Occasional Paper
Order Code: OP7
NISE Fellows program: Feedback from past Fellows
Paula A. White
Introduction
The National Science Foundation’s National Institute for Science Education (NISE) was established in 1995 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Funded through a five year cooperative agreement, the Institute is a place where scholars, both junior and senior, from disciplinary backgrounds spanning the Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) disciplines and social sciences, are working collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams to address the most important issues in SMET education. See Figure 1 for a chart of how the NISE is organized by teams.
The NISE recruits Fellows from a variety of stakeholder groups, including K–12 teachers and higher education faculty in SMET education. NISE Fellows work on projects related either to NISE teams, or, in some cases, to the Institute as a whole. The breadth and diversity of the NISE Fellows Program enhances the quality of discourse and maximizes the impact of NISE work.
Individuals wishing to apply for an NISE Fellowship are asked to submit the following four items: (1) a letter indicating the NISE team or teams they wish to work with, or what other work they would like to pursue that fits the NISE mission, and a brief discussion of their interests and background in this area, (2) a brief budget of salary and expenses required for the proposed work, (3) a resume indicating work experience and publication record and the contact information for at least two references, and (4) a writing sample. Applications are reviewed continuously by the NISE and the NSF. Selection criteria include qualifications of candidates, match with the NISE mission, significance of the proposed work, the ability to work collaboratively, and the ability to produce valuable work in a timely fashion. See Appendix A for a Call for Applications.
Now in its fourth year, the NISE has accepted 36 Fellow applicants (a 50 percent acceptance rate). Currently, ten Fellows are working with the NISE. Thus far, twelve Fellows have served on the Systemic Reform Team, twelve have served on the Professional Development Team, nine on the College Level One Team, one on the Communicating with Mass Audiences Team, one on the Cognitive Studies of Interdisciplinary Collaboration Team, and two have had no team affiliation. One Fellow served on two teams, simultaneously. See Figure 2 for a list of Fellows by team and Appendix B for a list of Fellows and their affiliations.
In August, 1998, the following five questions were distributed to NISE Fellows for the purpose of gathering information on their experiences as Fellows:
1. How did you learn about the NISE Fellow opportunity?
2. Why did you want to be an NISE Fellow?
3. How has the experience affected you? e.g.:
-moved your work in a new direction
-brought you into new networks of professional groups
4. What is your assessment of the value of the experience?
5. How might the NISE improve the quality of the Fellow experience?
This Occasional Paper is a summary of the responses received with 18 of the 26 past Fellows responding. The responses were overwhelmingly positive. Not all respondents provided responses to each question; a representative sampling of the responses is provided in this paper.