CISE - CNS - CPATH

CISE PATHWAYS TO REVITALIZED UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTING EDUCATION (CPATH) INFORMATION AND FAQ SITE

The Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) of the National Science Foundation recently released a revised solicitation for the CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computing Education (CPATH) Program. The CPATH solicitation (NSF 08-516) can be found at (http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf08516).

Frequently asked questions about the following topics are answered below.

1. CPATH program changes in 2008
2. K-12 activities
3. Broadening participation focus
4. Computing focus and departments
5. Computational thinking approaches
6. Funding history and future of CPATH program
7. PI and institutional limitations
8. Level of institutional support
9. Projects with a computer science education research focus
10. Community college involvement
11. Other NSF programs of interest
12. NSF program officers to contact

Frequently Asked Questions

1. CPATH changes for 2008
   Q. What has changed in CPATH from the 2007 solicitation?
   A: There are 7 major changes:
   1. Elimination of the CISE Distinguished Education Fellows (CDEF) component.
   2. Streamlined award structure into two distinct tracks, Community Building and Institutional Transformation.
   3. Addition of a Conceptual Development and Planning (CDP) grant category in the Institutional Transformation track.
   4. Combination of former Evaluation, Adoption, and Extension (EAE) and Transformation (T) award categories into a single grant category, Transformative Implementation (TI), in the Institutional Transformation track.
   5. Inclusion of enhanced language on CPATH evaluation requirements.
   6. Addition of an emphasis on computational thinking approaches.
   7. Addition of language to clarify issues identified in the first competition.
   
   
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2. Involvement of K-12 students and teachers
   Q: Does CPATH support activities involving K-12 students and teachers?
   A: CPATH is focused on undergraduate computing education. CPATH does provide for modest engagement of secondary teachers and students as part of CB or TI projects. The overall goals of the project should focus on undergraduate education and not primarily on K-12 education. Investigators interested in projects involving computing experiences for K-12 education might consider the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) or Broadening Participation in Computing Programs (BPC).
   
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3. Broadening participation focus
   Q: We plan to submit a project to increase the number of women in undergraduate computing. It will include recruitment, mentoring, special courses, and training of faculty to encourage diversity. How does this fit into CPATH?
   A: CPATH is focused on undergraduate education and does not currently include outreach to K-12 students and teachers. Investigators interested in projects involving computing experiences for K-12 education might consider the Informal Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) or Broadening Participating Programs (BPC).
   
   Q: Where can I seek funding for projects with a broadening participation focus?
   A: There are many programs within NSF that focus on broadening participation in the sciences and in particular with computing and technology. Many of these are found within the Education Directorate or within the directorate linked to the specific scientific discipline impacted. The Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate (CISE) offers the Broadening Participation in Computing Program (BPC) for projects focused on computer science or computing.
   
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4. Computing focus, computer science departments, and other departments
   Q: Which departments can participate in CPATH? For instance, history, physics, graphic arts, or forensic science?
   A: At least one PI or Co-PI must come from the community served by CISE which includes academic units typically titled: Computing, Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Human Centered Computing, Multimedia, Internet Sciences, Informatics, Information Resource Management, Management Information Systems, Computational Sciences, as well as others not included in this list. However, faculty members of other multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary groups (for example, Bioinformatics) are also eligible providing that the focus of the unit is on the role of computing within or across disciplines.
   
   Q: Is CPATH just for computer science departments?
   A: No. CPATH’s mission is to transform computing education nationally. While proposals may be submitted by traditional computer science departments, CPATH’s target audience is broad. Proposals that involve multiple units, departments, colleges, campuses, and universities working together with other non-academic stakeholders are encouraged. One of the goals of CPATH is to blur many traditional departmental boundaries.
   
