Advanced Technological Education (ATE): This program promotes improvement in technological education at the undergraduate and secondary school levels by supporting curriculum development; the preparation and professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; internships and field experiences for faculty, teachers, and students; and other activities. With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation’s economy. The program also promotes articulation between programs at two-year colleges and four-year colleges and universities—in particular, articulation between two-year and four-year programs for prospective teachers and between two-year and four-year programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (with a focus on disciplines that have a strong technological foundation). The program budget is approximately $64 million per year. Fields supported by the ATE program include, but are not limited to, agricultural technology, biotechnology, chemical technology, computer and information technology, electronics, environmental technology, geographic information systems, manufacturing and engineering technology, marine technology, multimedia technology, telecommunications, and transportation technology.
The ATE program supports proposals in three major tracks.
- ATE Projects adapt and implement exemplary materials, develop new materials, support technical experiences for students and faculty, provide professional development for college faculty and secondary school teachers, and support research on technical education. Changes in program solicitation for FY 2011, 2012, and 2013 include: The budget for "Small Grants for Institutions New to ATE" has been increased to a maximum of $200,000 typically spread over 3 years; The ATE projects track has an expanded set of opportunities for conferences and workshops; The ATE projects track has an expanded set of opportunities for addressing business and entrepreneurial skills for students; The ATE projects track has an expanded set of opportunities for addressing leadershihp infrastructure for faculty within the ATE community.
- ATE Centers provide comprehensive resources, serve as models for other projects, and act as regional or national clearinghouses for educational materials and methods.
- Targeted Research on Technician Education explores employment trends, the changing role of technicians in the workplace, and other topics that advance the knowledge base needed to make technician education programs more effective and forward looking.
The ATE deadline for the next preliminary proposals is April 22, 2010 and is October 21, 2010 for formal proposals. Although not required, we encourage everyone to submit a preliminary proposal because this provides a valuable opportunity for proposers to receive feedback before preparing a formal proposal. Not only does the preliminary proposal get a review by an external reviewer, but an NSF program officer also reviews the proposal and is then available to discuss the proposal. The current ATE program solicitation is available on the Web at http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5464&org=DUE&from=home. For information about previous awards, visit the ATE Web page at http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5464. Institutions are allowed to submit multiple proposals.
Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (TUES): This program was formerly named the Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program. The FY 2010 solicitation is available at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5741&org=DUE&from=home The TUES program is aimed at all types of educational institutions that serve undergraduates. TUES supports efforts that conduct research on undergraduate STEM education, create new learning materials and teaching strategies, develop faculty expertise, implement educational innovations, and assess student achievement. The program supports three types of projects. The types reflect a combination of the scale, scope, and stage of the proposed work:
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Type 1: These projects typically will address one program component and involve a limited number of students and faculty members at one academic institution. Projects with a broader scope or larger scale can be proposed provided they can be done within the budget limitations. Proposed evaluation efforts should be informative, based on the project's specific expected outcomes, and consistent with the scope of a Type 1 project. In order to encourage collaboration between four-year colleges and universities and two-year colleges, projects involving such collaboration may request an additional $50,000. The distribution of effort and funds between the four-year institution and the community college should reflect a genuine collaboration. Results from Type 1 projects are expected to be significant enough to contribute to the undergraduate STEM education knowledge base.
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Type 2: These projects build on smaller-scale successful innovations or implementations, such as those produced by Type 1 projects, and refine and test these on diverse users in several settings. In terms of scope, their focus ordinarily addresses more than one program component with the connections between components explicitly addressed. Type 2 projects carry the development to a state where the results are conclusive so that successful products and processes can be distributed widely or commercialized when appropriate. At a minimum, the innovation, if successful, should be institutionalized at the participating colleges and universities.
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Type 3: Type 3 projects are intended to support large scale efforts. Projects that continue from previous work should include an explicit discussion of the results and impact produced by that work. Proposals for projects that are designed to break new ground at a large scale should discuss evidence that supports the validity of the approach, and must reflect current understanding of how students learn. Type 3 proposals should include a description of evaluation activities that are focused on impact on student learning in a broad spectrum of the population served by the project.
The deadline date for Type 1 proposals from submitting organizations located in states or territories beginning with A through M is May 26, 2010. The deadline for Phase 1 proposals from submitting organizations located in states or territories beginning with N through W is May 27, 2010. The deadline for Type 2 and 3 proposals is January 11, 2011.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP): STEP seeks to increase the number of students (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within STEM. Type 1 proposals are solicited that provide for full implementation efforts at academic institutions. Type 2 proposals are solicited that support educational research projects on associate or baccalaureate degree attainment in STEM. Information about the program and the current solicitation is available at http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5488. The next proposal deadline is in September 28, 2010. Letters of intent are due August 17, 2010.
NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM): This program makes grants to institutions of higher education to support scholarships for academically talented, financially needy students, enabling them to enter the workforce following completion of an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate level degree in science and engineering disciplines. Grantee institutions are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients, reporting demographic information about student scholars, and managing the S-STEM project at the institution. The next proposal deadline for S-STEM is August 12, 2010. Letters of intent are due July 14, 2010. More information about S-STEM can be found on the program's web site: http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5257