McKEESPORT, Pa. — Victor Sandoval, an information sciences and technology (IST) student at Penn State Greater Allegheny, presented research on hands-on learning and student motivation at the 65th International Association for Computer Information Systems Annual Conference in Clearwater, Florida.
Sandoval served as the lead cyber researcher on a project examining how a Raspberry Pi activity in an introductory IST course influences student engagement and confidence. The study used a project-based assignment requiring students to build and program a simple electronic circuit with Raspberry Pi 5 kits. Motivation was measured using a standardized tool called the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, with comparisons between first-generation and non-first-generation students.
“Serving as the lead cyber researcher meant guiding the technical side of the project while helping shape how the activity fit into the course,” Sandoval said. “I worked on setting up the Raspberry Pi environment, troubleshooting, creating teaching notes and making sure the activity aligned with what students were learning.”
The researchers found that students reported higher engagement and confidence when working directly with the devices.
“A lot of them said it made the concepts click in a way that traditional instruction didn’t,” Sandoval said.
He added that peer response to the activity was positive.
“Many students said they liked being able to experiment and that it made the class feel more interactive," Sandoval said. "One thing I learned from their feedback is that giving students the space to explore on their own, while still having support available, made the activity even more effective.”
Sandoval was the only undergraduate to present at the international conference.
“At first it was intimidating, but once I started talking about the project, it turned into an exciting opportunity,” he said. “Everyone there was very supportive, and it pushed me to see myself not just as a student but as someone contributing to real research.”
He said he felt the experience strengthened his academic and professional growth.
“I want to thank Dr. Jennifer Breese for everything she did, from securing funding to sharing this opportunity, and for being an amazing manager, professor and person,” he said. “A big thank-you as well to Professor Lawrence Dupak for attending and for all his support. I’m very grateful to Penn State Greater Allegheny for providing opportunities like this and for having such strong cybersecurity and IT programs.”