PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The Director will give competitive, merit-based grants to colleges and universities to grow proven reforms in undergraduate science, math, engineering, or technology education that raise the number and quality of students earning associate's or baccalaureate degrees in those fields. Grants can pay for things like spreading a successful change across a whole department or more than one department, creating multidisciplinary courses or programs, expanding undergraduate research across units, growing tutoring or mentoring programs, improving courses for nonmajors, and adding technology that helps teaching and research. To get a grant, a school must apply and at least describe the new plan, explain the earlier reform it builds on and show data proving that earlier work improved recruitment, persistence, and achievement, show key people from the earlier effort will take part, and show the institution backs the project with policies that reward teaching as much as research. The Director will pick winners based on past success and likely success, campus commitment, whether the change will shift campus culture to value teaching (for example in promotion and tenure), and the chance the reform will continue after the grant. The Director should, when possible, fund a variety of types of institutions.

Title 42, §1862n–6

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Director shall award grants, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to institutions of higher education to expand previously implemented reforms of undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, or technology education that have been demonstrated to have been successful in increasing the number and quality of students studying toward and completing associate’s or baccalaureate degrees in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology.

(b)Activities supported by grants under this section may include—

(1)expansion of successful reform efforts beyond a single course or group of courses to achieve reform within an entire academic unit;

(2)expansion of successful reform efforts beyond a single academic unit to other science, mathematics, engineering, or technology academic units within an institution;

(3)creation of multidisciplinary courses or programs that formalize collaborations for the purpose of improved student instruction and research in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology;

(4)expansion of undergraduate research opportunities beyond a particular laboratory, course, or academic unit to engage multiple academic units in providing multidisciplinary research opportunities for undergraduate students;

(5)expansion of innovative tutoring or mentoring programs proven to enhance student recruitment or persistence to degree completion in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology;

(6)improvement of undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education for nonmajors, including education majors; and

(7)implementation of technology-driven reform efforts, including the installation of technology to facilitate such reform, that directly impact undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, or technology instruction or research experiences.

(c)(1)An institution of higher education seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. The application shall include, at a minimum—

(A)a description of the proposed reform effort;

(B)a description of the previously implemented reform effort that will serve as the basis for the proposed reform effort and evidence of success of that previous effort, including data on student recruitment, persistence to degree completion, and academic achievement;

(C)evidence of active participation in the proposed project by individuals who were central to the success of the previously implemented reform effort; and

(D)evidence of institutional support for, and commitment to, the proposed reform effort, including a description of existing or planned institutional policies and practices regarding faculty hiring, promotion, tenure, and teaching assignment that reward faculty contributions to undergraduate education equal to, or greater than, scholarly scientific research.

(2)In evaluating applications submitted under paragraph (1), the Director shall consider at a minimum—

(A)the evidence of past success in implementing undergraduate education reform and the likelihood of success in undertaking the proposed expanded effort;

(B)the extent to which the faculty, staff, and administrators of the institution are committed to making the proposed institutional reform a priority of the participating academic unit;

(C)the degree to which the proposed reform will contribute to change in institutional culture and policy such that a greater value is placed on faculty engagement in undergraduate education, as evidenced through promotion and tenure policies; and

(D)the likelihood that the institution will sustain or expand the reform beyond the period of the grant.

(3)The Director shall ensure, to the extent practicable, that grants awarded under this section are made to a variety of types of institutions of higher education.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Definitions For definitions of terms used in this section, see section 4 of Pub. L. 107–368, set out as a note under section 1862n of this title.

§1862n–6 Undergraduate Education Reform

Summary

Title 42, §1862n–6

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Citations & Metadata