UC Riverside has received a $1.5 million grant to harness artificial intelligence (AI) for transformative teaching and learning in engineering through a partnership with Cal Poly Pomona and Norco College.
Awarded by the California Education Learning Lab’s AI Grand Challenge, the funding will drive a project called: “Across-the-Curriculum AI-based Personalized Assistants to Support Student Success in Engineering.”
Led by Sundararajan Venkatadriagaram, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the initiative will develop personalized AI tools aimed at improving student outcomes, with a focus on engineering disciplines. It will create AI-based educational software that adapts to individual students’ learning needs, enhancing mastery in mechanical, electrical, civil, and chemical engineering concepts.
“Our goal is to support engineering students throughout their studies at our institutions,” Venkatadriagaram said. “Rather than supporting students only in individual classes, we aim to build tools that emphasize the inter-connectedness of the various topics of the engineering curriculum through techniques supported by the science of learning such as priming background knowledge and practice testing.
“The tools will be personalized for each learner to account for their individual characteristics with respect to background knowledge, learning preferences, academic performance, and subject-matter interests.”
The initiative is also designed to address equity gaps by tailoring interventions to underserved students. It aligns with UCR’s mission to promote social mobility through innovative educational tools.
The project also dovetails with the newly launched Riverside Artificial Intelligence ReSEarch (RAISE) Institute, an interdisciplinary research center at UCR focused on AI innovation. RAISE, established in August, integrates AI research across fields such as robotics, cybersecurity, and bioinformatics, while emphasizing ethical considerations in AI development.
With this funding, UCR strengthens its position as a leader in AI research and education, empowering students while shaping the future of learning.