March 14, 2004

April 14, 2004

National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL)

Building on work supported under the multi-agency Digital Libraries Initiative, this program aims to establish a national digital library that will constitute an online network of learning environments and resources for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels. In FY2004, the program will accept proposals in three tracks: (1) Pathways projects are expected to provide stewardship for the content and services needed by major communities of learners. (2) Services projects are expected to develop services which support users, collection providers, and the Core Integration effort and which enhance the impact, efficiency, and value of the library. (3) Targeted Research projects are expected to explore specific topics that have immediate applicability to collections, services, and other aspects of the development of the digital library.

The National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL) program seeks to create, develop, and sustain a national digital library supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Collectively, its projects form a network of STEM learning environments and resources. The resulting digital library is intended ultimately to meet the needs of students and teachers at all levels -- pre-K to 12, undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learning. It will serve both the individual learner seeking understanding and groups of learners engaged in collaborative exploration of concepts; and it will support formal and informal modes of learning.

The NSDL (http://www.nsdl.org) will provide the premier path to a rich array of current and future high-quality STEM educational content and services, and also function as a forum where resource users may become resource providers. For example, users might contribute their expertise to produce new teaching modules from resources such as real-time experimental data or visualization software available through the network. Or they might evaluate and report on improvements to student learning due to specific digital learning objects (such as images, Java applet simulations, Flash animations, or interactive electronic notebook modules).

In addition to services such as customized retrieval of relevant information, indexing and online annotation of resources, and archiving of materials, the digital library will offer users access to virtual collaborative work areas, tools for analysis and visualization, remote instrumentation and/or observation platforms, large databases of real-time or archived data, simulated or virtual environments, and other new capabilities as they emerge. The digital library will enable the dynamic use of these materials and tools that are supplied by cooperating providers of resource collections and services. For example, relatively small self-contained digital components that capture both geometry and behavior can be combined to model more complex scientific and engineering phenomena. More specifically, component models of transportation subsystems from one site might interoperate with structural and geotechnical models from other collections to simulate dynamic loading within a complex bridge and tunnel environment. Numerically generated data from a computational model at yet another site could then be compared to data from physical observations obtained via access to remote instrumentation. The learning environment of the digital library will thus increase the impact and accessibility of all resources, by giving users tools to search for and discover content, to assemble curricular and learning modules from component pieces in a flexible manner, and to communicate and collaborate with others.

Through its distributed digital library building strategy, the NSDL program is fostering the creation and development of a comprehensive cyberlearning infrastructure. Features include practices and policies for community-based review and other mechanisms that assure the quality and usability of resources. Likewise, practices and policies are under development for collections management issues such as archiving, preservation, and deaccessioning. Other aspects of this infrastructure address: i) digital rights management systems, ii) effective ways to handle intellectual property issues that focus on maximizing the value of content, iii) the articulation of standards that promote stability, interoperability, and reusability of a wide variety of learning objects, and iv) login and authentication systems. For a list of all NSDL projects with links to abstracts see http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/awards/nsdl.xls. Each abstract also has contact information for the project's principal investigators. A summary of program developments is available at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/nsdl/NSDL-summary.asp. To follow the current state of collaborations within the growing NSDL community and to join the ongoing exploration and discussion of key issues, see the NSDL Communications portal for developers at http://comm.nsdl.org. The list of NSDL Groups at this site organizes the workspaces into three sections: Library Building, Committees, and Task Forces. Covered areas include, Accessibility and Diversity, Communities of Practice, Community Services, Content, Educational Impact, K-12, Publishers, Technology, and Sustainability.

This program builds on work supported under the multi-agency Digital Libraries Initiative (DLI) Phase I and Phase II (see http://www.dli2.nsf.gov). The program is intended to multiply the impact of efforts supported by NSF and sister government agencies, the private sector, professional societies, and others working to improve education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics nationwide. New NSDL projects are expected to coordinate their work with those of current NSDL projects and other educational digital library projects, such as the U.S. Department of Education's Gateway to Educational Materials (http://www.thegateway.org) or projects supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (http://www.imls.gov). The impact of the NSDL program will depend largely on how well funded projects can leverage related efforts and demonstrate value to significant audiences so as to achieve sustainability after the period of NSF funding.

