The Education Department is offering WIDER grants to support the transformation of higher education institutions into environments that promote evidence-based teaching practices in STEM fields. By increasing the scale of effective STEM teaching methods, the aim is to improve student learning, encourage more students, particularly those underrepresented in STEM, to choose STEM majors, and enhance retention rates in undergraduate STEM programs. These grants can be utilized for institutional planning, implementing evidence-based teaching practices, and conducting research on integrating these practices into institutional strategies and faculty incentives.
Opportunity ID: 229474
General Information
| Document Type:: | Grants Notice |
| Funding Opportunity Number:: | 13-552 |
| Funding Opportunity Title:: | Widening Implementation & Demonstration of Evidence Based Reforms |
| Opportunity Category:: | Discretionary |
| Opportunity Category Explanation:: | |
| Funding Instrument Type:: | |
| Category of Funding Activity:: | Science and Technology and other Research and Development |
| Category Explanation:: | |
| Expected Number of Awards:: | 50 |
| Assistance Listings Number(s):: | 47.076 — Education and Human Resources |
| Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:: | No |
| Version:: | Synopsis 3 |
| Posted Date:: | Apr 05, 2013 |
| Last Updated Date:: | Nov 06, 2014 |
| Original Closing Date for Applications:: | Jul 03, 2013 |
| Current Closing Date for Applications:: | |
| Archive Date:: | Nov 06, 2014 |
| Estimated Total Program Funding:: | $ 20,000,000 |
| Award Ceiling:: | $2,000,000 |
| Award Floor:: | $100,000 |
Eligibility
| Eligible Applicants:: | Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” |
| Additional Information on Eligibility:: |
Additional Information
| Agency Name:: | National Science Foundation |
| Description:: | The chief goal of WIDER is to transform institutions of higher education into supportive environments for STEM faculty members to substantially increase their use of evidence-based teaching and learning practices. The first recommendation in the Report of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), “Engage to Excel,” is to increase widespread implementation of evidence-based practices in order to increase persistence in STEM and contribute to the goal of producing 1 million additional STEM graduates. Through this process, WIDER seeks to substantially increase the scale of application of highly effective methods of STEM teaching and learning in institutions of higher education, by employing instructional materials and methods that have a convincing evidentiary basis of effectiveness. In particular WIDER seeks this transformation for high enrollment, lower division courses required for many STEM majors and taken by many other students to fulfill general education distribution requirements.Included in our broad definition of effective STEM teaching and learning are not only instructional practices in traditional learning environments, but also modern laboratory methods and field research, proven distance education methods (or hybrid designs incorporating both face-to-face and distance methods), and improved approaches to motivating student interest in STEM. In all cases, the primary goal of WIDER is to increase substantially the scale of these improvements within and across the higher education sector in order to achieve:(1) Improved student learning; (2) Increased numbers of students choosing STEM majors, particularly from demographic groups underrepresented in STEM; (3) Improved retention in the first two years of undergraduate study and to graduation of all STEM majors. Applicants may apply for WIDER grants to begin institutional planning efforts, to support implementation efforts for evidence-based teaching and learning practices, and for research on how to increase the importance placed on evidence-based practices in institutional strategic planning and faculty rewards. |
| Link to Additional Information:: | |
| Grantor Contact Information:: | If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: |
Version History
| Version | Modification Description | Updated Date |
|---|---|---|
| Synopsis 3 | This opportunity is now current but no longer receiving proposals. |
Nov 06, 2014 |
| Synopsis 2 | This Opportunity has been archived. | |
| Synopsis 1 |
Package Status
Below are CLOSED Opportunity Package(s) no longer available for this Funding Opportunity:
Package No: 1
| Assistance Listings: | 47.076 |
| Competition ID: | |
| Competition Title: | |
| Opportunity Package ID: | PKG00172831 |
| Opening Date: | Apr 05, 2013 |
| Closing Date: | Jul 03, 2013 |
| Agency Contact Information:: | Myles Boylan |
| Who Can Apply:: | Organization and Individual Applicants |
| mendatory_forms |
SF424 (R & R) [V1.2] Project/Performance Site Location(s) [V1.4] Research And Related Other Project Information [V1.3] Research And Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) [V1.2] Research & Related Personal Data [V1.2] Research & Related Budget [V1.1] NSF Cover Page [V1.3] |
| optional_forms |
R & R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form [V1.2] NSF Deviation Authorization [V1.1] NSF Suggested Reviewers [V1.1] NSF FastLane System Registration [V1.3] |
Packages
| Assistance Listings | Competition ID | Competition Title | Opportunity Package ID | Opening Date | Closing Date | Actions | Who Can Apply: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.076 | PKG00172831 | Apr 05, 2013 | Jul 03, 2013 | View | Myles Boylan | Organization and Individual Applicants |