NSF s Division of Undergraduate Education: Funding Opportunities for Community Colleges and Partnerships Focus on ATE igett Summer Institute, 2009

Transcription

1 NSF s Division of Undergraduate Education: Funding Opportunities for Community Colleges and Partnerships Focus on ATE igett Summer Institute, 2009 Elaine L. Craft, Director SC ATE Center of Excellence and President, SCATE Inc. Florence-Darlington Technical College Florence, SC Elaine.Craft@fdtc.edu ph

2 Purpose of this session To share information about the NSF Advanced Technological Education (ATE) and S-STEM programs from which you may wish to seek funding 2

3 Caution Most of the information presented in this talk represents the opinions of the individual program officers who prepared the material or the presenter and is not an official NSF position.

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6 EHR s Mission is to promote the development of a diverse and well-prepared workforce of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, educators, and technicians and a well informed citizenry who have access to the ideas and tools of science and engineering.

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9 The Role of Community Colleges in the Education of Recent Science and Engineering Graduates 44% of all S & E 1999 and 2000 graduates with a bachelor s or master s degree attended a community college (more than 50% of the bachelors and 35% of the masters) 51% of Hispanic bachelor s and masters graduates and 18% of the Hispanic Ph.D.s attended a community college

10 The Role of Community Colleges in the Education of Recent Science and Engineering Graduates 62% of female graduates and 51% of male graduates who had children attended a community college 42% of the graduates who had a GPA between 3.75 and 4.00 attended a community college

11 NSF Budget Education and Human Resources (EHR): FY 2009 (Requested) $709 Million Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE): FY 2007 (Actual) $ Million FY 2008 (Estimate) $ Million FY 2009 (Requested) $ Million *Note: Extra $75 million from H-1B visa fees employers pay to obtain a visa for a foreign high-tech worker to fund the S-STEM program.

12 NSF Budget Stimulus Plan 2009 for DUE - NOYCE Scholarship Program: 60 M - Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program: 25 M

13 Selected Programs in DUE FY2007 FY2008 FY2009 (Actual) (Estimate) (Requested) ATE $50.58 $51.62 $51.62 CCLI $37.78 $37.50 $39.21 STEP $28.90 $29.70 $29.70 S-STEM ~ $75 /year from H1B visa fee NOYCE $10.30 $10.80 (55) $11.60 (115) * (in Million)

14 NSF support for two-year college projects FY FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 Program Award # ($) Award # ($) Award # ($) ATE 128 (44M) 119 (50M) 151 (50M) CCLI 5 (0.6M) 9 (1.5M) 19 (2.0M) S-STEM 34 (17.8M) 25 (19M) 35 (16M) STEP 4 (2.8M) 7 (5M) 4 (2.1M) MSP (0.58M) Noyce 1 (0.24M) 0 (0) 1 (0.24M) Total DUE 172 (66M) 160 (75M) 212 (71M) Total NSF 218 (82M) 212 (91M) 278(101M)

15 Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) 15

16 S-STEM Goal: Provides institutions funds to provide scholarships to academically talented, but financial needy, students. Students can be pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees. Letter of Intent: July?, 2009 Full Proposal: August?, 2009

17 S-STEM - Eligible disciplines extended to include biology, physical and mathematical sciences, computer and information sciences, geosciences, and engineering - Maximum scholarships $10,000 - Grant size: up to $600,000 (based on financial need) - One proposal per constituent school or college - About $50-$70 million available 17

18 S-STEM Special Program Features Has a faculty member in a STEM discipline as the PI. Involves cohorts of students. Provides student support structures. Includes optional enhancements such as research opportunities, tutoring, internships, etc. Enrolls students full time. 18

19 Advanced Technological Education (ATE)

20 ATE

21 ATE Goal: Educate technicians for the hightech fields that drive our nation s economy Before you call me or start writing Is this project industry-driven? Are students interested in working In this industry? What needs to be done to meet the needs of industry and attract students to the program?

