Research in Disabilities Education  (RDE)

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PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Solicitation  12-542

Important Notice to Proposers

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), NSF 13-1, was issued on October 4, 2012 and is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 14, 2013. Please be advised that, depending on the specified due date, the guidelines contained in NSF 13-1 may apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.

Please be aware that significant changes have been made to the PAPPG to implement revised merit review criteria based on the National Science Board (NSB) report, National Science Foundation's Merit Review Criteria: Review and Revisions. While the two merit review criteria remain unchanged (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts), guidance has been provided to clarify and improve the function of the criteria. Changes will affect the project summary and project description sections of proposals. Annual and final reports also will be affected.

A by-chapter summary of this and other significant changes is provided at the beginning of both the Grant Proposal Guide and the Award & Administration Guide.

SYNOPSIS

The Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) program advances the goal of broadening the participation and achievement of postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM. This effort is realized by making strategic investments in educational and institutional Model Building and in basic and applied Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education (BPR).  Model Building projects develop, replicate, translate and utilize innovative educational and institutional capacity building models to broaden the participation of postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM fields.  Models employ evidence-based educational exemplars that improve the learning, participation, persistence and graduation of students with disabilities in associate, baccalaureate and graduate STEM degree programs.  BPR projects promote efforts to understand the underlying issues contributing to the differential learning, participation and graduation rates of postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM.  Particular emphasis is placed on contributing to the knowledge base by investigating the STEM learning characteristics and differences of postsecondary students with disabilities.  Educational research about students with disabilities in STEM is advanced by studying the educational and pre-professional experiences that influence student interest, academic performance, retention and persistence in degree programs, degree completion and career choices.  RDE projects contribute to closing the achievement gaps for postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM fields, including students enrolled in community colleges, baccalaureate degree programs and graduate schools.

RDE-Model Building (RDE-MB) - These projects broaden the participation and achievement of postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM by creating, replicating, translating and implementing innovative educational and institutional capacity building models.  RDE-MB projects employ evidence-based educational exemplars that improve the learning, participation, persistence and graduation of postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM degree programs.  These projects must have a strong theoretical base and initiatives must be justified by the relevant educational, disability, and social science research. 

RDE-Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education (RDE-BPR) - These projects to investigate the underlying issues affecting the differential learning, participation, retention and graduation rates of postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM.  Proposed research may investigate learning and educational influences as well as organizational, institutional or systemic processes that broaden the participation of postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM.  Disability should be the main focus of the research and analysis, with race, ethnicity, gender, economic status, and/or veteran status as potential secondary foci. Projects catalyze the acquisition of knowledge that may inform interventions impacting learning, persistence, and graduation in STEM for postsecondary students with disabilities under certain conditions and in specific educational contexts.  BPR can also be found in other solicitations in the Divison of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) and in the Division of Human Resource Development (HRD).  DRL's Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering  (REESE) solicitation has a strand called BPR that converges with elements of the Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) and RDE solicitations; the new BPR strand is jointly managed by DRL and HRD with coordination by the RDE, GSE and REESE programs.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY

This program provides educational opportunities for  Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students . This program provides indirect funding for undergraduate and graduate students such as curricula development, training or retention. To inquire about possible funding opportunities please look at the active awards for this program and contact the awards directly.

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

08027

What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)

Map of Recent Awards Made Through This Program

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