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DSP Requests Sufficient Time to Process Proposals

The Office of Research strongly recommends that proposals be submitted to the Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP) at least 2 business days prior to the sponsor’s published deadline.

This will provide DSP with sufficient time to secure all necessary internal approvals, and to identify any issues within the proposal materials that are inconsistent with the sponsor’s submission requirements that may result in the proposal being rejected by the sponsor without review.

For proposals submitted to DSP less than 2 days prior to the sponsor’s published deadline, DSP will do everything it can to submit the application ahead of the deadline. However, in these cases DSP may not have sufficient time for complete technical proposal review relative to submission requirements, thus increasing the chance of rejection due to technical deficiency.

DSP is committed to serving the needs of the UF research community. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Please contact Stephanie Gray at 352-392-3516 or slgray@ufl.edu with any questions.

NIH Discusses Disadvantages of Submitting Proposals on the Deadline Date

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.
R01-submssions-by-day-copy

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

A DSP Reminder: Submitting a Post Submission Budget Revision

If you receive a budget revision request, please remember to use UFIRST for all revised budget submissions going to sponsors.

Budget revision requests occur for a variety of reasons: A sponsor may elect to fund some but not all of the proposed specific aims or tasks, or funding limitations may necessitate an overall reduction. Whatever the reason, if a sponsor requests a revised budget, then the PI, department, and DSP must coordinate the transmittal of this information.

The first step in submitting a budget revision is to locate the UFIRST-Proposal in need of a budget revision and click Notify DSP of Post Submission Update.

Then, you will go through a series of steps to complete the budget revision, inclusive of attaching the sponsor’s request, the revised budget, budget justification, scope of work impact statement, and any other documentation that needs to be submitted to the sponsor.

DSP will complete the Post Submission Request activity with a review of the information and submit to the sponsor.

For a complete list of the steps to complete the budget revision, please see the UFIRST Instructional Guide:
http://training.hr.ufl.edu/instructionguides/UFIRST/submitting_a_budget_revision_request.pdf

Questions can be directed to ufproposals@ufl.edu or contact your DSP Unit Based Team.

IES and NCEE Offer Educator’s Guide to Questionnaire Development

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.

IES Releases Report on the Role of Effect Size in Single-Case Research

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has released a report showing how research using single-case designs (SCDs) may contribute to the evidence base in education.

The purpose of the report is to present recommendations on how SCD researchers can calculate and report on standardized between-case effect sizes, the way these effect sizes can be used for various audiences to interpret findings, and how they can be used across studies to summarize the evidence base for education practices.

See the IES website, to view or download the report: The Role of Between-Case Effect Size in Conducting, Interpreting, and Summarizing Single-Case Research

RAFT Announces Upcoming Forums

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.

Office of Research Offers NCURA Workshop

The Division of Sponsored Programs and Contracts & Grants Accounting are hosting a workshop delivered by the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) Feb. 23-25, 2016.

This intensive 2.5 day workshop includes topics such as the following:

  • Role of the department research administrator
  • Discussion of OMB Circulars
  • Pre-Award administration
  • Management of the award
  • Tools for successful award administration
  • Compliance issues
  • Close-outs
  • Audit

The program will cost $590 per attendee. Those who wish to attend but find it difficult to secure funds for the cost due to financial hardship may submit a request for subsidy along with their registration. Subsidy requests must be countersigned by your department chair/center director and will be evaluated based on need. Attendance will be first come basis. There is room for 65 attendees.

WORKSHOP UPDATE
We have already reached our maximum number of attendees for our first NCURA Conference on February 23-25. Based on the overwhelming response will be hosting a second NCURA Conference, dates to be announced.

If you would like to be added to the list for our second conference please email alliegoodrich@ufl.edu.

