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National STEM Education Distributed Learning (NSF 09-531) - FAQs

1) What is the National STEM Education Distributed Learning opportunity (NSF 09-531)?

It is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program intended to build and strengthen a nationwide, distributed network of STEM learning environments, digital resources, and supporting infrastructure for learners at all levels. The program centers on expanding the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) as an interconnected ecosystem where high-quality educational content, tools, and services can be discovered, used, adapted, and studied to improve STEM teaching and learning.

2) What is the main goal of this program?

The main goal is to expand the NSDL into a coordinated, interconnected system (an ecosystem) that improves access, usability, and community adoption of STEM digital resources and services, while also generating evidence about educational impact.

3) How is this different from funding standalone collections of educational materials?

The program emphasizes coordinated efforts that grow communities of users, improve access and usability across distributed resources, and produce evidence about educational outcomes. It is not focused on funding isolated collections of materials by themselves.

4) What is NSDL in the context of this solicitation?

NSDL (the National Science Digital Library) is described as an interconnected ecosystem of educational content, tools, and services. The intent is for these resources to be discoverable, usable, adaptable, and researchable in ways that improve STEM teaching and learning.

5) What project tracks are included in the solicitation?

The solicitation is organized around four main project tracks: Pathways, Services, Targeted Research, and a related Pathways II track (noted as eligible for large-grant proposals in FY2009).

6) What does the Pathways track support?

Pathways supports projects that serve as stewards for major communities of learners. These projects curate and organize content and services tailored to specific audiences or domains and help those communities effectively use NSDL resources.

7) What is Pathways II?

Pathways II is described as a related pathway-focused track that is eligible for large-grant proposals in FY2009 and functions as an additional pathway-oriented funding lane within the overall program structure.

8) What types of projects fit the Services track?

The Services track funds efforts to create or enhance services that support end users and organizations providing resource collections. Examples of service areas mentioned include discovery, interoperability, metadata practices, user support, and other capabilities that help distributed resources operate as a coherent system.

9) What is the focus of the Targeted Research track?

Targeted Research supports research activities focused primarily on educational impact, including studies designed to understand what works, for whom, and under what conditions when NSDL resources and services are used in authentic learning settings.

10) Are there any submission shifts or reclassification guidance described for applied research topics?

Yes. The solicitation notes that projects exploring applied topics with immediate applicability to collections, services, or other NSDL network development areas that previously would have been submitted as Targeted Research should now be submitted as small grants under the Services portion of the program.

11) What is the NSDL Resource Center and what role does it play?

The NSDL Resource Center is presented as a collaborative backbone across the program portfolio. It is expected to help projects work together, develop strategic partnerships (including connections beyond academia such as industry and informal education organizations), coordinate and sometimes conduct thematic research and evaluation, synthesize findings across funded projects, and broadly disseminate NSDL results and accomplishments.

12) Will awardees operate independently, or is collaboration expected?

The program is structured to promote shared learning, collaboration, common approaches where useful, portfolio-level evaluation, and communication. Awardees are not intended to operate in isolation.

13) Does the program encourage partnerships beyond academia?

Yes. The Resource Center is expected to help develop strategic partnerships with special attention to connections beyond academia, such as industry, informal education organizations, and other non-academic entities.

14) Are both large and small grants available?

Yes. For FY2009, NSF planned to accept proposals for large grants in the Pathways track, Pathways II, specific subtracks within Services, and Targeted Research. In addition, small-grant proposals are accepted in all tracks when the intent is to extend or enhance existing services, collections, or prior targeted research activities.

15) What are small grants intended to do in this program?

Small grants are specifically framed as a mechanism to broaden the NSDL user audience and/or improve capabilities for users by extending or enhancing existing services, collections, or prior targeted research activities.

16) What does NSF mean by building a “distributed network” in this solicitation?

Based on the description provided, it refers to a nationwide network of STEM learning environments, digital resources, and infrastructure that are distributed across multiple organizations and systems, but connected through NSDL so resources and services function together as a coherent ecosystem.

17) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this solicitation?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 09-531 (also referenced as NSF Publication 09-531).

18) When was this funding opportunity posted?

It was posted on January 14, 2009.

19) Is a letter of intent required?

A letter of intent is optional. The optional letter of intent due date is March 11, 2009 (by 5 p.m. local time).

20) What is the full proposal deadline?

Full proposals are due April 15, 2009.

21) How many awards did NSF anticipate making for FY2009?

NSF anticipated about 37 awards.

22) What was the estimated total funding level for this opportunity?

The estimated total funding level was $10,750,000.

23) What is the minimum and maximum award size mentioned?

Individual awards ranged from a floor of $150,000 to a ceiling of $2,550,000.

24) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

25) What is the CFDA number and program category?

It is listed under CFDA 47.076 (Education and Human Resources) and falls within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category.

26) Is this a discretionary grant opportunity?

Yes. It is described as a discretionary grant opportunity.

27) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open broadly to different entity types), subject to any additional clarifications in the full solicitation text (NSF Publication 09-531).

28) Where should applicants look for additional eligibility clarifications?

Additional eligibility clarifications (if any) are referenced as being in the full solicitation text, NSF Publication 09-531.

29) What should applicants do if they have trouble accessing or using Grants.gov for this opportunity?

For access issues, applicants are directed to NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

30) What kinds of outcomes does NSF want projects to produce within this program?

The solicitation emphasizes outcomes such as improved discovery and usability of NSDL resources, stronger and more engaged user communities, increased coherence and interoperability across distributed resources and services, and evidence about educational impact in authentic learning settings.