Funding-Limited Submission – NSF - Widening Implementation & Demonstration of Evidence-Based Reforms (WIDER); May 7, 2013

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. 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 the 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.

WIDER invites four kinds of proposals:

· Planning grants - designed to facilitate institutional planning for transition to a much higher commitment to evidence-based teaching and learning practices.

· Institutional Implementation grants - awarded to institutions that have made a commitment and are ready to implement substantive changes to support evidence-based teaching and learning practices.

· Community Implementation grants - awarded to consortia and/or professional organizations that propose to marshal their combined resources towards the goals of WIDER. Consortia would have the advantage of providing specialized resources, perspectives, and influences from its members that would not be available in a single institution of higher education. Potential also exists for scientific societies, other professional societies, college and university associations, and accrediting organizations to contribute to the goal of WIDER, and proposals are welcomed from these organizations as well.

· Research projects- contributions to our broader understanding of how single institutions or types of institutions can successfully encourage greater use of evidence-based teaching and learning practices in STEM disciplines.

Program solicitation: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13552/nsf13552.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: An organization may submit only one Planning or one Institutional Implementation proposal for a given deadline. There are no restrictions on the number of Community Implementation or Research proposals that an individual or organization may submit.

Internal Competition:  Because NSF limits the number of WIDER Planning and Institutional Implementation proposals to one per institution, the University of Kentucky has established an internal selection process.  Researchers interested in submitting a proposal are to submit the following material electronically to the Office of the Vice President for Research at limitedsubmissions@uky.edu and a copy to their Associate Dean for Research by Thursday, May 7, 2013:

(1) Names and departments of PI, key personnel, and any project partners.

(2) Specify proposal type:  Planning Grant or Institutional Implementation Grant

(3) Project description (2 pages max.) – including the STEM education background, contribution to STEM community building, dissemination plan, evaluation plan, and involvement of (or need for involvement of) UK administrative officials.

The Vice President for Research will appoint a committee to review the material and make recommendations as to the University’s applicant. Questions about the submission process may be sent to Ms. Annette Evans in the Office of the Vice President for Research (alevan4@email.uky.edu or 257-1663).

NSF Deadline: July 3, 2013