Registration is closed: http://research.ufl.edu/or/research-events/ncura-conference-rsvp.html

Research Event in February

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

Awarded Projects for January 2016

College of Education
Awarded Projects
January 2016
Principal Investigator: Pavlo “Pasha” Antonenko (STL)
Co-PI: Bruce MacFadden (Florida Museum of Natural History), Corey Toler-Franklin (Computer Information Science & Engineering), Aaron Wood (Florida Museum of Natural History)
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Project Title: STRATEGIES: iDigFossils: Engaging K-12 Students in Integrated STEM via 3D Digitization, Printing and Exploration of Fossils
Project Period: 2/15/2016 – 1/31/2019
Award Amount: $1,194,054
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Lauren’s Kids
Project Title: Lauren’s Kids New Teacher Courses
Project Period: 10/27/2015 – 7/31/2016
Award Amount: $375,000
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Children’s Services Council of Florida, Inc.
Project Title: Fiscal and Data Mapping for the Florida Grade Level Reading Campaign
Project Period: 12/16/2015 – 12/31/2016
Award Amount: $125,000

Submitted Projects for January 2016

College of Education
Submitted Projects
January 2016
Principal Investigator: Joseph Glover (Provost Administration)
Co-PI: Thomasenia Lott Adams (OER), Ana Puig (OER), Juan Gilbert (Computer and Information Science and Engineering), Banafsheh “Bonnie” Moradi (Center for Women’s Studies & Gender Research), R. Elaine Turner (CALS)
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Proposal Title: UF ADVANCE RISE (UFAR): Retain, Inspire, Support, and Engage STEM Women Faculty
Requested Amount: $4,998,830
Principal Investigator: Kent Crippen (STL)
Co-PI: Chang-Yu Wu (Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment), Maria Korolev (Chemistry), Philip Brucat (Chemistry)
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Proposal Title: ChANgE Chem Lab: Cognitive Apprenticeship for Engineers in Chem Lab
Requested Amount: $596,919
Principal Investigator: Nicholas Gage (SSESPECS)
Co-PI: Ashley MacSuga-Gage (SSESPECS)
Funding Agency: Spencer Foundation
Proposal Title: Project ENGAGE: Evaluating the Relationship Between Classroom Management and Student Engagement
Requested Amount: $49,855
Principal Investigator: Nicholas Gage (SSESPECS)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: University of Louisville (Subcontract)
Proposal Title: Explicit Reading Instruction for Students with Identified Reading Deficits: A Regression Discontinuity Evaluation
Requested Amount: $51,212
Principal Investigator: Margaret “Meg” Kamman (SSESPECS)
Co-PI: Amber Benedict (SSESPECS)
Funding Agency: Spencer Foundation
Proposal Title: Project VOLT: Validating Opportunities to practice Log for Teacher candidates
Requested Amount: $50,000
Principal Investigator: Isaac McFarlin (SHDOSE)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: University of Michigan (Subcontract – IES Flow Through)
Proposal Title: Causes and Consequences of Public Subsidies in Higher Education: Evidence from Community College Districts
Requested Amount: $134,997
Principal Investigator: M. David Miller (SHDOSE)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: US Department of Veterans Affairs
Proposal Title: IPA for David Miller
Requested Amount: $29,508
Principal Investigator: Donald Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Stranahan Foundation
Proposal Title: Stranahan Early Learning
Requested Amount: $600,000
Principal Investigator: Joni Splett (SSESPECS)
Co-PI: Stephen Smith (SSESPECS)
Funding Agency: Jacobs Foundation
Proposal Title: School-Based Self-Regulatory Prevention and Intervention Programs to Improve Social-Emotional, Behavioral, School and Academic Functioning in Elementary and Middle School Students: A Systemic Review
Requested Amount: $49,980
Principal Investigator: Lynda Hayes (P.K. Yonge)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Proposal Title: Florida’s Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program
Requested Amount: $140,356.59
Principal Investigator: Ashley Pennypacker Hill (P.K. Yonge)
Co-PI: N/A
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
Proposal Title: Title I, Part A, Basic
Requested Amount: $19,430
Principal Investigator: Ellen Davis (Biology)
Co-PI: Alice Harmon (Biology), Anne Corrine Manley (SHDOSE), Shirley Baker (School of Forest Resources and Conservation)
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Proposal Title: Transforming Biology Education at University of Florida using Learning Assistants as Catalysts for Change
Requested Amount: $159,776