Corby Hovis Program Director Directorate for Education and Human Resources

1. Corby Hovis Program Director Directorate for Education and Human Resources National Science Foundation chovis@nsf.gov

2. Types of Investment Strategies “Educational excellence in all of NSF’s research activities and research excellence in all of NSF’s education activities” — Dr. Subra Suresh Director, NSF

3. “NSF integrates research and education to support the development of a world-class scientific and engineering workforce as well as nurture the growth of a scientifically and technologically aware public, one that is able to engage fully in a 21st century life that increasingly relies on technology to meet challenges and grasp opportunities.”NSF Strategic Plan, FY2011-2016

4. National Reports on STEM Education (1)

5. National Reports on STEM Education (2)

6. National Reports on STEM Education (3)

7. National Reports on STEM Education (4)

8. EHR Program Areas • Education Research and Evaluation • Teacher Development, Capacity Building, and Partnerships in K-12 Education • Broadening Participation; Support for Minority Serving Institutions • STEM Career Pathways: Undergraduate Education • Public Engagement with Science • Innovation in Graduate Education

9. Education Research and Evaluation • Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE)  Research on Education and Learning (REAL) • Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) • Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) • Discovery Research K-12 (DR-K12) • Promoting Research and Innovation in Methodologies for Evaluation (PRIME) • Research tracks and emphases in many other programs

10. Teacher Development, Capacity Building and Partnerships in K-12 Education (1) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program supports research about the growing demand for professionals and information technology workers in the U.S. and seeks solutions to help ensure the breadth and depth of the STEM workforce. Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program seeks to encourage talented STEM majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science teachers and provides scholarships and stipends for students holding STEM degrees who earn a teaching credential and commit to teaching in high-need K-12 school districts.  Cal State, Long Beach, Noyce Scholars

11. Teacher Development, Capacity Building and Partnerships in K-12 Education (2) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program is a major R&D effort supporting innovative partnerships to improve K-12 student achievement in math and science. MSP projects contribute to what is known in math and science education and serve as models that have a sufficiently strong evidence/research base to improve student outcomes. Appalachian MSP Project

12. Broadening Participation (1) Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUP) program enhances the quality of STEM instructional and outreach programs at Tribal, Alaska Native-serving, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. Sitting Bull College students gather nets capturing animal field data in environmental science research. Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) enhances research capabilities of minority serving institutions and their faculty through effective integration of education and research, and expands the presence of students historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines Historically Black Colleges and Universities—Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) seeks to increase the quality of STEM education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, addressing their STEM needs, goals, and mission.

13. Broadening Participation (2) Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) seeks to increase the participation of persons with disabilities in STEM education and careers. Emphasis is placed on research to expand the knowledge base in disabilities education. Undergraduate research fellows with disabilities work at University of Southern Maine laboratory. Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) aims to increase the number of underrepresented minorities receiving PhD degrees in STEM.

14. Broadening Participation (3) Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE) develops systematic approaches to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers. Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)seeks to increase the quality and quantity of students receiving baccalaureate degrees in STEM fields, and provides a “Bridge to the Doctorate” component.

15. STEM Career Pathways: Undergraduate Education (1) Advanced Technological Education (ATE)focuses on education of technicians for high-tech fields that drive the U.S. economy. Partnerships among academia and industry are prominent features. STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) supports projects leading to an increase in the number of students earning STEM degrees. Educational research projects on degree attainment in STEM are encouraged. ATE Technician Training Project NSF Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) makes grants to institutions of higher education to support scholarships for academically talented, financially needy students for an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate level degree.

16. STEM Career Pathways: Undergraduate Education (2) CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service (SFS) supports scholarships and capacity building activities designed to increase the number of qualified students entering cybersecurity fields. Customized, scaled model of a city water supply system used by NSF CyberCorps students to test operating software weaknesses. Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES) supports efforts to create, adapt, and disseminate new learning materials and teaching strategies, develop faculty expertise, implement educational innovations, assess learning and evaluate innovations, and conduct research on STEM teaching and learning.

17. Public Engagement with Science Informal Science Education (ISE) [becoming Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)] program supports innovation in anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning, through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building. ISE also supports PIs of NSF-funded research projects forCommunicating Research to Public Audiences. Mute Swan spotted by “Citizen Counter” Darla May of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, participating in the 2008 NSF-funded Great Backyard Bird Count Climate Change Education (CCE) supports a broad range of efforts to enhance climate literacy and to enable individuals and communities to make informed, responsible decisions regarding actions affecting climate. Virtual Human Museum Guides and Living Laboratory Exhibit at the Boston Museum of Science

18. Innovation in Graduate Education Graduate Research Fellowships (GRF)support graduate study leading to research-based masters or doctoral degrees. Provide three years of support within a five-year period, which may be used at an institution in the U.S. or abroad. Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeships (IGERT) support education of U.S. PhD scientists and engineers with the deep interdisciplinary knowledge and technical, professional, and personal skills to become leaders and creative agents for change.

