: $10,500

This project examined how tangible coding technologies (TCTs) can serve as foundational platforms for introducing AI-related thinking in early childhood education across diverse international contexts. Through play-based inquiry, young children engaged with early concepts such as sequencing, logic, and debugging—core elements of computational thinking that support emerging understandings of AI systems.

Collaboration: USF Preschool for Creative Learning

Building Blocks: Turtles, Bots, Dashes and Dots

2017

Completed

PI: Dr. Ilene Berson (University of South Florida)
Co-PI: Dr. Michael Berson (University of South Florida)
Funding Agency: University of South Florida
Program: College of Education Seed Funding
Award Amount: $25,589

This seed-funded study laid the groundwork for integrating AI-aligned learning tools into early childhood classrooms. Using programmable robots, the project investigated how young children engage in foundational computational tasks that mirror essential AI concepts, including pattern recognition, decision-making, and adaptive behavior. The research also focused on supporting early childhood educators in designing inquiry-based experiences with digital tools that nurture persistence, creativity, and symbolic reasoning—key dispositions for future engagement with AI and emerging technologies in education.