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NSF STEM + Computing Partnerships (STEMC) Grant Opportunity: FAQs

1) What is the NSF STEM + Computing Partnerships (STEMC) program?

The NSF STEM + Computing Partnerships (STEMC) program is a discretionary grant opportunity focused on improving how K-12 students learn and how K-12 teachers teach across STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and computing. A key aim is to move beyond treating computing as a stand-alone subject and instead support research and development that meaningfully connects computing with other STEM disciplines.

2) What is the central idea behind STEMC?

The central idea is integration. STEMC supports work that connects computing and STEM in ways that are instructionally meaningful, rather than positioning computing as a separate, isolated course or topic. The emphasis is on strengthening learning and teaching when computing and STEM are brought together.

3) What kinds of integration does STEMC support?

STEMC supports two broad integration directions:

• Bringing computing into core STEM learning, such as using programming, data science, modeling, or computational thinking within science or mathematics instruction.
• Bringing STEM concepts and practices into computing instruction, such as teaching computer science through authentic engineering design challenges or scientific inquiry approaches.

4) What is the program trying to produce: materials, research findings, or both?

Both. STEMC is positioned as a research-and-development program. Funded projects may create or improve courses, curricula, instructional materials, pedagogical strategies, teaching models, or learning environments, while also generating knowledge about what improves learning and teaching when STEM and computing are integrated and under what conditions those improvements occur.

5) What does NSF mean by "innovative and evidence-based" in this program?

The program emphasizes proposals that are not only novel, but also grounded in prior work. NSF is looking for projects that build on existing research in STEM education and prior development efforts and that provide a clear theoretical and empirical rationale for why the proposed approach should work.

6) What types of activities can be supported under STEMC?

Examples of activities mentioned include creating or improving:

• Courses
• Curricula
• Instructional materials
• Pedagogical strategies
• Teaching models
• Learning environments

These activities are expected to be coupled with research and evaluation that contributes to evidence about effective integrated STEM and computing learning and teaching.

7) Who is the program intended to benefit?

The program is designed to improve outcomes for K-12 students and K-12 teachers. It also emphasizes strengthening the overall capacity of K-12 computing education, including teacher preparation and foundational research to support the field.

8) How important are teacher outcomes in STEMC proposals?

Teacher outcomes are explicitly described as important. Projects are expected to help educators deepen their understanding of STEM and computing content, practices, and skills, and strengthen their ability to teach integrated STEM and computing content effectively.

9) Does the program include both pre-service and in-service teachers?

Yes. The opportunity states that both pre-service teachers (those preparing to become teachers) and in-service teachers (current classroom teachers) are expected to benefit directly from participation.

10) What are the two proposal tracks under STEMC?

STEMC offers two tracks:

• Track 1: Integration of Computing in STEM Education
• Track 2: Computing Education Knowledge and Capacity Building

11) What is Track 1 focused on?

Track 1, Integration of Computing in STEM Education, supports projects that integrate computing into one or more STEM disciplines or integrate STEM content into computing instruction. It emphasizes developing and studying learning and teaching approaches that can be used in K-12 settings.

12) What is Track 2 focused on?

Track 2, Computing Education Knowledge and Capacity Building, is more discipline-specific to computing education. It supports work that builds the computing education research base and expands the field's capacity, including preparation pathways and other mechanisms that increase the ability of schools and systems to deliver high-quality computing education.

13) Is Track 2 limited to computing education?

For this solicitation, Track 2 is described as discipline-specific to computing education. NSF also notes that Track 2 could be broadened to additional disciplines in future solicitation releases.

14) What type of grant program is STEMC?

STEMC is described as a discretionary grant program run by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

15) What are the CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity lists CFDA numbers 47.070 and 47.076.

16) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility details that may be described in the full solicitation.

17) When was this opportunity posted and what was the deadline for proposals?

For this specific posting, the opportunity was created and posted on December 31, 2015, and the proposal deadline was March 28, 2016.

18) How many awards were expected and what was the maximum award amount?

The expected number of awards was 37, with an award ceiling of $2,500,000 per award.

19) What settings should the work be designed for?

The program emphasizes approaches that can be used in K-12 settings, and it aims to improve both K-12 student learning and K-12 teacher practice in integrated STEM and computing contexts.

20) What is NSF looking to learn from funded projects?

In addition to any products or instructional improvements, NSF wants projects to generate knowledge about what improves learning and teaching when computing and STEM are integrated, including evidence about the conditions under which those improvements happen.