The concept of a national digital library for STEM educational resources has been developed through a series of workshops and related publications supported by NSF (see http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/nsdl/reports.asp). Further information may be found at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/nsdl/, including links to abstracts of current and previous projects. It is important that new NSDL proposals be well informed about and distinguished from relevant activities already funded under DLI and the NSDL program.

Although the purpose of the NSDL program is to support improvements in STEM education in the United States, the impact of the program has an increasingly important international dimension. Conversely, international digital library efforts may help achieve the goals of the NSDL program. Consequently, proposals to this program may be part of a larger effort that includes international elements funded by sources in this or other countries. (See http://www.dli2.nsf.gov/intl.html for further reference to potential international aspects.)

In recent years, innovative projects supported by NSF and many other organizations have developed numerous examples of rich, learner-centered educational materials and environments. Features include the use of sophisticated graphics tools for animation and visualization of scientific, engineering, and mathematical concepts; computational tools for modeling and simulation; remote access to scientific equipment; analysis of large, real-time or archived data sets; and network-supported collaboration. During this time the World Wide Web has shown great potential for supporting and enabling access to the very best of these new learning materials and environments. The highly linked, dynamic information architecture of the Web mirrors the interconnected nature of knowledge, promotes the integration of research and education, enables the inclusion of new high-quality materials and practices, and encourages learners to become active participants in expanding their educational experience. More recently, advances in grid and mobile Internet technologies are challenging the traditional social constructs and contexts of learning.

However, the many Web-based collections of resources and other educational material do exhibit shortcomings. For example, from a lengthy list of links it is often difficult to determine how appropriate an individual item is for a particular learner's needs. When resources are located, they can exhibit uneven reliability or stability particularly if they incorporate additional software elements for animations, audio, or video. Furthermore, interoperability and reusability of learning resources are more promise than reality; and the construction of new learning objects with executable content from "building block" component pieces (e.g., Java applets or application software macros) demands additional coordination requirements for seamless performance.

Through the NSDL program, NSF seeks to enable the discovery, collection, organization, and delivery of quality learning and teaching resources appropriate for educators and learners at all levels. The resulting network of learning environments and resources will be managed actively to promote reliable "anytime, anywhere" access to content and services. In particular, the digital library should provide reusable, shareable, and interoperable resources that enable learners at all levels to access and use materials suited to their needs, both within and across traditional STEM disciplinary boundaries. Such materials should also include assessment and evaluation tools and findings, and should harness new understandings about pedagogy and the processes of learning that are founded on a solid research base. The collections, services, and core infrastructure of NSDL (http://www.nsdl.org) will facilitate the development and dissemination of both new and tested materials and methods, thereby promoting continual improvements in STEM education at all levels.

To realize this vision, the NSDL program is currently supporting projects focused on development of collections, implementation of digital library services, and a small set of targeted research investigations. In addition, the program supports a Core Integration activity that coordinates distributed resource collection and service providers to ensure reliable and extensible access to and usability of the resulting network of learning environments and resources. For more details see a summary of the current state of development at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/nsdl/NSDL-summary.asp. To follow the activities and online discussions within the current community of NSDL collection and service developers, see the NSDL Communication Portal at http://comm.nsdl.org. A list of all projects funded by the NSDL program with links to abstracts is available in spreadsheet form at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/awards/nsdl.xls. Each abstract also has contact information for the project's principal investigators.

These efforts are distinct from original content development supported by other NSF programs such as the Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement program, the Instructional Materials Development program, and similar curriculum and materials development programs funded by NSF or other agencies. NSDL projects start from the assumption that materials, resources, modules, and other digital learning objects are already available. Similarly, proposals that are primarily digitization or conversion projects are not appropriate for the NSDL program. Prospective proposers who have questions are encouraged to contact the NSDL program at due-nsdl-program@nsf.gov.

