Educational Innovation Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration: A Study of NSF Planning Grants, 2002-2003

In summer 2002, the National Science Foundation awarded 60 planning grants through the Bridges for Engineering Education (Bridges) Program and the Planning Grants for Department-Level Reform of Undergraduate Engineering Education (Reform) Program in the summer of 2003. This award will study the progress of these grantees as they implement their planning projects with the purpose of identifying, understanding, and disseminating effective practices, and potentially, several models of good practice.

These research objectives will be achieved through the conduct of a mixed-method, longitudinal study of the grantees' planning processes that will include 1) tracking and analysis of the processes planned and implemented by grantees during their grant period; 2) in depth case studies of a subset of six projects (three from each grant program); 3) the identification of models of 'best practices' developed by synthesizing findings among all participants and between the two parts of the study; and 4) development of a grounded theory of interdisciplinary collaborations based on the findings.