Supports and resources for your 2019 NSF AISL proposal

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program supports a range of projects within the field of informal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. The current NSF AISL Program Solicitation (#17-573) is a three-year solicitation covering 2017, 2018, and 2019. Proposals for the next round of funding are due on Wednesday, November 6, 2019.

The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) is planning a number of supports to help you develop and submit your proposal, which we’ll release over the coming months. We will update this blog when we add new resources.

Here’s what we have so far:

1. An updated webpage with a refreshed list of important NSF resources
2. A refreshed guide to reporting and dissemination.
3. A webinar on defining and measuring STEM identity, interest, and engagement (view the recording and presentation slides)
4. "Setting the Stage for Success: Evaluation and Evaluators," a blog by Leslie Goodyear, Karen Peterman, and Cecilia Garibay.
5. "What’s the Difference between Design-Based Research and Design-Based Implementation Research?," a blog by Kevin Crowley.
6. Three virtual office hours with NSF AISL program officers (see below)

Virtual Office Hours

Virtual office hours are informal sessions where you can ask NSF AISL program officers questions about the AISL solicitation and/or the NSF merit review process. They are open to everyone. Please register for any or all of the following times.

1. Tuesday, September 10 from 2:00-3:00 pm EDT
2. Thursday, October 10 from 12:00-1:00 pm EDT - This session will focus on budgets and budget justifications. (register here)
3. Wednesday, October 16 from 2:30-3:30 pm EDT (register here)

Important preparation

Prior to attending the virtual office hours, you and your team should read the entire solicitation thoroughly and watch the webinar overview of the solicitation below. You should also familiarize yourself with this list of helpful resources, compiled by CAISE, in order to help you better understand the solicitation and NSF requirements.

What to expect

• At registration, we ask you to submit the specific questions or broad topics you’d like to see addressed. This helps us and the program officers to be better prepared. 
• We do our best to accommodate all pre-submitted questions and to offer additional time toward the end of the session to address any additional questions.
• All participants will be on mute, though you will be able to submit written questions via the GoToWebinar interface.
• Only CAISE staff will be able to see or access registration and attendance information.

Don’t forget to prepare!