Program Description
COSEE NOW has developed the
Broader Impact Wizard to provide mentorship for scientists interested in broadening the impact of their research. This online tool guides research scientists through a series of well-defined steps necessary for the construction and implementation of a statement that satisfies the Broader Impacts criterion of a research proposal. The goal of this “smart” software is to help research scientists identify their target audience and plan appropriate BI activities, budget, objectives, and evaluation plan, based on the experience of a team of education and outreach professionals from the COSEE network. Videos are imbedded within the BI Wizard to provide further detail on some of the essential elements for an effective broader impact statement and information on how and why to choose a target audience. This process culminates in a summary report, combining user input and additional support information, including relevant connections to educational research literature and effective practices. Users can use this report to construct their broader impact statement and are encouraged to share this report with a potential BI partner.
To compliment and enhance the BI Wizard, the COSEE NOW website also features a collection of pre-award and post-award resources that provides additional guidance for scientists to utilize when constructing and implementing their broader impact projects. The goal of the pre-award resources is to support the user in outlining an effective broader impact plan. The site provides background for selecting potential audiences, identifying appropriate collaborators, and developing activities that achieve broader impacts. The case studies highlighting high quality education and public outreach (EPO) projects offer scientists effective strategies for integrating the intellectual merit and broader impacts components of their research.
The post-award resources focuses on helping scientists find information on designing and implementing a project, project evaluation, available funding sources to enhance or scale-up the project activities, and potential journals in which to publish the results of their BI activities. The BI Wizard encourages interdisciplinary sharing of expertise and resources among scientists and educators. The BI wizard strives to enhance the quality of EPO products and promotes dissemination of scientific research.
COSEE Center
COSEE NOW is an online network of scientists and educators focused on increasing ocean literacy and fostering collaborations.
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