Writing More Effective

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Writing More Effective NSF Proposals
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What Makes a Proposal Competitive?

• Original and/or good ideas
• Succinct, focused project plan
• Realistic amount of work
• Sufficient detail provided
• Cost effective
• High impact
• Knowledge and experience
• Evidence of potential effectiveness
• Likelihood project will be sustained
• Solid evaluation plan

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Key Questions for the Prospective PI
What do you intend to do? Why is the work
important? What has already been done? How are
you going to do the work?
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www.nsf.gov
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Directorate for Education and Human ResourcesEHR
Divisions
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NSF Directorate for Education and Human
Resources (EHR)

• Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)
• Division Graduate Education (DGE)
• Division of Research on Learning (DRL)
• Merger? Elementary, Informal, and Secondary
  Education (ESIE) and Research, Evaluation, and
  Communication (REC)
• Division of Human Resource Development (HRD)

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EHR DUE
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EHR ATE Program
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ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION

• FY2008
• Formal Proposals October 11, 2007
• Preliminary Proposals April 24, 2008
• 46 million for FY2008
• Program Solicitation
• http//www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_k
  eynsf07530

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ATE Program

• With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the ATE
  program promotes improvement in the education of
  science and engineering technicians at the
  undergraduate and secondary school level and the
  educators who prepare them, focusing on
  technicians for high-technology fields that drive
  the nations economy.

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ATE Program

• Projects which focus on
• Program Improvement
• Professional Development for Educators
• Curriculum and Educational Materials Development
• Teacher Preparation or
• Small Grants for Institutions New to the ATE
  Program.
• Centers of Excellence National, Regional,
  Resource http//www.ATECenters.org
• Targeted Research on Technician Education

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Beyond a Good Idea

• This session assumes a good idea.
• And focuses on ways to improve a proposal that
  contains a good idea.

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Scenario Developing a Proposal Idea

• Prof. Nubi has taught introductory bioinformatics
  courses for several semesters.
• Prof. Nubi has an idea for greatly improving
  these courses by adding or adapting new stuff.
• new stuff laboratories, web experiences,
  interactive sets of material, research projects,
  
• Prof. Nubi has tried some preliminary material.
• Based on this, Prof. Nubi decides to prepare an
  NSF proposal.

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Dr. Nubis Proposal Outline

• Develop or adapt new materials or methods to
  enhance student learning at Grant College
• Describe how new materials or methods would
  improve the students preparation
• Provide details of new stuff
• Conduct course evaluations when using new stuff
• Describe new stuff using conference papers,
  journal articles, and web site

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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

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Broader Impacts

• Integrated into the institutions 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

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Improving the Goals Objectives Rationale
Statements

• TASK
• Generate a list of specific improvements for
  Reading 1
• PROCESS
• Think-share-report

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Whats Wrong?Concern 1

• Goals are focused on a local problem they
  ignore broader impact

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Whats Wrong?Concern 2

• Rationale is based only on the applicants
  experience
• Ignores the experience of others
• Ignores the literature

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PDs Responses Improving Goals, Objectives,
Rationale

• Tie goals to student performance
• Be specific
• State clear, focused goals
• Eliminate the apple pie assertions
• Describe measurable outcomes
• Use goal-oriented verbs
• Enhance and acquaint are vague
• Bullet key items

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PDs Responses Improving Goals, Objectives
Rationale

• Focus beyond just effects on students in PIs
  course
• Make the goals to develop, evaluate, and
  disseminate material
• Be careful about the distinction between goals
  and objectives
• Goals higher-level, broad-reaching
• Objectives specific, measurable outcomes

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Improving Evaluation of Goals, Implementation,
Outcomes

• TASK
• Generate a list of specific improvements for
  Reading 2
• PROCESS
• Think-share-report

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Whats Wrong?Concern 3

• Evaluation considers only the students
  impressions
• Evaluation ignores learning goals and outcomes

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NSF PDs Responses Improving Evaluation

• Monitor student performance, progress, and
  attitudes to guide development (formative)
• Verify and document success (summative)
• Use quantitative qualitative approaches
• Provide sample evaluation questions and methods

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NSF PDs Responses Improving Evaluation

• Measure gains in student performance
• Pre- and post-tests
• Experimental and control groups
• Longitudinal retention of knowledge
• Examine effects on retention, course-taking
  patterns, diversity, employment, etc.
• Employ alpha, beta, and field testing
• Use diverse audiences e.g. different types of
  institutions majors and non-majors

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NSF PDs Responses Improving Evaluation

• Evaluate from multiple perspectives
• Appropriateness of learning objectives What is
  being taught/learned?
• Attitude of students (this is not enough!) How
  is it being taught?
• Learning outcomes
  How successful is the intervention?
• Develop specific criteria for evaluation by other
  faculty in subsequent courses

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NSF PDs Responses Improving Evaluation

• Get help!!
• Use independent (outside) evaluator(s)
• Seek regular feedback from a local advisory group
• Use an (external) advisory board

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Improving Dissemination

• TASK
• Generate a list of improvements for Reading 3
• PROCESS
• Think-share-report

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Whats Wrong? Concern 4

• Dissemination plan is passive
• Needs to be proactive and aggressive

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NSF PDs Responses Dissemination Approaches

• Publish in educational journals
• Present at professional meetings (national and
  regional - be specific)
• Conduct faculty workshops
• Maintain personal or course web sites
• Contribute to professional group or subspecialty
  web sites
• Listservs, wikis, blogs, NSDL, newsletters

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NSF PDs Responses Dissemination

• Prepare textbooks, manuals, or instructor guides
• Pen popular press pieces
• Strike agreements with other faculty members to
  critique or evaluate materials
• Use regular mailings to colleagues general
  and/or targeted

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NSF Proposal Review and Decision Process
Mail Reviews

Award (Via DGA)
Declination
FastLane Central Processing
Program Manager
Division Director
Investigator/ Institution
Withdrawal
Inap- propriate
Panel Review
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There is no Magic Formula

• Read the solicitation
• Use your judgment
• Dont include a section because someone told you
  that its needed
• Ask a colleague to read the proposal
• Do they understand what you want to do?
• Do they understand how you will accomplish it?
• Do they agree that the project is needed?

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Final Comments

• Start with a good idea
• Embed it within a larger context with measurable
  objectives
• Relate the idea to the literature
• Evaluate progress and outcomes
• Disseminate findings and results
• Be persistent! Often it is the person who reworks
  and resubmits that is funded.

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WAYS TO PARTICIPATE

• Grant Holder
• 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!!!

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Information and Inquiries

• DUE
• Email undergrad_at_nsf.gov
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Snail Mail
• Division of Undergraduate Education,
• NSF
• 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Room 835
• Arlington, VA 22230
• DUE Project Information Resource System
  https//www.ehr.nsf.gov/pirs_prs_web/search/

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