In a recent article posted on the National of Institutes of Health (NIH) Extramural Nexus blog, NIH’s Deputy Director for Extramural Research discusses the disadvantages of submitting proposals on the deadline date and provides a look at some interesting data.

Figure 1 shows the association of date with number of R01 applications received by NIH for consideration for a deadline date of October 6, 2014. NIH received 2,788 applications from September 6 through October 5. An additional 2,068 applications, or 43% of the total, came in on the October 6 deadline date. Even among the applications received before the deadline, the vast majority came in the week before.

Figure 1. Number of R01 applications received by NIH each day leading up to the Oct. 6, 2014 deadline date

It may be worth noting that it is an institutional official, usually in the office of sponsored programs who is responsible for submitting the applications. Therefore, PIs may not have built in enough time for the authorized organizational official to process and submit the application earlier.

Table 1 shows the results for the R01 applications. The later applications — that is those received on the October 6 deadline date — were less likely to be discussed.

Table 1: R01 Outcomes According to Date of Submission

When Received	Number	Discussed	Awarded
Sept 6 – Oct 5	2,788	1,319 (47%)	240
On Oct 6	2,068	880 (43%)	186

These findings seem to suggest no clear advantage for waiting until the last day. If anything, at least for R01 applicants, there may be a disadvantage in that the last-day submissions were less likely to make it to discussion.

Excerpted from NIH Extramural Nexus Open Mike.
To view the complete article see, A Grant Submission New Year’s Resolution

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) have released a guide educators can use when creating questionnaires.

The guide outlines a five-step process to gather information on opinions, perceptions, or facts to support decisions about education policy or practice. The guide follows research-based guidelines and also lists resources on sample selection, questionnaire administration, and data collection, analysis, and presentation.

See the IES website, to view or download the guide: An Educator’s Guide to Questionnaire Development.

The Research Administration and Financials Training (RAFT) forum is offering the following courses this spring:

2/12/16
3:00–4:30 p.m.
Cost Sharing for Sponsored Projects
HPNP Room G-114

Those unable to attend in person may join online using the live meeting link: Live Meeting Link

Registration is Now Open for RAFT Level Two Courses

3/03/16
9:00–11:00 a.m.
Finding Funding & Limited Opportunities
HRS Room 120
REGISTER

4/12/16
9:00–1:00 a.m.
Solicitation Review & Proposal Development
HRS Room 120
REGISTER

The RAFT forum is designed to create a bridge between the core offices and the UF research community. These sessions cover special topics of interest, while also providing an open channel for solutions, contacts, and information targeted to the needs of UF sponsored programs.

Educational Design Research: Balancing Relevance and Rigor
with Thomas C. Reeves, Ph.D.

Presented by the Lectures, Seminars, and Awards Committee and sponsored by the Office of Educational Research

Tuesday, February 23, 2016
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Norman Hall Room 211

Dr. Thomas C. Reeves will present the rationale for and benefits of educational design research in education, public health, and other fields. Many of the ideas in this presentation originate from his award-winning book: McKenney, S. E., & Reeves, T. C. (2012). Conducting educational design research. New York, NY: Routledge. Dr. Reeves is Professor Emeritus of Learning, Design, and Technology in the College of Education at the University of Georgia, Athens.

Presentation Abstract: Educational design research (EDR, also referred to as “design-based research”) addresses real world problems related to teaching, learning, and performance. EDR has two primary goals: to develop and refine effective solutions to problems and to produce robust reusable knowledge. EDR is typically embedded in the iterative development of a solution to a significant problem and requires close collaboration with practitioners. In addition to effective problem solutions, EDR yields new theoretical knowledge most often in the form of reusable design principles. This presentation presents the rationale for and benefits of EDR in education, public health, and other fields. Many of the ideas in this presentation originate from his award-winning book: McKenney, S. E., & Reeves, T. C. (2012). Conducting educational design research. New York, NY: Routledge.

Speaker Biography: Thomas C. Reeves, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Learning, Design, and Technology in the College of Education at the University of Georgia, Athens. Dr. Reeves is a former Fulbright Lecturer in Peru, and he has been an invited speaker in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries. In 2003, he received the AACE Fellowship Award from the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. In 2010, he was made a Fellow of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE), and in 2013 he was awarded the David H. Jonassen Excellence in Research Award by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). His books include Interactive Learning Systems Evaluation (co-authored with John Hedberg) published in 2003, Guide to Authentic E-Learning (co-authored with Jan Herrington and Ron Oliver) published in 2010, Conducting Educational Design Research (co-authored with Susan McKenney) published in 2012, and MOOCs and Open Education around the World (co-authored with Curt Bonk, Mimi Lee, and Tom Reynolds) published in 2015. His writings, including more than 100 journal and magazine articles and 60 book chapters, have been cited in the literature more than 11,000 times according to Google Scholar. He lives in Athens, Georgia with his wife, Dr. Trisha Reeves, who is a professor of Social Work at UGA, and their two Westies, Button and Zipper.

For more information, see the event flyer Educational Design Research: Balancing Relevance and Rigor