22 ATE Institution Requirements Focus is on two-year colleges All proposals are expected to include one or more two-year colleges in leadership roles A consortium of institutions may also apply

23 ATE Tracks 3 Tracks 1. Projects including small projects 2. Centers 3. Targeted Educational Research

24 Projects Projects can focus on one or more aspects of: Program Improvement; Professional Development for Educators; Curriculum and Educational Materials Development; Teacher Preparation ( Resources/aaccprograms/ate/Documents/ teacherprep_stem.pdf) Research on Technician Education; or Institution-Level Reform of Technician Education

25 Program Improvement Activities might include: Integrating industry standards and workplace competencies into the curriculum Adapting educational materials or courses developed elsewhere Adding rigorous STEM content to programs and courses Providing professional development to educators Developing articulation agreements between twoyear colleges and secondary schools or four-year institutions Improving recruitment or retention of students DML DML

26 Best Practices for Involving Industry and Writing a Good ATE Get the PI to write it Proposal Focus on needs for the workplace Get decision makers involved Link company research and colleges in training of technicians Provide flexible pathways for students

27 Small Grants for Institutions New to ATE Purpose Simulates implementation, adaptation, and innovation in all areas supported by ATE. Available only to community college campuses that have not an an ATE award within the last 10 years Broaden the base of participation of community colleges in ATE. Strengthen the role of community colleges in meeting needs of business and industry Proposers are encouraged to include resources of ATE and other NSF awardees and to include those people as consultants and subawardees. Limited to $150,000 with a maximum of 10% indirect

28 Centers Centers of Excellence National, Regional, Resource

29 Regional Centers Former -- Manufacturing Technology or Information Technology Regional focus serves the needs of industry in a region Collaboration among colleges and secondary schools Collaboration with industry in the region Activities include curriculum adaptation, faculty and teacher development, establishment of partnerships, and recruitment and retention strategies, all directed toward regional workforce needs Clear, measurable impacts on quantity and quality of students for the workforce

30 ATE Resource Centers Constitute a highly visible source of educational materials, ideas, contacts, and mentoring in a particular field of technological education Led by those who have already made substantial, highquality contributions in an area of technological education. Serve as clearinghouses for, and broadly distribute, the exemplary materials, curricula, and pedagogical practices adapted or designed by previously funded ATE centers and projects Provide support and mentoring for institutions that wish to start or improve educational programs in a particular field of technology.

31 ATE Centers of Excellence (36) National Center Regional Center Resource Center

32 ATE awards (FY2008) Typical award sizes: Projects: $200K/year for 3 years (45 new awards) Small Grants: $75K/year for 2 years (15 new awards) National Centers: $1.2M/year for 4 years (2 new awards)

33 ATE Professional Development Opportunities

34 Number of Awards per State in ATE s 15 Year History Total number of Awards (865) 30 WASHINGTON 25 OREGON 99 CALIFORNIA 3 NEVADA 2 IDAHO 2 UTAH 21 ARIZONA 3 MONTANA 2 WYOMING 15 COLORADO 16 NEW MEXICO 5 NORTH DAKOTA 4 SOUTH DAKOTA 7 NEBRASKA 3 KANSAS 7 OKLAHOMA 18 MINNESOTA 23 IOWA 6 MISSOURI 19 WISCONSIN 4 ARKANSAS 28 ILLINOIS 12 MISS. 16 MICHIGAN 8 INDIANA 42 OHIO 18 KENTUCKY 18 TENNESSEE 15 ALABAMA 2 W.V. 22 S.C. 9 GEORGIA 47 NEW YORK 16 PENNSYLVANIA 22 VIRGINIA 18 NORTH CAROLINA 6 MAINE 2 VT. 7 N.H. 62 MA. 14 CT. 1 R.I. 16 N.J. 2 DEL. 26 MD. 20 D.C. 53 TEXAS 3 LOUISIANA 3 ALASKA 32 FLA. 9 3 PUERTO RICO HAWAII

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36 Foci of ATE Awards FY FY FY Biotechnology Chemical Technology/Pulp & Paper/Environmental Multidisciplinary/Institution Reform Electronics/Microelectronics/Nanotech/Mechatronics/Lasers Other Engineering Technology Geospatial (GIS/GPS/Surveying) Manufacturing Math/Physics/Computational Science/Core Computer/Information Systems/Cybersecurity/Telecommunications Marine/Agriculture/Aquaculture/Natural Resources/Viticulture Teacher Preparation Multimedia Energy Technology Research/Evaluation Recruitment/Retention Totals

37 Information about funded proposals Go to the DUE Home website on NSF Find the Program of interest to you Go to the bottom of that page and click on Abstracts of Recent Awards Made Through This Program Write to the PI requesting a copy of her/ his proposal.

