The ARIS Toolkit
The ARIS Broader Impacts (BI) Toolkit is designed to assist research investigators and research support staff as they develop broader impact projects. Our hope is these tools help researchers satisfy the Broader Impacts Criterion of the NSF and other agencies, while also helping them to fulfill their interest in communicating science.
The ARIS Toolkit currently includes:
- The BI Wizard
- A checklist for reviewing BI statements
- A summary of Guiding Principles for Effective BI Statements
- And our BI project evaluation rubric
The ARIS BI Toolkit project is lead by Rutgers University, as a component of the larger ARIS Center project.
What is ARIS?
The Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) provides resources and opportunities to bring together communities and researchers for positive societal impact. With more than 1,800 members from around the world, ARIS is the largest societal impact community in the U.S.
In addition to developing and promoting the Toolkit, the ARIS community provides professional development for researchers, investigators, and BI professionals looking to increase their capacity for writing great broader impacts plans.
For more information on how to plan, partner, and implement Broader Impact projects, we encourage you to check out the ARIS Website. Individuals and organizations looking for additional resources are encouraged to become members of ARIS.
A brief history of the BI Wizard
The ARIS Toolkit of today, is an evolution and expansion of the Broader Impacts Wizard that was initially created during earlier projects.
In 2012, COSEE NOW (the Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence Networked Ocean World) launched the original version of the COSEE Broader Impact Wizard for Ocean Scientists, with the support of the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE-0730719. This first version of the wizard included a quick and easy five-step process that produced an outline of important elements to include in a BI project statement. The steps included identifying the audience, establishing a budget, selecting an appropriate activity, defining the project goals, and including an evaluation plan. This version was also designed to help frame discussions among researchers and potential BI partners.
In 2021, we launched a new version BI Wizard as part of the Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS), with funding from the National Science Foundation under grants MCB-1408736 and OIA-1810732. Established in 2018, ARIS is housed at the University of Missouri-Columbia and is responsible for developing a collaborative network of broader impacts professionals across the United States. The revised version of the BI Wizard provides increased support on how to create effective partnerships, as well as additional guidance on how to design projects that support NSF's target outcomes. In addition, a new checklist and rubric were created to expand the support provided by BI Wizard.
This new collection of tools is now known as the ARIS BI Toolkit.
The Toolkit Project
(2021-2024)
Over the years, the BI Wizard and ARIS BI Toolkit have been cited by several colleges and universities as a helpful tool for investigators seeking guidance when constructing a BI Statement for NSF proposals and framing BI projects.
In 2021, we began a 3-year project to assess the impact and usefulness of the BI Wizard and Rubric with 10 partner universities and colleges. The project Implementation and Evaluation of the ARIS Broader Impacts Toolkit was funded by NSF under Grant No. OIA-2140950. Each partner university pilot tested the Toolkit and documented how their institution used the toolkit, as well as their own resources, to build BI/RI capacity. Through this effort, we hoped to better understand the mechanisms needed to develop effective Broader Impacts (BI) statements across various institutions and projects.
Ultimately, our goal was to learn how institutions support the development and facilitation of BI plans, and the tools they use to do so, especially during the proposal development phase. The final result was a special issue in the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship that detailed the stories, lessons learned and resources each Toolkit Project partner created to improve Broader Impact outcomes on their respective campuses.
| Lead Institutions | 2021 Cohort | 2022 Cohort |
|---|---|---|
|
Rutgers University University of Missouri Eidos Education SERC at Carleton College |
Penn State University of Nebraska - Lincoln University of Texas - Dallas |
The City College of New York, Crest Institute Michigan State University Montana State University North Carolina State University University of New Mexico University of Oklahoma Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
Special Issue on the ARIS Broader Impacts Toolkit Project
Explore how the Toolkit supported 10 different institutions
The Implementation and Evaluation of the ARIS Broader Impacts Toolkit project was summarized into a special issue of the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship. The special issue contains case study examples of how the ARIS Broader Impacts Toolkit was used by 10 different institutions to engage and support their researchers in broader impact projects. These case studies provide insights into the practical application of the toolkit and its effectiveness in enhancing broader impact outcomes.
ARIS Research Fellowship Program
(2025-Present)
In 2025, we launched the ARIS Research Fellowship Program. It is designed to support and advance the careers of exceptional researchers in expanding their Broader Impacts work. This inaugural fellowship aims to foster innovation, develop leadership skills, and enhance the understanding of how researchers can extend and communicate their research for societal benefits, often called Broader Impacts (BI). The goals of the fellowship program are to: 1) expand researcher’s BI work, 2) strengthen their network of other researchers who are interested in strengthening their Broader Impacts, and 3) disseminate effective BI practices through publications and presentations by fellows. You can find out more about the 2025 Research Fellows on the ARIS website.
Contact the Toolkit Team
If you have questions or would like more information about this project, please feel free to contact us.
- Janice McDonnell, Rutgers University - Toolkit Project PI
- Dr. Susan Renoe, University of Missouri - Project Co-PI and ARIS PI
- Sage Lichtenwalner, Rutgers University - Project Co-PI and Site Developer
- Liesl Hotaling, Eidos Education & Marine Technology Society - Collaborator and Content Author
- Dr. Carrie Ferraro, Rutgers University - Content Contributor
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