Essentials of Effective Proposal Preparation

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

1. Prepare a proposal rationale, informed by competitive proposal elements, the NSF proposal review process, and the essential elements of a cogent implementation and project management plan
2. Identify project management and learning goals for a given description of a project; distinguish between goals and objectives; and formulate objectives for a cognitive learning goal, affective learning goal, and cultural change goal
3. Describe the role of an evaluator throughout the proposal process; the advantages, disadvantages, and considerations for different evaluation instruments; and confounding factors that may impact evaluation data
4. Identify stakeholders that would be interested in formative and summative evaluation results and formulate a set of evaluation questions for a given project learning objective
5. Describe evaluation strategies that assess the impact of broadening participation efforts and identify strategies for a project to address NSF’s Broader Impacts criterion and apply them to broadening participation in STEM
6. Recognize the factors that make a project transportable or limit the adoption of a newly developed approach at other sites and identify strategies for making others aware of a new approach, engaging them in its development or use, and enabling them to use it
7. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of a management plan, evaluation plan, Broader Impacts plan, and dissemination plan, and suggest recommendations for improvement

Session I: Proposal Rationale

• Elements of a competitive proposal
• NSF proposal review process
• Merit review criteria and considerations
• Introduction to proposal rationale
• Developing a proposal rationale
• Implementation and project management plans
• Role of an evaluator in the proposal development process

Session II: Goals and Objectives

• Definition of goals and objectives
• Types of project goals – project management goals, cognitive learning goals, affective learning goals, and cultural change goals
• Writing effective learning objectives
• Goals, objectives, and evaluation questions
• The role of an evaluator when developing goals and objectives

Session III: Evaluation 

• Formative and summative evaluation
• Identifying evaluation stakeholders
• Instrument types and quality
• Factors and questions to consider in selecting and using evaluation instruments
• Standards of instrument quality
• Confounding factors
• Interpreting evaluation data
• Role of learning goals and objectives in evaluation
• Strengths and weaknesses of the evaluation plan
• Questions to consider when working with an evaluator

Session IV: Broader Impacts 

• Introduction to NSF Broader Impacts criterion
• Developing Broader Impacts plans
• Strengths and weaknesses of the Broader Impacts plan
• Broadening participation in STEM vs. Broader Impacts
• Evaluating broadening participation strategies

Session V: Impact and Transportability 

• Propagation and transportability
• Factors that limit propagation and transportability
• Characteristics of transportable projects
• Education change models
• Strategies for engaging others in a project
• Introduction to transformative educational design and development projects
• Dissemination plan strengths and weaknesses

Session VI: Ancillary NSF Proposal Documents

• Project Data Forms
• Data Management Plans
• Post-doc Mentoring Plans
• Budget Justifications
• Biosketches
• Current and Pending Support

Dr. Bevlee Watford is the Associate Dean for Equity and Engagement and the Executive Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED) at Virginia Tech. The Equity and Engagement office is responsible for the recruitment and retention of diverse students, both undergraduate and graduate. This includes a wide array of programs developed and implemented for precollege students as well as programs supporting the academic, professional and personal development of current students.

Dr. Watford has worked at Virginia Tech since 1992, becoming associate dean in 1997. Her professional interests are focused on ensuring that all students who desire an engineering degree are successful. She is particularly interested in helping under-represented students achieve their educational and professional goals, whether these goals are in engineering or any other field. Dr. Watford earned all of her degrees from Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering (BS Mining Engineering, MS and PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research).

Dr. Watford served as President of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in 2016 – 2017, as the Society’s first African American female president.

Dr. Sheryl Sorby is a Professor of Engineering Education at the University of Cincinnati. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the Dublin Institute of Technology conducting research in engineering education and is a professor emerita of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech. She is the former Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Engineering at Michigan Tech and served at the National Science Foundation as a Program Director in the Division of Undergraduate Education for nearly three years. Prior to her appointment as Associate Dean, Dr. Sorby served as chair of the Engineering Fundamentals Department. She received a BS in Civil Engineering, an MS in Engineering Mechanics, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, all from Michigan Tech.

Dr. Sorby has a well-established research program in spatial visualization, receiving her first grant from the NSF in 1993 to develop a course and course materials for helping engineering students develop their 3-D spatial skills. She has received numerous follow-up grants from the NSF and the Department of Education to further her work in developing and assessing spatial skills. Her spatial skills curriculum has been adopted by several engineering programs across the country. In 2005 she received WEPAN’s Betty Vetter award for her work in improving the 3-D spatial skills of engineering students. She received ASEE’s Sharon Keillor award for Outstanding Woman Engineering Educator and the Claire Felbinger award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from ABET. She is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education, a fellow of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI), and is the immediate Past President of ASEE.

Requirements and Resources

Pre-Work: You will complete a pre-program assignment related to the program’s learning outcomes.

Supplemental Resources: You will be provided with (1) a participant guide, (2) presentation slides, and (3) workshop recordings.

Attendance and Completion

Full and active participation will enhance the learning experience for all participants. At the end of the program, you will receive a certificate of completion via email. Professional development hours (PDH) will be provided upon request.

Terms and Policies

• Cancellation Policy
• Recording and Privacy Policy

“[This program] was exactly what I have been looking for. Over the years, a number of our engineering faculty have submitted engineering education proposals to NSF with little success. Faculty struggle because they are not familiar with the particular style and assessment requirements. The virtual workshop was created and presented by NSF program officers, and it was delivered using teaching best practices by engaging attendees in writing activities every 10 to 15 minutes.”

Janet Twomey, PhD
Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development
Wichita State University

“ASEE’S Essentials of Effective Proposal Preparation is fantastic. I am new to the engineering education. This workshop answered many of my practical questions and enlightened me on preparing the essential elements of an NSF proposal. The think-share-compare activities and the Q&A are extremely helpful and engaging.”

Xinyu Zhang, PhD, P.E.
Teaching Assistant Professor, Fundamentals of Engineering Program
West Virginia University