1. New STEP PI Workshop

2. Goals of the Workshop
To help new PIs get their projects off to a good start
To establish a “network” among the cohort of STEP PIs for communication, support, and possible collaboration

3. Agenda 8:30-9:00 Introductions
9:15-10:00 STEP Program and Reporting Requirements
10:00-10:30 Break
10:30-11:15 STEP Data reporting
11:15-11:45 Best Practices in Project Administration
11:45-1:30 Lunch (off site)
1:30-1:45 Advisory Boards
1:45-2:30 Best Practices in Data Tracking and Evaluation
2:30-2:45 3rd Year Review
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00-3:45 STEP Central Web Portal
3:45-4:00 Workshop Evaluation and Wrap-Up

4. Authorized by Congress in 2002
Goal is to increase the number of STEM graduates by the end of the five-year funding period
Can’t pledge to work with kindergartners
For 4-year institutions, graduates are defined as BS graduates
For 2-year institutions, graduates are defined as STEM graduates or as transfers to STEM disciplines at a university

5. Can focus on increasing graduates from underrepresented groups
Primary effort is:
Recruitment
Retention
A combination of the two
Can focus on increasing graduates from underrepresented groups
But you don’t have to do this
Only the numbers really matter

6. Build on proven strategies Data, Data, Data!
Innovation is not a requirement
Data, Data, Data!
Know your institution
Know your students
Know what the problems are

7. Goals should be believable
Know your institutional data
Evaluation should include assessment of individual components
If your graduation rates increase, what contributed to this?

8. Should have strong institutional support
Provost must serve as the chair of the internal advisory board
Are not required to be 100% sustainable
The more that is sustainable, the better

9. STEP Funding Projects are funded as either:
Years 1-3, plus year 4, plus year 5
Years 1-4, plus year 5
NSF money has a six-year “shelf-life”

10. STEP Funds The GPG and AAG outline “allowable” expenditures
Personnel salaries
Student support
Travel
Consultants (evaluator)
Supplies
Not paper and pencils or other things that would come out of overhead

11. Participant Support Direct support of participants on the project
Student scholarships
Meals at workshops
Housing for summer bridge programs
No overhead allowed
Participant support funds should be kept separate from other grant funds

12. Budget Changes
Generally up to 25% of the funds can be “moved around” without getting permission from NSF—depends on your institutional policies
From salaries to travel
From supplies to consultants
Etc.
Exception: Funds into and out of participant support require NSF approval
Generally, NSF approval is required to move funds into the foreign travel category

13. Reporting Requirements
Annual report required each year through Fastlane
NSF-wide requirement
No “getting around” this requirement
Will receive automatically-generated reminders
If a report is overdue, you won’t be able to receive additional funds from NSF
Annual reports are due 3 months prior to the anniversary date of the project
Final reports are due 3 months after the closing date of the project

14. Annual Reports Fill in the forms in Fastlane
Add attachments sparingly
Program Officers don’t have enough time to read through long reports
Information required in the following categories:
Participants--those who worked on the project
Activities and Findings--significant undertakings and results
Publications and Products--journal publications or other products that have been developed
Contributions--furthering the field
Conference Proceedings
Special Requirements

15. Highlights (formerly Nuggets)
Highlights are used by the NSF each year to draw attention to particularly successful projects that have been funded
Many projects will never be highlighted
A small percentage of projects are featured
Call for highlights issued each spring
Should be brief and “exciting”
Send to your program officer and others at the foundation will take it from there

16. Additional STEP reporting
Preparation of a report during your third year
Third year review in March (2015 for you)
Report reviewed by a team of three
Should include data from previous reports and from database entry

17. Annual Data Tracking
In addition to the annual reports in Fastlane, STEP projects are required to input data to the national STEP database each year
Starts in the second year of your project
This data is for STEP Program evaluation, not evaluation of individual projects in STEP
Your Program Officer does NOT have access to this database
You will likely want to repeat some of the data in your annual reports

18. Annual Data Tracking
CDs have information regarding the information required for the database
Baseline data reported from July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012
First year data reported from July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013
Reporting period for this entire set of data is February 2014-April 2014