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5. Computational thinking approaches
   Q: The solicitation says that computational thinking methodologies, techniques, and approaches are encouraged. Where can I found out more about computational thinking?
   A: Look for talks and publications by CISE AD Jeannette Wing. In particular check her Viewpoint paper from Communications of the ACM (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/wing/www/publications/Wing06.pdf) and the slides from a recent presentation (http://research.microsoft.com/ur/asia/summit05/Presentation/PDF/6-Jeanette-Wing.pdf).
   
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6. Funding history and future of CPATH program
   Q: Where can I find a list of projects funded by CPATH in the past?
   A: Check the link (http://www.nsf.gov/cise/funding/CPATH2007awardsfinal.pdf) on the CPATH program page (http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=500025) for a list of CPATH projects funded in its first year, FY 2007.
   
   Q: Will there be more CPATH competitions in the future?
   A: It is anticipated that CPATH will continue for at least 5 years. However, funding for CPATH, as with all NSF programs, depends on budgetary allocations and other factors that are not known at this time.
   
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7. PI and institutional limitations
   Q: My university is in a state that has a large multi-campus system. For the purposes of CPATH, are we considered a single institution?
   A: Each campus of a multi-campus system is considered as a separate institution and may submit individually. However, since the focus of CPATH is on transformational activities, we encourage institutions to form partnerships or engage in other types of alliances with their partner campuses to strengthen their proposals.
   
   Q: How many CPATH proposals may I participate in?
   A: An individual can participate as PI or as senior personnel in at most 2 CPATH proposals. This includes one CDP or TI type proposal and one Community Building proposal.
   
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8. Level of institutional support for institutionally focused projects
   Q: What type of institutional support is required for CPATH institutionally focused projects?
   A: Cost-sharing is not required in NSF or CPATH proposals. CPATH institutionally focused projects will involve major changes at the departmental and possibly institutional level. Evidence should be provided that there is clear administrative and faculty support for the envisioned project and its goals. This includes support for the individuals involved, for any major infrastructure or organizational changes, and for leadership to facilitate the PIs with their CPATH project. Letters of support that document the institutional commitment are essential for CPATH institutionally focused proposals.
   
   Q: What type of support is expected from community and industry partners in CPATH institutionally focused projects?
   A: Many CPATH projects will include community and industry partners. Letters of support that document the role of the community and industry partners as well as the overall commitment to the project are essential.
   
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9. Projects with computer science education research focus
   Q: I would like to propose a project researching educational practices in computing. Does this fit under CPATH?
   A: While quality research on computing education is important, it is not the primary focus of CPATH. CPATH research components should evaluate or demonstrate the effectiveness of the CPATH implementation project and the impact on the community or institutions involved. PIs interested in projects with a focus on research on learning or education might look at the Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE) Program (http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13667&org=DRL&from=home).
   
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10. Community college involvement
    Q: I am a faculty member at a community college. Are community colleges eligible to submit proposals to CPATH?
    A: Yes. Depending on the transformational nature of your proposed project, you may submit singly or in partnership with other Community Colleges, with four-year institutions, or other combinations that will strengthen the transformational nature of your project.
    
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11. Other NSF programs of interest
    Q: If my project is not appropriate for CPATH, where else might I look within NSF for funding?
    A: The following is a partial listing of NSF programs that address issues related to computing education:
    
    Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC)
    Website: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf07548
    
    Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI)
    Website: http://nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf07543
    
    Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)
    Website: http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5467&org=DRL&from=home
    
    NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12)
    Website: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5472&org=DGE&from=home
    
    Engineering Education Programs (EEP)
    Website: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13374&org=EEC
    
    Advanced Technological Education (ATE)
    Website: http://nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf07530
    
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12. NSF program officers involved in CPATH
    Q: I am leading a team that is developing a CPATH proposal. We read through the FAQ site but still have some other questions that we would like to ask. Who should we ask?
    A: Contact any of the 3 NSF program officers listed in the CPATH Solicitation. They include:
    
    Harriet Taylor (htaylor@nsf.gov)
    Sylvia Spengler (sspengle@nsf.gov)
    Joseph Urban (jurban@nsf.gov)
    
    
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