Workshop: Preparing Competitive NSF Proposals of

Engineering and Computing Education

Jumoke Ladeji-Osias Huihui Wang Abiodun Ilumoka Christine Grant

Division of Engineering
Education and Centers
National Science Foundation
Alexandria, VA USA
0000-0002-8645-696x
Division of Undergraduate Division of Undergraduate Division of Engineering
Education Education Education and Centers
National Science Foundation National Science Foundation National Science Foundation
Alexandria, VA USA 0000- Alexandria, VA USA Alexandria, VA USA
0002-4098-5313 AILUMOKA@nsf.gov cgrant@nsf.gov

Alexandra Medina-Borja Subrata Acharya Elsa Gonzalez Sonal Dekhane

Division of Civil, Division of Computing and Division of Equity for Division of Equity for
Mechanical, and Networked Systems National Excellence in STEM Excellence in STEM
Manufacturing Innovation Science Foundation National Science Foundation National Science Foundation
2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) | 979-8-3503-3642-9/23/$31.00 ©2023 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10342961

National Science Foundation Alexandria, VA USA Alexandria, VA USA Alexandria, VA USA

Alexandria, VA USA acharyas@nsf.gov elgonzal@nsf.gov sdekhane@nsf.gov
amedinab@nsf.gov

Matthew Verleger
Division of Engineering
Education and Centers
National Science Foundation
Alexandria, VA USA
mverlege@nsf.gov