The NSDL architecture supports several metadata record formats, with Dublin Core recommended at a minimum, see http://dublincore.org/. All new and continuing content contributors are expected to supply records for harvesting via the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) protocol, see http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/openarchivesprotocol.html. To help provide better educational context for NSDL users, item-level metadata should include information corresponding to Audience and educationLevel (the elements in Dublin Core) and developers should use a currently available controlled vocabulary for Subject or be willing to expose their vocabulary publicly. For K-12 focused collections, it is recommended that, where possible, resources be correlated to state or national standards and that information be mapped to the conformsTo refinement for Relation in Dublin Core. Finally, since Qualified Dublin Core carries this information most effectively, it is recommend that projects expose Qualified Dublin Core for harvesting via OAI in addition to the OAI mandated Simple Dublin Core. The NSDL Metadata Primer (http://metamanagement.comm.nsdl.org/outline.html) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services document, "A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections," (http://www.imls.gov/pubs/forumframework.htm) both provide additional information.

In FY2004, the NSDL program will accept proposals in three tracks: (1) Pathways, (2) Services, and (3) Targeted Research. These tracks are described below. Projects may have features that address more than one track. For expected award amounts, duration, and anticipated numbers of awards in the three tracks, see Section IV ("AWARD INFORMATION") below. Partnerships or collaborations are strongly encouraged among digital library stakeholders, such as pre-K to 12 schools, two-year colleges, four-year colleges, universities, professional societies, public or community libraries, museums, industrial and business concerns (including commercial publishers), and other non-profit and for-profit organizations.

Proposals for pathways and services should describe prospects for continuing to make project capabilities available beyond the period of NSF funding. This description should include a long-term management plan, and proposed projects should have a tangible, long-term commitment from a stable organization. Cost recovery and for profit models are welcome. Sustainability is also often fostered through partnerships involving academic, business, government, and other organizations. The evaluation of a project's long-term management plan will be strongly informed by the goal of making the full library's resources available to potential users at a cost that will not limit their use.

The success of the NSDL program will depend, to a large extent, on the development of a collective sense of identity and common cause by all the projects. New awardees are expected to collaborate with one another and with previously funded projects, particularly the Core Integration effort. Likewise, the Core Integration effort has been charged to work with new and existing projects to cooperatively develop technical standards and organizational processes for including resource collections and services in the network. NSF expects that the results and approaches of projects in the Pathways, Services, and Targeted Research tracks will influence the tasks of the Core Integration effort and how they are accomplished throughout the duration of the NSDL program and beyond. To facilitate interaction and establish linkages, regular Principal Investigator (PI) meetings and workshops are held throughout the course of the NSDL program. Representatives of related projects not funded by the NSDL program may also be invited to these meetings.

Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to follow the current state of collaborations within the growing NSDL community and to join the ongoing exploration and discussion of key issues, see the NSDL Communications portal for developers at http://comm.nsdl.org. The list of NSDL Groups at this site is organized into three sections covering Library Building, Committees, and Task Forces. Workspaces include: Accessibility and Diversity, Communities of Practice, Community Services, Content, Educational Impact, K-12, Publishers, Technology, and Sustainability. Threaded and archived mailing lists are provided along with links to relevant technical documents and white papers. An early stage, operational digital library is also now available for use (http://www.nsdl.org). New releases and updates are planned over the next several years to expand and enhance the evolving digital library's services and impact.

Pathways Track

A project supported in this track will assume a stewardship role for the educational content and/or the services needed by a broad community of learners. Projects will typically aggregate the efforts of existing resource providers that fall within the needs of the community that is targeted. Responsibilities include: maintaining criteria and mechanisms to identify, select, annotate, and generate metadata for high-quality and relevant digital content as it continues to become available; providing all item-level metadata to the NSDL core metadata repository; sustaining the currency of the aggregated educational resources, either by acquiring/linking, or deaccessioning; active archiving that preserves the usability of digital content as the underlying information technology systems evolve; and anticipating and providing value-added services that may be specific to the targeted learning community. Furthermore, it should be evident that the resources under stewardship support the very best STEM education that is inquiry-driven, active, and engaging.

Potential audiences include: the users of subjects and concepts within a broad STEM domain; the educational community associated with a grade band; or users and providers of professional expertise in areas such as assessment or evaluation. Proposals to address audiences formed by the intersection and/or combination of the preceding examples are also possible, as well as proposals that identify other broad audiences defined by a coherent set of content and user needs. In all cases projects should indicate clearly the attributes of the audience(s) being targeted and the most pressing needs and areas of stewardship to be addressed.

