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Presentation at CLASP Conference

Duncan McBride

National Science Foundationdmcbride@nsf.gov

703-292-4630

November 11, 2010

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Who and what is NSF?

• Independent Federal agency that makes grants for research and education in the sciences, math, engineering, except the biomedical sciences

• Supported by congressional appropriation; budget about $7 billion per year

• Receives about 45,000 proposals a year and makes about 10,000 grants a year

• Scientific staff of about 600, including 200 rotators, and 800 other staff.

• Almost all scientific staff are current or former faculty• Organized much like a university

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NSF Organizational Structure

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Divisions within EHR

• Four Divisions by level of education– Graduate Education (DGE) (Grad Fellowships)– Research on Learning in Formal and Informal

Settings (DRL) (Mostly K-12)– Undergraduate Education (DUE)*– Human Resource Development (HRD) (Minority

programs)• Other parts of NSF have similar (disciplinary) division

structure

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Selected Programs in DUEand current publication number

Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES): NSF 10-544 [was Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI)]

• STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP): NSF 08-569

• Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM): NSF 09-567

• Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce): NSF 10-514

• *Research in Undergraduate Institutions: (RUI)

• *Research Experiences for Undergraduates: (REU)

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TUES: Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM

• Our broadest, most innovative program

• Vision– Excellent STEM education for all

undergraduate students. • Goal

– Stimulate, disseminate, and institutionalize innovative developments in STEM education through the production of knowledge and the improvement of practice.

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TUES: Project Types

• Type 1 (small)– Up to $200,000 duration: 2 to 3 years+ $50,000 with community college partner)

• Type 2 (medium)– Up to $600,000 duration: 2 to 4 years

• Type 3 (large)– up to $5,000,000 duration: 3 to 5 yrs

• Central Resource Projects– up to $3,000,000 duration: negotiable

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TUES: Choice of Type Reflects

• Scale of the Project– Number of institutions, students and faculty

• Maturity of the Project (Stage)– Type 1 may lead to Type 2, etc.– But prior CCLI/TUES funding is not required

• Scope of the Project– Defined by the number of components, based on our

view of the nature of educational innovation

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TUES projects focus on one or more of the following project components.

• - Creating Learning Materials and Strategies• - Implementing New Instructional Strategies• - Developing Faculty Expertise • - Assessing and Evaluating Student Achievement• - Conducting Research on Undergraduate STEM

Education

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TUES: For Example, Type 1 reflects

• Scope and Scale:– One or two program components – Limited number of students & faculty at one

institution

• Expected Results: – Contribute to understanding of effective STEM

education, typically by exploring new ideas– Can serve as basis for Type 2 project– Transforms a lecture or laboratory course, a

curriculum, or a department

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TUES: Types of projectsthat transform a course, a curriculum or a department

• Integrate new instrumentation or equipment into undergraduate laboratories or field work

• Creatively adapt best teaching materials and techniques from elsewhere into a new setting

• Develop materials that use a new instructional approach embodying current understanding of how students learn

• Introduce content from new research into an existing course

• Explore the practical aspects of using remote laboratories

• Develop an assessment of students’ knowledge that can be used widely

• Provide courses needed for efficient, seamless transfer from 2-yr to 4-yr colleges in partnership with other institutions

• Explore or pilot internet-based approaches for faculty professional development

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TUES: Over time, the program has increased emphasis on

• Building on and contributing to the literature on effective STEM education

• Building a community of scholars in STEM education reform

• Identifying project-specific measurable outcomes – Project management and evaluation

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TUES: Deadlines

• Deadline For Type 1– May 26 & 27, 2011

• Deadline For Type 2/3 and Central Resource Projects–  January 14, 2011

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S-STEM: NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math

• Goal: Enable students to pursue a degree in a STEM field; increase number of graduates in STEM

• Provides funds to institutions to award scholarships to academically talented, but financially needy, students

• Students can be pursuing associate, bachelor’s, or graduate degrees

• Scholarships can be up to $10,000/yr - up to 4 yrs within the limits of students’ official level of need. (They can be less than $10K and fewer than 4 yrs)

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S-STEM: Major features of program

• Natural science, math, engineering, CS disciplines are eligible

• Grant size: max $600,000 (mostly scholarships; up to 5% can be spent for administrative costs and up to 10% for student support services)

• One proposal per constituent school or college that awards STEM degrees (e.g., school of engineering, college of arts & sciences)

• Estimated $50 million available in FY 2011

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S-STEM: Program features

• PI must be member of STEM faculty; other faculty involved; perhaps other staff

• Scholarships to “natural” cohorts of students • S-STEM students are full-time and are US citizens or

permanent residents• Project must describe clear plans for recruitment,

retention, and graduation of students • Institution must provide some student support

structures; grant can pay for others• Optional enhancements: research opportunities,

tutoring, internships, etc.• Students become science professionals or go on to

further education

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STEP: STEM Talent Expansion Program

Basic Goals:

• Increase the number of students (US Citizens or permanent residents) in STEM

• Increase associate’s / bachelor’s degrees in established or emerging STEM fields

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STEP: Successful projects might provide

• Bridge programs that enable additional preparation for students from HS or community colleges

• Programs to improve the quality of student learning– Peer tutoring, learning communities– new pedagogical approaches (e.g. mastery learning,

active learning, SENCER courses)• Programs to encourage undergraduate research• Student support mechanisms to encourage retention

and graduation

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STEP: Outcomes expected

• Activities that will be institutionalized from the project

• Plan for continuing efforts to increase number of STEM students & graduates

• Formative assessment of progress towards goals

• Dissemination of project results to broader community

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STEP

• Maximum Support Levels – Enrollment based– $500 K for 5 years for 1- 5,000 undergrads – $1.0 M for 5 years for 5,001-15,000 undergrads– $2.0 M for 5 years for >15,000 undergrads

• One proposal per institution (can be a partner on only one proposal)

• STEP Budget– $28-30 million expected for FY 2011– 20-24 awards expected

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4. NOYCE: Program tracks

• Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Track– Scholarships for undergraduate STEM majors preparing to

become K-12 Teachers

– Internships for freshmen and sophomores

– Stipends for STEM professionals seeking to become K-12 teachers

• NSF Teaching Fellowships & Master Teaching Fellowships (TF/MTF) Track– Fellowships for STEM professionals receiving teacher

certification through a master’s degree program

– Fellowships for science and math teachers preparing to become Master Teachers

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NOYCE: Scholarship Track

• At least $10K per student per year (but not to exceed the cost of education)

• Max period: 2-3 years for UGs; 1 year for Post-bacc students

• Phase 1 awards: up to $1.2M up to 5 years. (addtl $250K possible for collaborating with a community college)

• Grants may ask up to 20% for program support costs• Noyce scholars have up to 6 years to serve their two

years/year of scholarship in a high need district.• Noyce scholars must serve 2 years in high-need school

for each 1 year of support.

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NOYCE: TF/MTF Track support features

• Teaching Fellows receive at least $10K (not to exceed cost of attendance) while enrolled in Master’s program

• While teaching in a high-need school district the TF and MTF recipients receive an annual $10K salary supplement (4 years for TF and 5 years for MTF)

• Grants may ask up to 20% for program costs

• TF/MTF projects may request up to $3M for 5 to 6 years. (addtl $250K possible for collaborating with a community college)

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Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)

• NSF Activity (no separate budget)• Research proposals from undergrad

institutions• Proposals compete in regular research

programs• 2010: 109 awards for $25.6 million

– Mostly bio (28%), physical & math sci (55%), geo (10%)

– Many institutions, few awards to each (mostly 1-4 in 3 years)

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Research Opportunity Awards

• Part of RUI• Supplement to existing NSF award• For faculty at less research-active

institutions• 2005: 52 awards for $3.5 million• Under-utilized

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Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

• Program of sites and supplements for undergrad research

• Supplements to NSF research grants• Sites are free-standing grants• 2010: 241 awards for $50.9 m. (includes

some conferences, special studies, non-traditional activities)

• Most costs are for students

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Summary: some suggestions.

1. Faculty may become a reviewer.

2. Obtain copies of successful proposals. Public record– Go to NSF homepage (nsf.gov)– Select “Education Directorate” or another directorate.– Select “Division of Undergraduate Education” or another– Select a program– Link to “recent awards in this program”– Contact the PI. PIs are usually eager to discuss a project

and willing to provide a copy of the proposal

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NSF web site

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Who in DUE? *=> rotator

• Biology– Terry Woodin– Celeste Carter– Deborah Allen*– Mary Lee Ledbetter*

• Chemistry– Susan Hixson– Bert Holmes*– Eun-Woo Chang*– Hal Richtol

• Computer Science– Victor Piotrowski– Scott Grissom*– Sue Fitzgerald*

• Social Sci/Ed Research:

• Engineering– Russ Pimmel

– Don Millard

– Ning Fang*

– Janis Terpenny*

– Susan Finger*

• Geosciences– Dave Matty*

• Mathematics– Lee Zia– Dennis Davenport*– Richard Alo*

• Physics/Astronomy– Duncan McBride

– Richard Peterson*

Myles Boylan, Connie Della-Piana

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onContacts

• NSF home page: nsf.gov • DUE web site : nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=DUE• Other research and education programs similarly

from NSF home page.• NSF staff directory available from home page or on

individual program pages• Publications about NSF and about submitting

proposals available from NSF web site.• All proposals and reviews done through the electronic

NSF Fastlane system fastlane.nsf.gov

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NSF: the place

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Duncan McBride contacts

• Feel free to contact me with questions about NSF, who else to contact, or questions about programs. If I don’t know, I can probably refer you to another person.

• Best contact is by e-mail, with a followup telephone conversation if necessary by appointment.

Duncan McBrideDivision of Undergraduate EducationNational Science Foundationdmcbride@nsf.gov703-292-4630