Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM: Improving Quality & Building Faculty Expertise

1. National Science Foundation: Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (TUES)

2. Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES) • Seeks to improve the quality of STEM education for undergraduate students • Goals of the program reflect national concerns about producing skilled STEM professionals and citizens knowledgeable about STEM and how it relates to their lives

3. What TUES grants support • Bring advances in STEM disciplinary knowledge into the curriculum • Create or adapt learning materials and teaching strategies • Develop faculty expertise • Promote widespread implementation of educational innovations • Prepare future K-12 teachers • Enhance our understanding of how students learn STEM topics • Enhance our understanding how faculty adopt instructional approaches • Build capacity for assessment and evaluation • Further the work of the program itself

4. Project Types: Scale & Scope • Type 1*: up to $200k; 2-3 years • A pilot study to begin understanding how various factors affect how students learn particular content or skills (*This is good for new PIs) • Type 2: up to $600k; 2-4 years • A study involving several diverse institutions to build on smaller scale proven ideas • Type 3: up to $5 million; 3-5 years • A project that involves a regional or national effort to disseminate proven materials or pedagogies • TUES Central Resource Projects: varies • Typically for small focused workshops; can be submitted any time after discussing with program officer

5. TUES Submission Dates • Application deadlines: • May 27, 2011 - Type 1 proposals • January 13, 2012 - Type 2 & 3 proposals and TUES Central Resource Project proposals • May 29, 2012 - Type 1 proposals • January 14, 2012 - Type 2 & 3 proposals and TUES Central Resource Project proposals

6. TUES Success Rates • Money is distributed to each discipline; currently, engineering gets the most and that is about 50% (applies to Type 1) • Success rates in Type 1 proposals is <20%, but proposals that receive good reviews and are revised following reviewers and program officers advice usually have a higher success rate

7. TUES Fast Facts • Application completed in NSF Fastlane • PI will need registration in NSF Fastlane • Contact GO Office to set up Fastlane account • If submitting 5/27, earliest start date Dec. • Budget Total- $200k for Type 1 proposals • Project duration- 2-3 years • Project Description section limit: 15 pages • Cost-share isnot required

8. NSF Fielded Searches • Be sure to complete the NSF Organization field by selecting “DUE: Division of Undergraduate Education” to isolate pertinent abstracts in results. • You can also refine search to specific field of application or put a keyword into the term search field. • Go to the NSF Fielded Search website to query abstracts for awarded institutions and projects.

9. NSF Fielded Search: Sample Search

10. 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

11. Creating New Learning Materials and Strategies • Type 1projects can focus on piloting new educational materials and instructional methodologies; must be guided by research on teaching and learning and relate to advances within discipline. • Type 1projects can focus on outcomes at a single site, but must include assessment and community engagement. • Proposals may request funds in any budget category supported by NSF, including instrumentation.

12. Implementing New Instructional Strategies • Usually Type 1 projects • Must result in locally improved STEM education via implementation of exemplary materials, laboratory experiences, or educational practices previously developed and tested by the STEM community. • TUES-Implementation projects should stand as models for broader adaptation throughout the community and must encourage widespread adoption. • Proposals may request funds in any budget category supported by NSF, including instrumentation

13. Developing Faculty Expertise • Methods that enable faculty to gain expertise (develop new knowledge and skills needed to revise curricula or pedagogy) • May range from short-term workshops to sustained activities • Foster new communities of scientists in undergraduate education • Cost-effective professional development • Diverse group of faculty • Leading to implementation/adoption Must include evaluation efforts that describe impact on faculty, and/or on student learning.

14. Assessing and Evaluating Student Achievement • Design and test new assessment and evaluation tools and processes. • Apply new and existing tools to conduct broad-based assessments of student understanding • Must span multiple institutions and be of general interest • Projects using established instruments and strategies and/or likely to have only a local impact are discouraged.

15. Conducting Research on Undergraduate STEM Education • Developnew models about how students learn • Synthesize previous results and theories • Practical focus • Testable new ideas • Impact on STEM educational practices • May be combined with other components

16. Important Features of Successful TUES Projects • Quality, Relevance, and Impact • Student Focus • Use of and Contribution to Knowledge about STEM Education • STEM Education Community-Building • Sustainability • Expected Measurable Outcomes • Project Evaluation

17. NSF Merit Review Criteria • Intellectual Merit • Importance of proposed activity to discipline or across different fields • Proposer’s qualifications and his/her ability to conduct project • Extent of creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts • Well conceived and organization of proposed activity • Sufficient access to resources • Broader Impacts • Advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning • Participation of underrepresented groups • Enhancement of infrastructure for research and education • Broad Dissemination • Benefits to society

18. How to Really Learn about Programs and Proposal Application Process • Become a reviewer for the program and become part of the proposal review process. • Send an e-mail to the lead or disciplinary program officer. • Your name will be added to the database of potential reviewers. • NSF wants to use new reviewers each year, especially for Type 1 projects.

19. Resources from the Grants Office • The GO can provide the following: • Assistance in understanding program guidelines • Successful proposal samples • Tips/Hints from Program directors • Assistance in preparing application forms • Proposal editing and proposal packaging • Assistance in budget development • Internal review and approval process support

20. NSF TUES Submission Resources • Program Announcement • Application Guide • Program Director Contact Information • What has been funded? • Additional Resources & Tips

21. Open Discussion/Questions? Grants Office Contact Information F-218 P.O. Box 195 Pomona, NJ 08240 Phone: (609) 652-4844 Fax: (609) 626-3467 grants@stockton.edu www.stockton.edu/grantsoffice