Funding

CRADLE is supported directly by the University and competitive research grants from external funding agencies. The support for Science of Learning research covers areas such as brain-based education; data analytics for learning; the efficacy of pedagogical approaches and educational technologies; and learning in out of school contexts.

CRADLE research grants come from the following sources:
1) In 2015, the University released a quantum of $S750,000 for SEED grants to initiate a number of Science of Learning projects. SEED grants are intended to:
            Serve as an incubation test-bed for research and educational strategies that enhance learning;
            Employ research informed technology-enabled learning designs and activities;
           Engage NTU’s teaching community in the scholarship of teaching and learning; and
           Develop useful and flexible models and methods of assessment.
The interdisciplinary SEED projects are led by NTU faculty interested in pedagogy and learning. The Principal Investigators work closely with CRADLE’s researchers to measure learning, conduct educationally transformative research, and SEED educational innovations throughout the University.

 

2) CRADLE projects also benefit from a portion of the $S10 million Ministry of Education’s Tertiary Research Fund (TRF). Started in 2015, these competitive grants focus on translating innovative teaching and learning applications in higher education to the Singaporean context. 

3) CRADLE was awarded multiple planning grants from the National Research Foundation to support NRF’s call to increase Singapore’s capacity for Science of Learning research, understand local approaches to education, and develop new ways to improve learning outcomes.

 

4) Several of CRADLE’s applied research projects are funded by the  Singapore Millennium Foundation and NTU EdEx grants. Both of these grant programmes support the development of cutting-edge education technologies that can demonstrably benefit student learning. Projects include mobile applications for peer-to-peer education and a digital support system for helping instructors engage their students in collaborative activities.

5) CRADLE inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute for Adult Learning. IAL funds research on adult education and adult learning patterns. CRADLE and IAL partner on projects that understand how adult learners’ profiles and competencies match the dynamic demands found in the workplace.