§ 18992 — Undergraduate Stem Education

(a) The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to four-year institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support research and development activities to— (1) encourage greater collaboration and coordination between institutions of higher education and industry to enhance education, foster hands-on learn experiences, and improve alignment with workforce needs; (2) understand the current composition of the STEM workforce and the factors that influence growth, retention, and development of that workforce; (3) increase the size, diversity, capability, and flexibility of the STEM workforce; and (4) increase dissemination and widespread adoption of effective practices in undergraduate education and workforce development. (b) (1) The Director shall make awards on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to advance research on the nature of learning and teaching at community colleges and to improve outcomes for students who enter the workforce upon completion of their STEM degree or credential or transfer to 4-year institutions, including by— (A) examining how to scale up successful programs at community colleges that are improving student outcomes in foundational STEM courses; (B) supporting research on effective STEM teaching practices in community college settings; (C) designing and developing new STEM curricula; (D) providing STEM students with hands-on training and research experiences, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities; (E) increasing access to high quality STEM education through new technologies; (F) re-skilling or up-skilling incumbent workers for new STEM jobs; (G) building STEM career and seamless transfer pathways; and (H) developing novel mechanisms to identify and recruit talent into STEM programs, in particular talent from groups historically underrepresented in STEM. (2) In carrying out activities under this subsection, the Director shall encourage applications to develop, enhance, or expand cooperative STEM education and training partnerships between institutions of higher education, industry, and labor organizations. (1) The Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education (including postsecondary vocational institutions) to support career and technical education in STEM and computer science related fields. (2) In making awards under this subsection, the Director shall give priority to institutions that demonstrate effective strategies to recruit and provide career and technical education to veterans and members of the Armed Forces transitioning to the private sector workforce. (3) In this subsection, the term “career and technical education” has the meaning given that term in section 2302 of title 20. (1) The Director shall carry out a 4-year pilot program under which the Director shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to establish a total of not fewer than five Centers to develop and scale up successful models for providing undergraduate students with hands-on, course-based research experiences. (2) Awards made under this paragraph shall be used to— (A) develop, assess, and disseminate models for providing undergraduate students with course-based research experiences across STEM disciplines and education levels; (B) identify and address opportunities and challenges in facilitating implementation across a broad range of institution types, including historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, minority serving institutions and community colleges; (C) identify and develop best practices to address barriers for faculty, including institutional culture, resources, and incentive structures; (D) identify and address factors that may facilitate or discourage participation by students from all backgrounds; (E) provide faculty with curriculum, professional development, training, networking opportunities, and other support to enable the development, adaptation, or expansion of a course-based research experience; and (F) collect data and carry out research to evaluate the impacts of course-based undergraduate research experiences on the STEM workforce. (3) In making awards under this paragraph, the Director shall consider the extent to which the proposed Center will establish partnerships among multiple types of academic institutions, including community colleges, emerging research institutions, EPSCoR institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and minority-serving institutions, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders in supporting programs and activities to facilitate faculty training and the widespread and sustained implementation of promising, evidence-based practices, models, programs, and curriculum. (4) Not later than 180 days after the date on which the pilot program is completed, the Director shall submit to Congress a report that includes— (A) an assessment, that includes feedback from the research community, of the effectiveness of the pilot program in increasing the number, diversity, and workforce readiness of STEM graduates; and (B) if determined to be effective, a plan for permanent implementation of the pilot program.