IUSE/Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments | 22 587

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the NSF RED (Revolutionizing Engineering Departments) funding opportunity?

The NSF funding opportunity "IUSE/Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments" (RED) supports ambitious, department-level efforts to transform undergraduate engineering and engineering technology education. The focus is on changing how an engineering department operates and supports learning across the full curriculum, rather than improving a single course or creating a one-off add-on program.

Which NSF groups support the RED program?

RED is jointly supported by NSF's Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). It aligns with NSF's Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) framework and the Professional Formation of Engineers (PFE) initiative.

What problem is RED trying to solve in undergraduate engineering education?

RED is motivated by a persistent gap in the middle years of many engineering degrees (typically the sophomore and junior years). Evidence from earlier NSF investments suggests many programs have improved the first-year experience and strengthened senior capstone design, but the middle of the curriculum often remains traditional and siloed. As a result, professional capabilities like communication, teamwork, professional identity, and design judgment may not be developed as consistently as technical depth until students reach capstone work.

Why does the solicitation emphasize the "middle years" of the curriculum?

The opportunity highlights that students may encounter an engaging introduction to engineering early on and then face a high-stakes capstone at the end, while spending much of the sophomore and junior years in course structures that do not deliberately build professional skills alongside technical learning. RED seeks department-wide changes that make professional formation and skill development more coherent across the entire program.

What does RED mean by "department-level" transformation?

RED is centered on changing the underlying organizational and cultural systems inside engineering departments. This includes how departments make decisions, structure the curriculum, coordinate teaching, support students, and sustain improvements over time. The emphasis is on the department's disciplinary courses and overall program, not on isolated interventions.

Does RED fund improvements to individual courses?

The central theme is not just improving individual courses. While course changes may be part of a broader plan, the solicitation emphasizes department-level cultural, organizational, structural, and pedagogical shifts that affect the full undergraduate experience.

What kinds of approaches can be considered "revolutionary" under RED?

The solicitation notes that "revolutionary" approaches can take many forms, including redefining what content is considered core in the discipline (the engineering "canon"), restructuring how courses are designed and sequenced, creating new departmental structures, or building stronger educational collaborations with industry. What connects these approaches is the goal of sustainable, embedded change in how the department operates and educates students.

Who is expected to be involved in a RED project?

Projects are expected to involve and coordinate multiple stakeholders, including students, faculty, and staff. The opportunity also notes that projects often involve industry partners, particularly when building stronger educational collaborations connected to professional practice.

What outcomes are RED projects expected to produce for students?

Across tracks, proposals are expected to address shifts needed to produce a department where students are consistently engaged, develop both technical and professional skills over time, and build a clear identity as future professional engineers or engineering technologists.

What does it mean for changes to be "institutionalized" by the end of the grant?

The solicitation explicitly expects that successful initiatives will be institutionalized by the end of the grant period. In practical terms, this means the changes should be embedded into normal departmental practice and operations rather than ending when grant funding ends.

How is the RED program organized?

RED is organized into three tracks designed to support both invention and scaling: RED Innovation, RED Adaptation and Implementation (RED A&I), and RED Two-Year.

What is the RED Innovation track?

RED Innovation funds the development of genuinely new, high-impact approaches and change strategies intended to transform undergraduate engineering education at the department level.

What is the RED Adaptation and Implementation (RED A&I) track?

RED A&I supports the local adaptation and implementation of evidence-based organizational change strategies that have shown promise elsewhere. The goal is to spread effective transformation beyond the original settings where it was first developed.

What is the RED Two-Year track?

RED Two-Year focuses on radically new approaches across multiple two-year institutions. It aims to broaden and strengthen pathways into engineering and engineering technology, including pathways connected to access, transfer, and workforce development.

Does the opportunity include engineering technology as well as engineering?

Yes. The opportunity supports transformation of undergraduate engineering and engineering technology education, and it explicitly references future professional engineers and engineering technologists.

Is RED primarily about pedagogy, or does it include organizational and cultural change?

RED explicitly emphasizes cultural, organizational, structural, and pedagogical shifts. The intent is to change the department's systems and practices so improvements are sustainable and consistently experienced by students across the entire curriculum.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this solicitation?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 22-587.

What type of grant is this?

This is an NSF discretionary grant opportunity listed in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category.

What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 47.041 and 47.076.

What is the maximum award amount listed for this competition?

The listed award ceiling is $3,000,000.

How many awards are anticipated?

The opportunity anticipates nine awards.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is noted as "Others," with further clarification provided in the full solicitation. The summary provided here does not list additional eligibility details.

When was this opportunity created, and what was the original closing date?

The opportunity was created on April 16, 2022, and the original closing date was July 18, 2022.

Does RED expect involvement with industry?

The solicitation indicates that projects often include industry partners, and it gives building stronger educational collaborations with industry as one example of a potentially revolutionary approach. The summary does not state that industry participation is required in every case, but it is clearly contemplated as part of the program's stakeholder coordination.

Is RED focused on the entire undergraduate curriculum or specific points like first-year and capstone?

RED is focused on the entire undergraduate curriculum at the department level. It is informed by evidence that first-year and capstone experiences have improved in many programs, and it aims to address the inconsistency in how professional and technical competencies are developed during the middle years while maintaining coherence across the full program.