Coordination with NSF Program Officers

1. Coordination with NSF Program Officers

2. CISE CPATH Team • Harriet Taylor, CNS • Joan Peckham, CNS • Sylvia Spengler, IIS • Tracy Kimbrel, CCF • Kera Johnson, CNS (Einstein Fellow!) Handout identifies your program officer

3. CPATH PI Meeting • This is the second CPATH PI meeting • Purposes of PI meeting • Connect CPATH PIs with NSF program directors • Connect CPATH PIs and projects • Find opportunities for synergy among projects • Develop CPATH PI community • CPATH community will be supported – and will flourish

4. CPATH Overview • Vision • Transform undergrad computing education on a national scale • Meet workforce needs, create multi-disciplinary pathways for diverse students • Apply Computational Thinking to a broad range of disciplines • First competition in 2007, awards in 2008 and 2009 • New PIs since last PI meeting! Let’s make them welcome

5. CPATH is in 32 states and Puerto Rico

7. CPATH Funding

8. 2009 CPATH Competition • 141 proposals, 106 projects • Broad range of topics and disciplines • Strong emphasis on Computational Thinking • 27 projects funded • 13 Class 1 • 14 Class 2 • 25.5% success rate

9. CPATH 2009 Portfolio • Computational Thinking with K-12 Connections • Computational Thinking in STEM Disciplines • Computational Thinking across All Disciplines • Tools and Resources for Undergraduate Computing Education • Computational Thinking in Computing Sciences and Engineering

10. CPATH Impact • Raised the national awareness about transformation of computing education • Funded implementation of innovative models across the US – many being replicated • Established collaborations with many disciplines to foster new pathways that broaden the scope of undergraduate computing • Moved Computation Thinking into university programs and general education • Dedicated researchers and educators, community effort unlike any before!

11. Joan Peckham • Dissemination and Broader Impacts • Reaching out to new communities and decision makers

12. The Good News and the Bad News CPATH competition for 2010 cancelled CISE is developing a new program that will build on the synergies of CPATH and Broadening Participation in Computing (more on this later)

13. NSF Requirements

14. Annual Reports • All projects submit annual report thru FastLane system • FastLane project report template in packet • Personnel – Describe contributions of all • Include REU and RET students in areas shown on template • Aggregate results and information • No longer than 20 pages – information needs to stand out • Clearly mark activities for year of report – and differentiate from those of prior years • Include evaluation data, share with evaluators • Reports from collaborative sites • Each site must submit report • Common text components, sections clearly identifying activities at each collaborative site • Reports one of the central sources NSF has to document progress of project and program

15. Highlights • Annual highlight collection activity each fall • Example of significant results or broader impact from project • Select significant event, do not simply list project data • Several boxes plus graphic, see handout • Put into template and provide release for graphic • Benefit of highlights to PI and to NSF • Sample in handout packet

16. REU Supplements • REU supplements – Research Experiences for Undergraduates • fund undergrad participation in research related to project • students must be citizens or permanent residents • typically $8000 per student (includes limited overhead) • instructions in REU solicitation and CISE web site • Supplement submission – linked to CPATH project • not a new proposal • limited amount of text and budget • CPATH priority date March 19 • Received 20 requests totaling $350,000

17. RET Supplements • Research Experiences for Teacher (RET) Supplements • 20 teachers funded thru 9 supplements in 2009 • Connect CPATH projects to K-12 education • Just had annual meeting • Funding for • 6 weeks of summer research • School year implementation • Travel to RET meeting and one national meeting • Supplies • New --- substitute teachers to attend 2 school year meetings • Submit as supplement linked to funded project

18. 2010 RET Teachers at NSF

19. RET Supplement Requests • Received 18 requests for $461,000 by priority date • Still room for 2 more requests • Will let PIs know by next week • Best thing you can do to prepare for new program! • PIs must be involved with teachers, work as a team, make teacher part of research team, and visit the classroom • Building community and community resource – focus of presentation later today

20. CPATH Evaluation • CPATH program and project evaluation significant aspects of CPATH vision – Tied to America Competes Act • Programmatic – contract with SRI International • All projects have evaluation plans and identified individuals responsible for evaluation – SRI should have the names of these • Everyone participates in Common Data collection • Proceeding very slowly! • This is a federal mandate – we have to have data for all • Site visits – SRI to conduct 10-12 site visits per year • Slowed by OMB clearance • Data aggregated across all sites

21. More on CPATH Evaluation • Some CPATH projects have additional evaluation requirements • 25 projects (13 from years 1 & 2, 12 from year 3) • more significant budgets • quasi-experimental design components • higher level of funding for evaluation • attend yearly evaluator meetings • Important that you involve evaluators in your project team – and include evaluation data in NSF reports • CPATH Monitor web site – resource for all evaluators • SRI presentation on Friday with more details, SRI staff available to answer questions

22. No-cost Extensions • No-cost extensions extend the life of your project and allow you to continue to spend remaining funds • First extension is Grantee-approved (automatic) • Second is NSF approved • Request in FastLane – ask for a year • Should request 60 days before project ending date • Those whose projects are ending this year need to request quickly – particularly if you are receiving REU or RET supplements

23. Other CPATH Program Web Sites • CPATH PI web site • Michigan State University • Jon Sticklen will talk about this tomorrow • Ensemble Repository • RET teachers site • Boots Cassel will talk about this tomorrow • Project web sites, papers, and presentations • Individual project web sites should indicate NSF funding (http://www.nsf.gov/policies/logos.jsp) for NSF logos • Publications and presentations should also cite NSF support

24. Other Opportunities • Serve as CPATH/computing education ambassador with disciplinary groups • Serve as reviewer on NSF panel • Stronger CISE expectation for Broader Impacts in research proposals • Link researchers with CPATH project for BI in research proposals • Good way to sustain and institutionalize innovations • Encourage your students to apply to one of the 61 CISE REU Sites http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.cfm?unitid=5049)

25. Other NSF Programs of Interest • Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) • Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites • TUES – Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (formerly CCLI) • GK-12 - NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education • CI-Team – Cyberinfrastructure Training, Education, Advancement, and Mentoring for Our 21st Century Workforce • ITEST – Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and TeachersAll of these still have 2010 due dates! Check handout for these and others.

26. New CISE Program Summer 2010 • Focused on education in computing • Both K-12 and higher education • Builds upon synergies among BPC, CPATH, and Education Directorate goals and outcomes • Linking CPATH projects to K-12 concepts, methods, and skills will be important

27. More on new program • Bigger, more comprehensive projects • Educational research at the core • Strong broadening participation component • Focus on middle school through undergraduate education • Computational thinking and learning progressions for CT • Research based models to develop CT competencies throughout the pipelie

28. And more • Should have many opportunities for the CPATH community • Collaboration important • We should have informational town hall meetings around the country once the program is released • Think big – think about what is needed for the community

29. What is next • Computer Science Education Week – amazing • Presentation later this afternoon • Coordinated CPATH activities • Building RET community and forging relationships with K-12 community • Dissemination of CPATH projects and documentation of outcomes • Continuing to implement, build communities – still almost 100 active CPATH awards • CPATH still needs a Logo!

30. What is the path for the future? • CPATH PI meetings for next 2 years • Attend one of the Town Hall meetings for new program • Attend conferences linked to affinity groups • Do all three???

31. Thanks for all you do! Questions?