The NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program is one of the foundation’s primary vehicles for advancing excellence in undergraduate teaching and learning across the nation. Unlike NSF’s disciplinary research programs, which focus on scientific discovery, IUSE is centered on students, instructors, and institutions—supporting projects that transform how STEM is taught, assessed, and experienced. The program encourages adoption of evidence-based instructional practices, development of innovative curricula, integration of computational and data-driven learning, effective use of educational technologies, and institutional efforts to broaden participation among historically underrepresented groups in STEM. 

IUSE includes several track options—such as Engaged Student Learning (ESL) and Institutional and Community Transformation (ICT)—each supporting projects of varying scopes. ESL projects may redesign gateway courses, implement active-learning strategies, develop discipline-based education research (DBER), or build tools for improved assessment and student engagement. ICT projects take a wider view, supporting systemic institutional reforms, faculty development models, instructional leadership structures, and infrastructure for sustained improvements in teaching. Both tracks emphasize measurable outcomes, rigorous evaluation plans, dissemination of results, and long-term sustainability. 

Eligibility follows standard NSF guidelines. U.S. universities, community colleges, nonprofit research organizations, Tribal colleges, and eligible small businesses may apply. Partnerships with educational researchers, learning scientists, professional societies, and regional networks are often advantageous. Strong proposals demonstrate pedagogical grounding, feasibility, alignment with institutional goals, attention to equity and inclusion, and a clear plan for assessing student learning and project impact. 

Because IUSE is both competitive and highly impactful, successful proposals typically show evidence of prior pilots, faculty engagement, and meaningful stakeholder support. Projects may also incorporate learning analytics, mentoring frameworks, experiential learning, interdisciplinary course pathways, or integration of computational thinking across STEM majors. 

ScienceDocs Can Help 

ScienceDocs supports IUSE applicants by assisting with educational research framing, logic models, evaluation plans, curriculum design, broader-impacts strategies, and full proposal package preparation. 
Begin at https://www.sciencedocs.com/quotes/.