,

Research Spotlight: Daryn Dever

Q & A with Daryn Dever, Ph. D., Assistant Professor in the School Teaching and Learning

What research are you currently working on?

I am currently focused on the enhancement of K-16 STEM education using game-based learning environments. Most recently, I have examined how a computer-based game has enhanced high-school and undergraduate students’ knowledge about infectious diseases and how they spread. My work looks at how students’ use of self-regulated learning strategies and processes changes over time captured via multimodal methodologies, such as eye-tracking, physiological responses, facial expressions of emotions, and log files. Through this, I can identify the behavioral and cognitive patterns indicative of optimal learning with game-based learning environments.

Read more

,

Research Spotlight: Brady Nash

Q & A with Brady Nash, Ph. D., Assistant Professor in the School of Teaching and Learning

What research are you currently working on?

My research focuses on the incorporation of digital literacies into K-12 English language arts classrooms and within teacher education settings. I’m currently working on a qualitative study examining the incorporation of a new critical media literacy curriculum into high school English classrooms, a study exploring preservice teachers’ views of AI in K-12 schooling, and pedagogical materials that support teachers incorporating commercial video games into K-12 humanities classrooms.

Read more

Important Update: Please Disregard Previous OER Research Bulletin

Please disregard the OER Research Bulletin that was sent on Friday, 09/06/2024. We kindly ask that you refer to this corrected Research Bulletin for accurate information. We apologize for any confusion and appreciate your understanding.

Grant Writing Workshop: Writing/Designing Winning NSF Proposals

The NSF Grant Writing Workshop will be held online on September 18, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET, (additional sessions held in October, November, and December), hosted by the Grant Training Center. This workshop is ideal for both beginners and experienced grant writers, covering topics such as reading and interpreting RFA’s, understanding the NSF review process, and crafting successful proposals. The fee is $395 and includes a comprehensive workbook, key resources, and a certificate of completion. The NSF Self-Paced Course is available for those who cannot attend.

University of Florida Sets New Research Spending Record

The University of Florida reached a record $1.26 billion in research spending for FY2024, with significant contributions from multiple colleges. The College of Education conducted $21.1 million in research aimed at enhancing “whole school” improvement, from early childhood readiness to teacher preparation and classroom technology advances. Research awards also reached a new milestone in 2024 at $1.14 billion, including $768 million from the federal government, $123.5 million from the State of Florida, and $107 million from private foundations. UF accounts for about 40% of research spending across Florida’s state universities, with an estimated $4 billion statewide economic impact. For more, visit UF News.

UF Faculty Research Expertise: Explore Faculty Research, Collaborations, and Partnership Opportunities

UF Faculty Insights is a platform that provides a detailed view of faculty research activity, offering insights on scholarly publications, grants, awards, and collaborations for over 2,000 UF scholars. Faculty, students, postdocs, and administrators can explore detailed faculty profiles, research areas, collaborations, and funding opportunities. The platform helps identify potential research partnerships and fosters future innovation.

PCORI Announces Funding for New Health Research

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has approved over $165 million for new patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER), including efforts to enhance research methods and strengthen patient engagement in CER. This funding supports 10 CER studies, including two focused on heart conditions and three examining the effectiveness of telehealth across various health areas. Additionally, PCORI has allocated $4 million for four studies to improve CER methods and over $5 million for three studies aimed at optimizing patient and healthcare decision-maker engagement in CER design and implementation. Details of these newly funded studies and projects are available on PCORI’s website.

,

Research Spotlight: Melissa Mariani

Q & A with Melissa Mariani, Ph. D., Associate Professor in the School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education

What research are you currently working on?

I recently completed an American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Research grant that examined the impact of improving counselor-to-student ratios in high-need, Title I schools. This study, conducted through a partnership between at my prior university and a large, neighboring school district, analyzed de-identified, retrospective student data in schools where bilingual/bicultural (ESOL/ELL) counselors who completed school counseling degrees between 2001 to 2019 were placed. The findings revealed that lower counselor-to-student ratios were associated with significant improvements in student attendance, behavior, and academic achievement. The results will be published in an ASCA Research Report by the end of the year, and further analysis is planned for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Read more

Calling all Social and Behavioral Scientists: Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations Funding Opportunity

Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet) is a program in the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Office of International Science and Engineering that funds international networking and research coordination activity to advance progress on grand research challenges in any scientific discipline funded by existing NSF programs. The program is particularly interested in receiving proposals from social science and educational fields. Virtual office hours will be held in May 2024. Full proposals are due the third Monday of September annually, with the next deadline being September 16, 2024. For more information, please visit the AccelNet program page.

EDU 2024 Spring Advisory Committee Meeting

The EDU 2024 Advisory Committee Meeting will be held from May 29-30, 2024. The theme of this year’s meeting centers rural and remote communities with a specific examination of how STEM education and workforce opportunities can be unleashed. This two-day conference will include six breakout sessions including but not limited to sessions addressing rural STEM education and workforce development and the impacts of EDU investments. The meeting will be held in person at the NSF Headquarters or virtually via Zoom. To register for this year’s conference, please visit the registration link.

Announcing the Launch of an RFI on AI-Powered Innovations in Mathematics Teaching and Learning

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is launching a Request for Information (RFI) on AI-Powered Innovations in Mathematics Teaching & Learning. Specifically, this RFI seeks to (1) highlight innovative AI approaches in K-12 mathematics teaching and learning, and (2) help leaders in K-12 education better understand AI in education. Please submit ideas through this RFI link by May 20, 2024, and direct any questions to Math.AI@gatesfoundation.org.

New Training Requirement for NSF Investigators

Effective May 20, 2024, the National Science Foundation (NSF) populations that are required to be trained in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) is expanded to include faculty and other senior/key personnel (PAPPG 24-1). More information regarding the required trainings are as follows:

  1. Training will be offered through CITI, take approximately 4- 6 hours to complete, and may be completed in multiple sessions. To access CITI, follow the instructions on this site: https://research.ufl.edu/rcr/rcr-training/citi-rcr-training/.
  2. Beginning June 1, 2024, NSF Senior/Key Personnel who are supported by NSF but who have not completed the training will receive an email reminder of this training requirement and links to CITI.
  3. Beginning October 1, 2024, the Division of Sponsored Programs will not set up an NSF-funded award until all UF Senior/Key Personnel have completed the required training. The training completion date for each person will automatically populate in UFIRST.

All processes regarding NSF-supported undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers (for whom the training requirement has been in effect for over a decade) will continue, and notifications related to those training requirements will continue uninterrupted.