19. A Closer Look… • Advanced Technological Education (ATE) • NSF Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) • STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) • Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES) • Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites

20. Advanced Technological Education (ATE) • Education (degree programs, not “training”) of technicians in high-tech fields (biotech, chemical tech, engineering tech, manufacturing, IT, etc.) • Goal: High-quality technician workforce • Focus on undergraduate and secondary school levels (Tech Prep) • Community colleges have leadership role • Partnerships involving CCs, secondary schools, 4-year colleges and universities, business/industry, and government

21. ATEProgram Tracks • ATE Projects focus on… • Program improvement  for example: • Integrating industry standards and workplace competencies into the curriculum • Adapting educational materials or courses developed elsewhere • Adding rigorous STEM content to programs and courses • Developing articulation agreements • Improving recruitment or retention of students • Professional development for educators • Curriculum and educational materials development • Teacher preparation • Small grants for institutions new to the ATE Program • ATE Centers: National, Regional, Resource • http://atecenters.org/ • Targeted Research on Technician Education

22. NSF Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) • Provides grants to institutions to provide scholarships to academically talented, financially needy students • Students can be pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees • Scholarships can be up to $10,000 per year, depending on the student’s demonstrated need • Scholarship recipients must be full-time students and must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, U.S. permanent residents, or refugees • Program funded from H-1B visa fees

23. Major Features of S-STEM Program • Most STEM disciplines are eligible, except social and behavioral sciences. • Grant size: maximum $600,000in direct costs. Grant duration: up to five years. • Up to 15% of scholarship amount may be requested for program administration (e.g., salaries, fringe benefits, materials and supplies) and student support services. • One proposal per constituent school or college that awards STEM degrees (e.g., College of Engineering, College of Arts & Sciences).

24. Other Features of S-STEM Program • PI must be a member of the STEM faculty. • Scholars must be part of a “natural” cohort of students likely to associate during the scholarship period. • Institution must provide student support services (e.g., mentoring, career counseling, job placement, tutoring, study groups, internship opportunities, research opportunities, community-building among the cohort of S-STEM scholars, participation in scientific conferences).

25. STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) Goal: Increase the number of students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within STEM

26. Some STEP Project Strategies • Bridge programs that enable additional preparation for students from high schools 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) • Training of teaching/learning assistants • Programs to encourage undergraduate research • Student support mechanisms • Many others  anything that achieves the STEP goal

27. Common Features of Good STEP Proposals • Focus on recruitment andretention • Set up numerical targets for each; pipeline model • Usually more than one STEM discipline included • Avoid reducing majors in other STEM disciplines • STEM faculty are PIs • Strong central administrative support plus buy-in from key departments • Description of activities that will be institutionalized from the project after the grant is over • Plan for continuing efforts to increase the number of STEM students and graduates • Formative assessment of progress toward goals • Dissemination of project results to broader community

28. Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM(TUES)

29. TUES promotes the development of best practices in STEM education

30. Problem/Project/Case/Service-based Learning Concept Inventories Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) Effective use of technology(clickers, data acquisition/sensing/control, robotics, etc.) Promising Practices

31. TUES Approach Research on Teaching and Learning Repeat… leading to… New Materials and Strategies Assess and Evaluate STEM Education Generating an… Observe and… Increase in Faculty Expertise Implement Innovations Faculty can then…

32. TUES Approach Research on Teaching and Learning Repeat… leading to… New Materials and Strategies Assess and Evaluate STEM Education Generating an… Observe and… Increase in Faculty Expertise Implement Innovations Faculty can then…

33. TUES Project Components • Researching and Developing Learning Resources and Models • Implementing New Instructional Strategies • Developing Faculty Expertise • Assessing and Evaluating Student Achievement • Conducting Research on Undergraduate STEM Education

34. Tiered Model of TUES $100,000-$3 million, 3-5 yrs Up to $5 million, 5 yrs $600,000, 2-4 yrs $200,000 $250,000 (w/ community colleges) 2-3 yrs

35. Some Types of TUES Projects • Integrate new instrumentation or equipment into under-graduate laboratories or field work • 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 instrument to assess students’ knowledge • Provide courses needed for efficient, seamless transfer from 2-year to 4-year colleges in partnership with other institutions • Explore or pilot Internet-based approaches for faculty professional development • Develop interdisciplinary courses on public issues

36. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites • Support ~ 6-12 students per year to engage in thematically related research projects • Grant $$ are primarily for student support • Usually run for 8-10 weeks in summer • Most students must come from outside the host institution • At least half of students must come from institutions where research opportunities are limited (including community colleges) • Encourage recruitment of underrepresented minorities, women, freshman/sophomore-level students • Key foci: • Leading-edge research • Student experience: cohort, authentic research, “culture” of discipline • Good mentoring • Writing/communication/presentation skills, career pathways, grad school

37. Research Education