Quality Education for Minorities Network?s three-year project to provide technical assistance to HBCU-UP grantees and potential grantees aims to prepare participants to submit competitive proposals to the National Science Foundation, and in particular to the HBCU-UP program.
The activities planned are: i) a two day professional development and evaluation workshop and a one year follow-up workshop each year; ii) technical assistance visits to new grantees during the first year of implementation; and iii) a special-focused, two-day workshop each year to strengthen institutional capacity in STEM.
The two-day proposal development and evaluation workshop will assemble a team of consultants to meet with teams from eligible institutions and provide presentations on grant preparation, specifically geared toward the HBCU-UP project. The institution teams will include the chief academic officer, along with a key person from the project. Consultants will provide feedback to the institutions on their proposal outlines and project activities.
Technical assistance to new grantees includes campus visits to observe project activities and make recommendations. This visit will occur in the first year of the project in an attempt to best advise project and campus leadership on activities and practices that affect their HBCU-UP projects.
The special-focused capacity-building workshops will help to inform potential grantees about issues that are of importance to the HBCU-UP program and the NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources. In the three years of this project, QEM plans to have three different workshops: one on education research, in particular ways in which HBCUs can inform the field; a second on design of STEM teacher preparation programs; and a third on the integration of mathematics into introductory level STEM courses and on effective STEM instructional strategies.
QEM Network brings leadership and expertise in working with HBCUs to this project and the potential to impact a large percentage of the Nation?s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Principal Investigator: McBay, Shirley M. Organization: Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network Project Outcomes and Findings The Importance of the Project to Advancing Knowledge and Understanding The National Science Foundation (NSF) established the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) in 1998 to enhance the quality of undergraduate education and research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at HBCUs to broaden participation in the Nation’s STEM workforce. With current support, QEM conducted 14 HBCU-UP workshops: four (4) proposal development workshops for HBCUs seeking planning or implementation awards four (4) proposal follow-up workshops for HBCUs planning project implementation for successful proposals or revision and resubmission of proposals not funded six (6) workshops to assist HBCU faculty in preparing competitive proposals for funding through other HBCU-UP program tracks (Targeted Infusion, Broadening Participation Research, and Research Initiation) or to address other major STEM-related issues (e.g., preparation of K-12 mathematics teachers, integration of mathematical concepts into lower division STEM courses) The 14 QEM workshops assisted HBCU-UP faculty and institutions in identifying, implementing, and preparing for the evaluation of strategies for recruiting, retaining, and graduating more students in STEM at HBCUs Qualifications of the Principal Investigator Under the leadership of President Shirley McBay, a former NSF program director, mathematician by training, and former college and university faculty member and administrator, the QEM Network was established in 1990 as a non-profit organization in Washington, DC. QEM is dedicated to improving education for minorities throughout the Nation by working with individuals, organizations, and institutions to help coordinate efforts to improve the education of minorities, particularly in STEM. With experienced STEM consultants and evaluators, QEM provides technical assistance and follow-up support to faculty at minority-serving institutions for a range of NSF programs. Creative Innovative Approach The QEM HBCU-UP proposal workshops offered detailed information and guidance about preparing successful proposals to HBCU-UP; successful project implementation; or ways to strengthen unfunded proposals for re-submission. Proposal workshops required institutional teams to prepare a project summary prior to the workshop to facilitate feedback on the proposed project from workshop consultants and participating NSF program directors. The revised project summary served as the basis for an institution’s full proposal to HBCU-UP. QEM’s six (6) special workshops for STEM faculty at HBCU-UP grantee institutions were designed to increase the capacity of HBCU-UP institutions to address critical needs in teacher preparation, mathematics education, and STEM education research. Participating faculty were required to identify specific next steps they would take at their institution to implement promising/best strategies discussed at the workshop. QEM provided travel and lodging for participants in each of the 14 workshops and conducted follow-up surveys regarding proposal submission and next steps. Project is Well-conceived and Organized At the conclusion of each workshop, participants were asked to complete a Workshop Evaluation Questionnaire to rate the usefulness of the sessions and to indicate whether the workshop met their expectations. Consistently, participants completing the 14 Workshop Evaluation Questionnaires rated the HBCU-UP Workshops overall as excellent or very good and reported that the workshops met their expectations. Did the Project Broaden Participation of Underrepresented Groups Since September 2008, the start date for this award, faculty from 37 different HBCUs attended at least one of the 14 HBCU-UP workshops; 24 (64.9 percent) of these institutions received 37 HBCU-UP awards between 2009 and 2011. QEM supported the participation of 439 individuals (146 in 8 proposal development/follow-up; 293 in six special) in the 14 workshops. These workshops were designed to enable STEM faculty at HBCUs to participate in other initiatives in STEM education, including broadening participation education research; mathematics teacher preparation; and integration of mathematics into lower-level STEM courses. Did It Enhance The Infrastructure For Research And Education QEM HBCU-UP workshop topics emphasized the importance of a rigorous approach to education and STEM disciplinary research, project development, and assessment. The overall goal of this approach was to enhance the scholarly activity of the participating faculty and their ability to successfully secure external funding for STEM-focused research and education. Achieving this goal will increase the capacity of HBCUs to participate more fully in developing and pursuing the Nation’s STEM research agenda and in attracting more minority students into STEM careers. Will Results Be Disseminated Broadly For each workshop, QEM prepared a resource CD that was included in each participant’s packet. The CD provided resources on proposal preparation and implementation; project evaluation; fundamentals of education research; and selected literature on STEM research and education as well as selected NSF research funding opportunities. QEM strongly encouraged participants to share workshop materials, resource CDs, and links to plenary presentations with campus colleagues. Workshop agendas and presentations are posted at QEM’s website at the following URL: www.qem.org/HBCU-UP.htm