38 Information about funded proposals

39 How to Write Good Proposals?

40 NSF Proposal Review and Decision Process Mail Reviews Award (Via DGA) Investigator/ Institution Central Processing Program Manager Division Director Declination Withdrawal Panel Inappropriate DML DML

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42 The Proposal: Criteria for Evaluation What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity? What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

43 Intellectual Merit Addresses a major challenge Supported by capable faculty and others Improved student learning Rationale and vision clearly articulated Informed by other projects Effective evaluation and dissemination Adequate facilities, resources, and commitment Institutional and departmental commitment

44 Broader Impacts Integrated into the institution s academic programs Contributes to knowledge base and useful to other institutions Widely used products which can be disseminated through commercial and other channels Improved content and pedagogy for faculty and teachers Increased participation by women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities Ensures high quality STEM education for people pursuing careers in STEM fields or as teachers or technicians

45 General tips At the DUE Web Site Create a personalized alert service Get copies of previously funded proposals Directly from the PI From Leslie Jensen (ljensen@nsf.gov) Contact a program officer (PO) and offer to review proposals 45

46 What Makes a Proposal Competitive? Original ideas Succinct, focused project plan Realistic amount of work Sufficient detail provided Cost effective High impact

47 What Makes a Proposal Competitive? Knowledge and experience of PIs Contribution to the field Rationale and evidence of potential effectiveness Likelihood the project will be sustained Solid evaluation plan

48 Tips for Success Consult the program solicitation and NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 09-1) Test drive FastLane Alert the Sponsored Research Office Follow page and font size limits Be aware of other projects and advances in the field

49 Tips for Success Cite the literature Provide details Discuss prior results Include evaluation plan with timelines and benchmarks Put yourself in the reviewers place Consider reviewers comments if resubmitting proposal

50 Tips for Success Have someone else read the proposal Spell check; grammar check Meet deadlines Follow NSF requirements for proposals involving Human Subjects Call or NSF Program Officers

51 Return Without Review Submitted after deadline Fail to separately and explicitly address intellectual merit and broader impacts in the Project Summary Fail to follow formatting (e. g. page limitation, font size, and margin limits) requirements

52 Making the Project Better based on Review Criteria 10 Helpful Hints (What do you think they are?)

53 Helpful Hints: 1. Read the Program Announcement

54 2. Care About the Project Helpful Hints:

55 Helpful Hints: 3. Build on What Others Have Done

56 Helpful Hints: 4. Think Global, Act Local and Global

57 Helpful Hints: 5. Have Measurable Goals and Objectives

58 6. Think Teamwork Helpful Hints:

59 Helpful Hints: 7. Use Good Management Skills

60 Helpful Hints: 8. Evaluation Includes Impact and Effectiveness

61 9. Spread the Word Helpful Hints:

62 10. Pay It Back Helpful Hints:

63 Top Ten Ways To Write a Good Proposal That Won t Get Funded

64 10. Inflate the budget to allow for negotiations. Flaws

65 Flaws 9. Provide a template letter of commitment for your (genuine) supporters to use. (They will!)

66 Flaws 8. Assume your past accomplishments are well known.

67 Flaws 7. Assume a project website is sufficient for dissemination.

68 Flaws 6. Assert: Evaluation will be ongoing and consist of a variety of methods.

69 Flaws 5. Assume the program guidelines have not changed; or better yet, ignore them!

70 Flaws 4. Don t check your speeling, nor you re grammer.

71 Flaws 3. Substitute flowery rhetoric for good examples.

72 2. Assume page limits and font size restrictions are not enforced. Flaws

73 Flaws 1. Assume deadlines are not enforced.

74 WAYS TO PARTICIPATE ON Grant Holder A GRANT Principal Investigator Member of Project Team Member of a coalition Member of an Advisory Board Test Site User of Products Participant in Workshops and Symposium Reviewer of Proposals

75 But Most Important! Have fun!

76 Thank you!