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Evaluation and Assessment Capability - Projects by topic

Projects by topic

EAC evaluations and studies span research areas ranging from STEM talent and development to assessing the very evaluation methods and tools used to support data-driven decisions at NSF. 

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Evaluation of NSF Grants to Broaden Participation in STEM: American Innovation and Competitiveness Act Section 305, May 2024 Under Section 305 of the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA), Public Law 114–329, NSF is required to report on NSF activities designed to broaden participation of underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Between fiscal years 2017 and 2022, NSF awarded over 3,200 grants through NSF programs focused on broadening participation in STEM. This report describes the geographic distribution of grants awarded under AICA, discusses the characteristics of lead principal investigators and institutions receiving awards, and reviews program-level evaluations.   Full Report (PDF, 1.93 MB)

 

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Generating evidence for decision making with the U.S. National Science Foundation Education and Training Application (ETAP), April 2024 This report presents the findings of two piloted approaches to track NSF program participants’ outcomes using data from the NSF ETAP. The two approaches tested were: (1) matching ETAP data for former participants with extant data from the National Student Clearinghouse (for educational outcomes), and (2) using contact information from ETAP to field a survey to former participants (for educational and employment outcomes).  Full Report (PDF, 3.82 MB)

 

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Long-term Educational Outcomes of NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site participants (2013 and 2014 Cohorts). This fact sheet summarizes postsecondary enrollment and graduation outcomes of 5,088 REU students who participated in an REU Site in either 2013 or 2014 and were matched to National Student Clearinghouse data 7-8 years after program participation.  Fact Sheet (PDF, 1.12 MB)

 

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Study of Anti-Harassment Policies, Guidelines, and Communications, June 2022 This study investigates and responds to questions in NSF's learning agenda related to recent anti-harassment policies to promote safe, harassment-free environments for the practice of science.  Executive Summary (PDF, 170.61 KB) Full Report (PDF, 1.18 MB) | Technical Appendix (PDF, 817.54 KB)

 

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NSF International Research Experiences for Undergraduates: A Comparative Analysis of the IRES and REU Programs, April 2021 This report provides a portrait of participants in the International Research Experiences for Students and Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs, highlighting findings that inform NSF's strategic planning and program improvement efforts.  Full Report (PDF, 1.97 MB)

 

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Evaluation of the International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) Program: Survey Analysis, September 2020 This report provides detailed descriptive information on the characteristics of IRES participants, their experiences and satisfaction with the program, and their educational and employment outcomes collected through a survey of former participants.  Full Report (PDF, 878.19 KB)

 

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Evaluation of the NSF International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) Program: Portfolio Analysis, Dec. 2019 This report presents (1) an overview of key findings from the literature on international research experiences, (2) a summary of the IRES strategy, (3) a comparison of awarded and declined proposals, (4) a descriptive analysis of the portfolio of IRES awards, (5) a discussion of project implementation activities and outputs, and (6) a set of considerations for ongoing and future evaluation and monitoring efforts.  Full Report (PDF, 1003.16 KB)