Pathways providers are expected to marry the potential of information technology advances and digital library research with the best practices of human expertise to fulfill their stewardship responsibilities. It is anticipated that projects will primarily adapt and implement existing services and approaches, rather than develop new technologies. Opportunities to leverage technologies across the projects will be particularly important to exploit. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the project in carrying out its stewardship role should be informed by the degree to which users can consistently find appropriate pathways or connections to the resources that meet their specific learning needs. Moreover, a project’s stewardship should contribute to the overall value of NSDL, as it serves to facilitate the development and dissemination of both new and tested materials and methods supporting continued improvements in STEM education.

Projects in this track are expected to cooperate closely, and to coordinate their collective work with the NSDL core integration effort. Furthermore, they are expected to participate with other NSDL projects in the continued development and adoption of basic standards for interoperability, reusability, reliability, and stability of resources and services. It is important that proposals provide evidence of familiarity with and understanding of the current state of development of NSDL. In addition, proposers should describe the expertise and experience that will be brought to bear on the effort and how the project will interoperate with the NSDL core integration activity.

Services Track

This track supports projects to increase the impact, reach, efficiency, and value of the digital library in its fully operational form. Services that will have a broad impact across an array of other NSDL projects are particularly encouraged. To understand the present state and level of NSDL services and to place their proposed efforts within the needs of the larger NSDL community of users, prospective applicants in this track should review the current set of NSDL Services projects at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/awards/nsdl.xls. Projects that propose to use a web services framework should expect to provide web service definitions (e.g. WSDL) and appropriate web service interfaces (e.g. SOAP or REST) to aid in service discovery and use.

In FY2004 the NSDL program is particularly interested in encouraging two specific types of services proposals: 1) Selection services, and 2) Usage development workshops. However, other types of services may also be proposed and examples are described below.

Selection services

The aim of this type of services project is to increase the amount of high-quality STEM educational content known to NSDL. These resources may vary from individual learning object items such as images or simulation applets to an entire set of digital content available as a web site. A project in this track is expected to use existing criteria and mechanisms for identifying and selecting content within a particular domain. Similarly, projects that seek primarily to develop new technology are not appropriate. While such processes do not necessarily have to be associated with expanding existing NSDL projects, it would be important for proposals to demonstrate familiarity with these efforts. Selection services providers would also be expected to coordinate their efforts with new projects in the Pathways track once the funding period commences.

The selection process assumes that materials, resources, modules, and other digital learning objects are already in existence. The task of the selection services provider is to select and tag this content, with placement of the associated item-level metadata into the NSDL central metadata repository and, as appropriate, other repositories. Building on these selection efforts, other providers may then develop and offer more extensive and value-added annotation and review of the suitability of the digital resources for particular user audiences. Furthermore, support for personalization of finding aids and other discovery tools is enabled.

Usage development workshops

These projects will support workshop series that promote the use of NSDL and its resources by various communities of learners. Examples of possible workshop emphases include development of leadership teams of faculty and librarians seeking joint expertise in the use of digital libraries that would in turn be shared with a local institutional or organizational audience; or assistance for teachers and students at K-12 schools or colleges having limited computer capability and technical support; or experiences to increase the library's usability for special populations such as young children or other users having limited experience with computer technology; or engagement of users of digital resources within a specific STEM domain.

Simultaneous with the development of a user base for NSDL the workshops will permit the study of user information-seeking behavior and user interaction with specific NSDL content. Projects should report feedback from these observations to guide further development of NSDL. Workshops should seek to improve both the capacity of individual users and the capacity of the larger community of learners. Such capacity would inform research on building and sustaining user communities within the context of the digital library, and research on uses of digital libraries to improve learning by students at all levels.

While it is expected that the majority of funds in project budgets will be directed towards participant support costs, development of resources to be used by workshop participants may be requested. In all cases such materials should be made available via NSDL for use in subsequent workshops or by interested individuals or groups seeking to develop an understanding of the capabilities of NSDL. Furthermore, any materials and other resources developed by workshop participants should be suitably described with appropriate metadata and contributed to NSDL. Projects are expected to provide models for how their approaches can be applied to other learning communities sharing similar characteristics.

