EDU Core Research: Building Capacity in STEM Education Research

Overview

ECR’s Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) supports projects that build investigators’ capacity to carry out high quality STEM education research that will enhance the nation’s STEM education enterprise. In addition, ECR: BCSER seeks to broaden the pool of researchers who can advance knowledge regarding STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development. Researchers of races and ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities who are currently underrepresented in their participation in STEM education research and the STEM workforce, as well as faculty at minority-serving and two year institutions, are particularly encouraged to submit proposals. 

Specifically, ECR: BCSER supports activities that enable researchers to expand their areas of expertise and acquire the requisite knowledge and skills to conduct rigorous research in STEM education. Career development may be accomplished through investigator-initiated professional development and research projects or through institutes that enable researchers to integrate methodological strategies with theoretical and practical issues in STEM education.

Relevant Capacity-Building Foci

To successfully conceptualize, design, and execute studies capable of making contributions to knowledge in STEM education and learning, broadening participation, and workforce development, investigators and their teams typically require a wide range of knowledge, skills, expertise, and experiences. Examples of relevant capacity-building foci span a range of topics including but not limited to: 

• Deep knowledge of subject-matter literature: Domain expertise (mastery of theories and findings) is critical to investigators’ ability to identify important scientific questions and articulate a theoretically derived and framed rationale for the project. 
• Interdisciplinary perspectives: Theories, methodologies, analytical techniques, and findings that can have a catalytic effect when explored in the context of multiple fields. Moreover, interdisciplinary endeavors also increase the human capacity of the nation to address problems, broadening the range and diversity of scholars working toward their solution (Porter & Rafols, 2009). 
• Skill operationalizing research questions and articulating theories of change: Investigators should be able to operationalize the conceptual framework that organizes the responses to the research questions before collecting data, e.g., reducing variables into measurable factors. 
• Expertise in study design, research methods, and data analysis techniques and familiarity with advances in computational, quantitative, qualitative and evaluative research methodologies: Expertise in these areas is essential in arguing the feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed research to generate sufficiently robust evidence on the topic(s) of interest and in executing the study as planned. Depending upon the nature of the research proposed, experience may be required identifying appropriate measures, devising appropriate sampling strategies, developing and establishing the psychometric properties of research instruments, and aligning analytic methods with the study design. 
• Expertise that could advance educational innovation: Investigators should be able to incorporate new methods and techniques in their research that will improve education quality. For example, they may consider how artificial intelligence tools or large data sets could be used or mined to enhance traditional teaching and learning methods. Areas where this research may be applicable could include intelligent tutoring systems, personalized learning, computer-adapted assessments, or in automating of teaching tasks. 
• Skill synthesizing study findings through meta-analysis, meta-synthesis, and other systematic review methodologies. 
• Experience collecting, managing, documenting, and archiving data (e.g., to facilitate replication and reproducibility studies and secondary analyses). 
• Experience building teams, establishing partnerships, leading collaborations, and mentoring junior collaborators.

Proposal Types

1. Individual Investigator Development in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER: IID)
ECR: BCSER supports individual investigators – both experienced and new to STEM education research – in engaging with professional development activities that will build their capacity to advance knowledge of STEM education. The primary goal of ECR: BCSER Individual Investigator Development in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER: IID) awards is to facilitate the acquisition of expertise that will position the investigator to successfully conceive and execute STEM education research with the potential to meaningfully advance current knowledge about STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.

2. Institutes for Methods and Practices in STEM Education Research 
Institutes for Methods and Practices in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER: IMP) awards support field-initiated institutes that provide participants with training and support in the use of cutting-edge methodological techniques and/or practices that advance the participants’ knowledge, skills, and competencies in STEM education research. Institute participants may include investigators at any stage in their career development.

Conference Proposals 
Proposals seeking support to conduct well-focused conferences related to the ECR: BCSER goals may also be submitted. Proposals should include a conceptual framework for the conference, draft agenda, possible participant list, the outcomes or products that will result from the conference, and how these products serve the goals of the ECR: BCSER competition.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and the Walton Family Foundation have been added as a collaborating partners in this program. For additional information, please refer to Dear Colleague Letter: Building Investigators' Capacity to Leverage Emerging Technologies to Improve STEM Education Research (NSF 22-126).

Co-PIs are not allowed on Individual Investigator Development proposals.

Individual Investigator Development in STEM Education Research: Up to 19 awards. The maximum award amount is $350,000 for three years. 

Institutes for Methods and Practices in STEM Education Research: Up to 5 awards. The maximum award amount for is $1,000,000 for three years. 

Conference: Up to 5 awards. The typical award amount for a conference is $25,000 to $100,000.