Abstract—The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports
engineering and computing education research that generates new
knowledge about evidence-based practices and broadens
participation in the engineering and computing workforce.
Multiple NSF programs provide funding for projects that address
current challenges in engineering and computing education at all
levels of education including K-12, technical, undergraduate, and
graduate education at different institutions (including HSIs). The
goal of this workshop is for Program Director to provide
prospective Principal Investigators with guidance on engineering
and computing education funding opportunities at NSF and
provide insights on preparing competitive proposals.
Keywords—engineering education, computing education,
competitive proposals, undergraduate education, graduate education
I. INTRODUCTION
This free NSF workshop will be accomplished through a
combination of interactive sessions including:
(1) Funding Opportunities: An overview of NSF engineering
and computing education related funding opportunities by
Program Directors from NSF directorates of STEM Education
(EDU), Engineering (ENG), and Computer and Information
Science and Engineering (CISE).
(2) Proposal Review: A lively proposal review session in
which participants work in small groups to evaluate strengths
and weaknesses of previously submitted NSF proposals.
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universidad de Sonora. Downloaded on February 08,2024 at 15:45:26 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
(3) Interactive Q & A: An interactive session in which
participants can pose questions to a panel of current NSF
grantees.
(4) Office Hours: Participants will have the opportunity to
interact with other researchers and NSF Program Directors from
multiple NSF divisions that support engineering and computing
education research.
This workshop paper is organized as follows: Section II
highlights the main goals of the workshop. Section III briefly
describes the workshop topics. Sections IV to VIII specifically
introduce the programs related to engineering and computing
education from NSF directorates of EDU, ENG, and CISE.
Section IX explains how to prepare competitive NSF proposals
to meet the review criteria. Several recent NSF grantees will
share their perspectives of how to prepare their NSF proposals
in section X. TABLE I in the section XI illustrates the workshop
agenda, Section XII and XIII briefly explain the qualifications
of presenters and what the outcomes of this workshop are
expected.
II. WORSHOP GOALS
The main goals of the workshop are to:
(1) Provide participants with an overview of funding
opportunities in engineering and computing education at the
National Science Foundation to help participants decide on
programs to submit their proposals.
 (2) Facilitate a mock proposal review session about strengths
and areas of improvement for sample proposals submitted to
NSF to highlight approaches to crafting successful education
proposals.
(3) Facilitate an interactive session for participants to pose
questions to a panel of current NSF grantees to learn from peers.
(4) Provide an opportunity for one-on-one interaction with
Program Directors to receive feedback on their individual ideas.
III. WORKSHOP TOPICS
This workshop is targeted at researchers interested in
obtaining funding for research topics related to computing and
engineering education broadly. Both new and experienced
investigators are expected to benefit from attending this
workshop. Faculty and industry professionals from engineering
disciplines, education and social science are encouraged to bring
a one-page summary of proposal ideas that are planned for
submission to NSF. Topics to be covered during the workshop
include the following:
• Funding opportunities with upcoming deadlines in the
following NSF Divisions: 1) Division of Engineering
Education and Centers, 2) Division of Undergraduate
Education, 3) Division of Civil, Mechanical and
Manufacturing Innovation, 4) Division of Computing and
Networked Systems and 5) Division of Equity for Excellence
in STEM. All Divisions fund projects submitted to the Faculty
Early Career Development Program (CAREER) which
supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve
as academic role models in research and education and to lead
advances in the mission of their department or organization.
• Preparing competitive proposals to meet NSF Merit Review
Criteria
• Perspectives from recent grantees from multiple NSF
Divisions
Details regarding the workshop topics are provided in the
sections below.
IV. ENGINEERING EDUCATION PROGRAMS FROM THE DIVISION
OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND CENTERS (EEC)
EEC supports engineering education research through five
main programs: RFE, CAREER, RIEF, RED and BPE. In
addition, REU, RET and INTERN provide meaningful research
experiences that provide insights into engineering and computer
science concepts, innovations, and careers. The Research in the
Formation of Engineers (RFE; PD 22-1340) program supports
research on the professional formation of engineers and the
design and development of new approaches to engineering
education and training. RFE PIs have existing expertise in
education or social science research. This program has no
deadline. CAREER projects may be submitted to the RFE
program using the guidelines and deadline provided in the
solicitation (NSF 22-586). The PFE: Research Initiation in
Engineering Formation (PFE:RIEF; NSF 20-558) program
supports engineering faculty that aim to develop expertise in
conducting research on engineering education through a
mentored research project. Principal Investigators are expected
to have limited experience conducting education or social
Authorized licensed use limited to: Universidad de Sonora. Downloaded on February 08,2024 at 15:45:26 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
science research. The IUSE/PFE: Revolutionizing Engineering
Departments (RED; NSF 23-553) program supports the design
of new approaches to engineering and engineering technology
education in the middle two years. The Broadening Participation
in Engineering (BPE; NSF 22-514) program supports
broadening participation and equity in engineering through
research, planning and conference grants; mentoring hubs; and
centers serving K-12, higher education, nonprofit and industry
communities. The Research Experiences for Undergraduates
(REU; NSF 23-601) program supports active research
participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of
research funded by the National Science Foundation. The
Research Experiences for Teachers (RET; NSF 21-606) in
Engineering and Computer Science program supports authentic
summer research experiences for K-14 educators to foster long-
term collaborations between universities, community colleges,
school districts, and industry partners. Non-Academic Research
Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN; NSF 21-013, NSF
21-029, NSF 23-024 & NSF 23-112) offers supplemental
funding to broaden research opportunities for graduate students
by enabling them to acquire core professional competencies and
skills to support careers in any sector of the U.S. economy. EEC
also participates in closely allied programs in Research on
Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning (RETTL;
NSF 20-612), and Ethical and Responsible Research (ER2; NSF
22-526), among others.
V. STEM EDUCATION PROGRAMS FROM THE DIVISION OF
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION (DUE)
Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for
STEM Education (IUSE: EDU) program supports projects to
improve STEM teaching and learning for undergraduate
students, including studying what works and for whom and how
to transform institutions to adopt successful practices in STEM
education. NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics Program (S-STEM) program
supports institutions of higher education to fund scholarships for
academically talented low-income students and to study and
implement a program of activities that support their recruitment,
retention and graduation in STEM. Scholarships in STEM
