[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2949-2950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-1204]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Revision to 
Approved Collection OMB 3245-0182; Comment Request

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to 
revise this collection. In accordance with the requirement of section 
3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing 
opportunity for public comment on this action. After obtaining and 
considering public comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting 
OMB clearance of this collection for no longer than 3 years.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information on respondents, including 
through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

DATES: Written comments should be received by February 20, 2004 to be 
assured of consideration. Comments received after that date would be 
considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the information collection and 
requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
should be addressed to Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, 
National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Rm. 295, Arlington, VA 
22230, or by e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne Plimpton at (703) 292-7556 or 
send e-mail to [email protected]. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title of Collection: Evaluation of the Initial Impacts of the 
Integrative Graduate Education Research and Traineeship Program (IGERT) 
(formerly called the Cross-Site Analysis of the IGERT Program)
    OMB Control No.: 3145-0182.
    Expiration Date Of Approval: July 31, 2005.
    Abstract: This document has been prepared to support a revision to 
an OMB-approved data collection used in the evaluation of the Initial 
Impacts of the Integrative Graduate Education Research and Traineeship 
Program) (IGERT). Managed by the Directorate for Education and Human 
Resources' (EHR) Division of Graduate Education (DGE), and crosscutting 
several NSF research directorates, the IGERT Program has been developed 
to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists, engineers, 
and educators with the interdisciplinary backgrounds, deep knowledge in 
chosen disciplines, and technical, professional, and personal skills to 
become in their own careers the leaders and creative agents for change. 
The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate 
education and to facilitate greater diversity in student participation 
and preparation.

[[Page 2950]]

    Monitoring and evaluation of the IGERT Program has been underway 
since shortly after its inception in 1997, and focuses on the 
implementation of projects at individual universities. Beginning in 
2002, REC funded a multiple-methods study cleared as ``The Cross-Site 
Analysis of the IGERT program'' (OMB 3154-0182), focused on project 
implementation and impacts, and consisting of site visits to projects 
in their third year of implementation. The next step is to ask 
questions about the impact of IGERT on participants, institutions, and 
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields as 
compared to the experiences of appropriate comparison groups and/or 
external respondents. Topics addressed will include the following: What 
is the added recruitment value of the IGERT project? How do the content 
and structure of IGERT educational and research experiences differ from 
those experienced by students in a single-discipline doctoral program? 
How do IGERT students, faculty, and graduates differ from non-IGERT 
comparison groups in terms of their productivity, academic skills, 
ability to work in cross-disciplinary teams, and interest in 
interdisciplinary research? At their home institutions, have IGERT 
projects expanded? Do they benefit from institutional financial or 
policy support beyond that experienced by non-IGERT departments? Have 
projects resulted in new courses or degree programs? Outside their home 
institution, how well are IGERT projects known, and what impact is the 
IGERT program having on STEM fields at large?
    A series of surveys and interviews will be employed to answer these 
questions along with the previously cleared site visits. Internet 
surveys will be administered to PIs; IGERT department chairs and 
comparison department chairs; IGERT trainees and comparison department 
doctoral students; and IGERT and comparison department faculty. 
Secondly, interviews will be conducted with IGERT institutional 
administrators and comparison institutional administrators. Finally, e-
mail surveys will be developed for graduates of IGERT programs and 
corresponding comparison graduates; supervisors at IGERT internship 
sites; and leaders of professional associations and educational 
agencies (national and international).
    The IGERT program consists of multidisciiplinary projects that 
bring together faculty and students from multiple departments. To form 
an appropriate comparison group for this program, this study will match 
the two departments with the largest number of students from each IGERT 
project with non-IGERT single discipline departments. This approach 
compares the multidisciplinary graduate education experience with 
traditional single department graduate education, and uses IGERT as the 
examplar of the multidisciplinary. The counter-factual provided by this 
comparison group choice is the single department experience trainees 
would have had, had they not become IGERT trainees.
    Expected respondents: The data for this study will be gathered 
through surveys and telephone interviews. The expected respondents are:
    Surveys:
    (1) Current IGERT students and comparison non-IGERT students
    (2) Current IGERT faculty and comparison non-IGERT faculty
    (3) Current IGERT PIs
    (4) IGERT department chairs and comparison non-IGERT department 
chairs
    (5) IGERT graduates and comparison non-IGERT graduates
    (6) Representatives of STEM fields
    (7) Leaders in STEM fields (heads of associations, renowned 
researchers * * *)
    (8) Supervisors at IGERT student internship sites
    Interviews:
    (9) Administrators at IGERT and non-IGERT institutions
    Burden on the Public: This study's total sample is 3350 
individuals, and the total estimated burden for this collection is 980 
hours. The average estimated reporting burden is 20 minutes per 
respondent. The study includes IGERT program participants and a 
comparison group in close to equal proportions. Because the comparison 
group members are members of the general public not funded by the 
program being evaluated, the burden upon the general public is 
calculated to be 473 hours.

    Dated: January 14, 2004.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 04-1204 Filed 1-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M