Other services

Services supporting users might include:

• synchronous and asynchronous mechanisms to exploit collaborative learning environments using shared resources;
• mechanisms to help content developers combine resources by different authors and from different collections; and
• "push" or "pull" processes that present users with specialized content.

Services supporting existing collection providers or Pathways projects might include:

• reliability and/or interoperability testing across different platforms for Java applets or other software-based resources ;
• "middleware" to support acquisition and incorporation of content from different sources;
• audio, image, and video search capabilities;
• mechanisms to associate commentary and other annotations with resources; and
• methods to determine usage patterns to inform design and evaluation of the collection.

Services supporting the Core Integration effort might include:

• specialized content-based searching;
• maintenance of personal user profile systems that respect privacy issues;
• provision of user reports and other commentary associated with content;
• community feedback mechanisms; and
• development and analysis of digital library evaluation metrics.

As in the Pathways track, Service track projects are expected to cooperate closely, both among themselves and with the core integration activity.

Targeted Research Track

Projects supported in this track should have direct applicability to one or both of the other two tracks or to the core integration activity. Additionally, they may explore other aspects of NSDL including its impact on educational practice, changes in user behavior, and development of new learning environments. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• automated annotation of audio, image, or video resources;
• user interface implementation issues;
• identification and usage of principles of information architecture design;
• use of expert system principles to capture human librarians' experience, knowledge, and practice;
• research on hybrid systems that marry human and automated expertise to provide user services; and
• applications of simulation or virtual world technology for virtual assistants.

Proposals for basic digital library research or basic research in the use of technology in education may be supported by the multi-agency Digital Libraries Initiative (http://www.dli2.nsf.gov), the Information Technology Research (ITR) program (http://www.itr.nsf.gov), or other programs. In addition, programs such as Research on Learning and Education (https://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf03542), emerging opportunities within the Science of Learning Centers program (https://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/slc/), and the Human and Social Dynamics priority area (https://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf03552) may support investigations that are relevant to NSDL's development. Prospective proposers are encouraged to contact the NSDL program at due-nsdl-program@nsf.gov if they have questions about the match between their interests and the goals of NSDL versus these related programs.  

The categories of proposers identified in the Grant Proposal Guide (see Chapter I, Section C) are eligible to submit proposals under this program solicitation. An individual may serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) on no more than one proposal, including collaborative proposals, submitted in the FY2004 competition, but may serve as a co-PI on multiple proposals.

NSF anticipates that approximately $11.5 million will be available in FY2004 for awards made through this solicitation. The program expects to make approximately 30 awards, depending on the quality of proposals received. The anticipated distribution of awards in the program's three tracks is as follows:

• Pathways: 3 to 4 new awards, up to $3,000,000 each;
• Services (Selections): 4 to 6 new awards, up to $1,000,000 each;
• Services (Workshops): 4 to 6 new awards, up to $750,000 each;
• Services (Other): 6 to 8 new awards, up to $750,000 each;
• Targeted Research: 4 to 6 new awards, up to $500,000 each.

Awards in the Pathways track may have a duration of up to 48 months and will be made as cooperative agreements. Awards in the remaining tracks may have a duration of up to 36 months and will be made as standard or continuing grants as appropriate. The estimated program budget, number of awards, and average award size and duration are subject to the availability of funds.

A brief letter of intent (sent via e-mail to due-nsdl-program@nsf.gov) is requested, but not required, by March 14, 2004. Please use "NSDL Letter of Intent" as the Subject line.  Please provide the name of the Principal Investigator and the submitting organization, and indicate clearly the track of the program that the prospective proposal will address.

FastLane (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov), NSF's system for conducting business over the Internet, must be used to prepare and submit proposals. Paper proposals will not be accepted. Proposers should carefully follow the detailed instructions (http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm) on the FastLane Web site. PIs who have not used FastLane before are reminded to make sure that their organization is a registered FastLane organization (see http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a0/about/registration.htm) and to contact the organization's Sponsored Research Office (SRO) to be added to the NSF PI database. (All co-PIs listed in the proposal must also be in the NSF PI database.) PIs who intend to use subawards in their proposal (see GPG, Chapter II, Section C.2.g.vi(e)) are reminded that the subawardee organization(s) must also have an NSF Institution ID Number (or be a registered FastLane organization) before FastLane can be used to prepare the subaward budget(s). New FastLane users should acquaint themselves with the system as early as possible--well before the proposal deadline.