Network (S-STEM-Net) program supports both the creation of
a resource and evaluation center for the national S-STEM
community and research hubs to study the conditions for the
success of low-income undergraduate and graduate STEM
students.
VI. COMPUTING EDUCATION PROGRAMS FROM THE DIVISION OF
COMPUTING AND NETWORKED SYSTEMS (CNS)
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program
supports intensive research by undergraduate students in any
NSF-funded area of research. REU Sites engage a cohort of
students in research projects related to a theme. REU
Supplements engage students in research related to a new or
ongoing NSF research award. Research Experiences for
Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science program
supports summer research experiences for K-14 educators that
foster long-term collaborations between universities,
community colleges, school districts and industry partners.
Computer and Information Science and Engineering Minority-
Serving Institutions Research Expansion Program (CISE-MSI
 Program) program supports capacity building in computer and 2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and
information science and engineering at historically Black explore creative, original, or potentially transformative
colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and concepts?
tribal colleges and universities. Expanding AI Innovation 3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-
through Capacity Building and Partnerships (ExpandAI) reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does
program supports capacity-development projects and the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
partnerships within the National AI Research Institutes 4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or
ecosystem that help broaden participation in artificial organization to conduct the proposed activities?
intelligence research, education and workforce development. 5. Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either
at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out
VII. STEM EDUCATION PROGRAMS FROM THE DIVISION OF the proposed activities?
EQUITY FOR EXCELLENCE IN STEM (EES)
Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic- Competitive proposals must be responsive to the funding
Serving Institutions (HSI Program) program supports projects opportunity, NSF merit review criteria and solicitation specific
that improve undergraduate STEM education and increase the criteria (if applicable). Computing and engineering education
rates of recruitment, retention and graduation of undergraduate research project should include a literature review and
STEM students at Hispanic-serving institutions. EHR Core demonstrate ties to existing theories which inform the research
Research (ECR:Core) program supports research on STEM questions and project design. Design and development projects
education in one or more of three research areas: STEM learning are informed by existing literature and may use project
and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, evaluation for research contribution. Additional information
and STEM workforce development. Historically Black Colleges about types of education research projects can be found in the
and Universities - Excellence in Research (HBCU - EiR) Common Guidelines for Education Research (NSF 13-126) [2].
program supports research at public and private historically Since reviewers for engineering education projects may come
Black colleges and universities to stimulate sustainable from multiple academic disciplines and institution or
improvement in their research and development capacity. organization types, PIs are encouraged to consider this during
Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of proposal preparation.
Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science
(INCLUDES): The NSF INCLUDES National Network is a IX. PERSPECTIVES FROM RECENT GRANTEES FROM MULTIPLE
multifaceted collaboration of agencies, organizations, and NSF DIVISIONS
individuals working collectively to broaden participation in During this interactive session, attendees will hear from
STEM. The NSF INCLUDES National Network serves as a recent awardees for some of the programs that are presented.
testbed for designing, implementing, studying, refining, and They will provide their perspective on proposal writing, project
scaling collaborative change models. With this solicitation, NSF administration and resubmissions. There will be ample time for
offers support for five types of projects that connect and questions.
contribute to the National Network: (1) Design and
Development Launch Pilots, (2) Collaborative Change X. WORKSHOP AGENDA
Consortia, (3) Alliances, (4) Network Connectors, and (5) Table I below provides details on the activities for this
Conferences. workshop. The workshop will be divided into four sessions that
allow for information transmission and interaction between
VIII. PREPARING COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS TO MEET NSF MERIT attendees and panelists.
REVIEW CRITERIA
Guidance for preparing NSF proposals can be found in the
TABLE I. WORKSHOP AGENDA
Proposal and Awards Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG)
[1] and the funding opportunity guidelines (solicitations and Details of Activity
program descriptions). Proposals submitted to the NSF are Activity Lead
Description Facilitator Time
evaluated using the merit review criteria of intellectual merit
which encompasses the potential to advance knowledge and Presentation with Engineering Education
NSF PDs 40 min
broader impact which encompasses the potential to benefit Q&A Session Programs from EEC, DUE,
society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired CNS & EES
societal outcomes. Both merit review criteria are necessary and -------- BREAK ------- 10 min
must be addressed in the proposal. In addition, some NSF
programs will employ additional criteria as solicitation specific Mock Proposal Review of Previously NSF PDs &
review criteria. The following elements are considered in the Workshop 40 min
Review Panel Submitted NSFProposals
review for the merit review criteria: (Breakout groups) Participants
40 min
1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to: Grantee Q&A
Experience & Insights from NSF
Panel
a) advance knowledge and understanding within its own Recent Grantees Grantees
field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and ------- BREAK -------- 10 min
b) benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes All 40 min
Office Hours Small group and individual
(Broader Impacts)? meetings with NSF PDs

Authorized licensed use limited to: Universidad de Sonora. Downloaded on February 08,2024 at 15:45:26 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 XI. QUALIFICATIONS OF PRESENTERS
The presenters are Program Directors (PDs) at NSF who
manage merit-review of proposals and monitor funded awards
for their respective engineering and computing education
research programs. They also have experience applying for and
managing NSF awards.
XII. INTENDED AUDIENCE AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Faculty at institutions of higher education interested in
improving proposals submitted to the National Science
Foundation. In addition to becoming more familiar with the
various funding opportunities relevant to engineering and
computing education, attendees can expect to receive insight on
competitive proposals from grantees and proposals.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The support of the National Science Foundation is gratefully
acknowledged.
REFERENCES
[1] National Science Foundation Proposals& Award Policies & Procedures
Guide (PAPPG), https://new.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/23-1.
[2] Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development, A Report
from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education
and the National Science Foundation, August 2013,
https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13126/nsf13126.pdf

Authorized licensed use limited to: Universidad de Sonora. Downloaded on February 08,2024 at 15:45:26 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.