For full information about the NSF Proposal Review process including a discussion of the two NSF merit review criteria, Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, see section VI of this solicitation. Proposers are reminded that they must address both merit review criteria in separate statements within the one-page Project Summary in accordance with Chapter II, Section C.2.b of the GPG.

The Project Description contains most of the information that determines whether or not a proposal is funded. Project descriptions should include:

• Statement of Need. For Pathways projects describe clearly the stewardship needs for the educational resources and services of the community of learners being addressed. Likewise for Selection services projects what content areas are being expanded or enhanced and why? For Usage development workshops what are the particular user needs of the anticipated participants and why are these critical to NSDL? For other services or targeted research projects, state clearly the demand for the proposed service, or the problems or issues being researched.
• Target Audience. Describe clearly the community or communities of learners whose needs will be addressed by the project. What aspect(s) of the user's experience with NSDL will be enhanced and/or extended by the project outcomes? For targeted research what is the context, and what users will be affected and how? What is the setting of the project: informal or formal education, life-long learning, and why is this vital to NSDL?
• Project Goals. State the overall goals and objectives for the project and how progress towards these goals and objectives will be assessed.
• Project Design. Describe the overall approach and components of the project. How will the intended learners use the resources or services? How will the understanding gained from targeted research enhance the digital library's operation or its impact on learners? Where appropriate, applicants are strongly encouraged to provide links to examples or a prototype web site that illustrate any proposed functionality.
• Key Staff. Provide a description of the roles, responsibilities, and qualifications of key personnel, consultants, and/or advisors. These should be tied to major project goals and objectives.
• Timeline. Where appropriate, include a timeline for development indicating major points of progress that are expected.
• Dissemination. Describe, as appropriate, how the outcomes and lessons learned from the project will be communicated broadly.
• Evaluation. Describe, as appropriate, the plans for evaluation, including the name and qualifications of any evaluator(s). Information about the evaluation strategy, process, and methods should also be provided. What evidence will be sought to inform the progress towards project goals and why is this of value?
• Sustainability. For Pathways and Services projects, describe the plans to promote and sustain the project beyond the grant period.

In preparing this narrative, proposers should ensure that both the intellectual merit and broader impacts of the project are addressed equally.

A Project Data Form must be submitted (via FastLane) as part of all proposals. The information on this form is used to direct proposals to appropriate reviewers and to determine the characteristics of projects supported by the Division of Undergraduate Education. In FastLane, this form will show up in the list of forms for your proposal only after you have (1) selected the correct Program Announcement/Solicitation No. on the Cover Sheet and (2) saved the Cover Sheet. Take special care to identify the proper track for your proposal in Item 1 of the form.

A Budget Justification of up to three pages must accompany the budget forms and provide details about budget line items. Proposals that involve subawards should include a Budget Justification of up to three pages for each subawardee organization.

If Special Information or Supplementary Documentation is included with the proposal (see GPG, Chapter II, Section C.2.j), this section should be submitted as one or more PDF files using FastLane's "Supplementary Documents" function. (Paper documents should be electronically scanned and converted to PDF.) This optional section may include only the sorts of items listed in the GPG.

Organizations intending to submit simultaneous Collaborative Proposals (as described in GPG, Chapter II, Section D.3) must alert an NSDL program officer by e-mail (due-nsdl-program@nsf.gov) prior to the submission and must follow the instructions for electronic submission specified in GPG, Chapter II, Section D.3.b. The project titles of the related proposals must be identical and must begin with the words "Collaborative Project," and the combined budgets of the related proposals should conform to the anticipated individual award sizes specified for the program's three tracks in Section IV ("AWARD INFORMATION") above. These simultaneous Collaborative Proposals will be treated as a single proposal (with a single Project Summary, Project Description, and References Cited) during the review process.

Anticipated maximum award sizes for the program's three tracks are specified in Section IV ("AWARD INFORMATION") of the program solicitation.

March 14, 2004

April 14, 2004

The Division of Undergraduate Education has compiled a short list of other funding opportunities for undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, which can be found on the Web at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/links/other_programs.asp.