[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 9, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12533-12535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05280]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Graduate Research Fellowship Program Pilot Data Collection for 
Monitoring Longitudinal Career Outcomes of Fellowship Recipients; 
Proposed Information Collection Request

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to 
request establishment and clearance of this collection. In accordance 
with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), we are providing opportunity 
for public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering 
public comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting that OMB 
approve clearance of this collection for no longer than three years.
    A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the office listed below in the ADDRESSES section 
of this notice.

DATES: Submit comments before May 9, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National 
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1265, Arlington, 
Virginia 22230 or send email to [email protected]. Copies of the 
submission may be obtained by calling (703) 292-7556.
    Instructions: Please submit one copy of your comments by only one 
method. All submissions received must include the agency name and 
collection name identified above for this information collection. 
Commenters are strongly encouraged to transmit their comments 
electronically via email. Comments, including any personal information 
provided become a matter of public record. They will be summarized and/
or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval 
of the information collection request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 
1265, Arlington, Virginia 22230 or send email to [email protected]. 
Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling (703) 292-7556. 
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, 
which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year 
(including federal holidays).

[[Page 12534]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title of Collection:
    OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
    Type of request: Intent to seek approval for ICR.

Abstract

    The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to develop and pilot an 
instrument to follow several cohorts of Graduate Research Fellowship 
Program (GRFP) Fellows to track program and career outcomes over time. 
The intent is for the pilot instrument to become part of a permanent 
monitoring system to track all Fellows over time.
    As part of NSF's commitment to graduate student education in the 
U.S, the GRFP seeks to promote and maintain advanced training in 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field by 
annually awarding about 2,000 fellowships to graduate students in 
research-based programs. The program goals are: (1) To select, 
recognize, and financially support, early in their careers, individuals 
with the demonstrated potential to be high achieving scientists and 
engineers, and (2) to broaden participation in science and engineering 
of underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, persons with 
disabilities, and veterans. NSF especially encourages women, members of 
underrepresented minority groups, persons with disabilities, and 
veterans to apply. NSF also encourages undergraduate seniors to apply. 
GRFP is a critical program in NSF's overall strategy to develop the 
globally-engaged workforce necessary to ensure the Nation's leadership 
in advancing science and engineering research and innovation.
    The program has had two large-scale evaluations, first in 2002 and 
again in 2012. The second evaluation coincided with a major program 
expansion by NSF, whereby the annual number of fellowship awards was 
increased from roughly 1,000 to the current 2,000. As the program has 
expanded, so has the need for a monitoring system to track program 
outcomes and Fellow career trajectories following completion of the 
fellowship.
    NSF contracts with NORC at the University of Chicago to develop and 
pilot a data collection instrument to support GRFP monitoring. The 
objective of the monitoring activity will be to accomplish the 
following:
     NSF will be able at any time to provide cumulative as well 
as annualized data on outcomes for the Fellows (e.g., career outcomes 
of minority Fellows in 2017, as compared to 2015, etc.) and compare 
those results to national samples. The longitudinal collections will 
allow NSF to analyze how Fellows' careers develop over time and if 
there are differences in the career outcomes related to Fellow 
demographics and field of study.
     NSF will be able to analyze trends on a large number of 
career outcomes for key subpopulations of Fellows including women, 
underrepresented minorities, individuals with disabilities, and 
veterans, and monitor them within fields of graduate study, in order to 
inform policy and program changes.
    The data collection instrument will be designed to gather 
information on the following broad sets of variables:
     Career activities, progress, and job characteristics 
following graduate school;
     STEM-related professional productivity (e.g., 
publications, presentations, patents, etc.);
     Broader impacts of the Fellows (ways in which the Fellows 
or their work may benefit society).
    The pilot data will be collected primarily through a Web-based 
survey. The data will be supplemented with administrative data 
collected by the GRFP on the demographic and educational backgrounds of 
the Fellows. The pilot data will be collected in two rounds after 
questionnaire testing, with survey rounds conducted in both 2016 and 
2017. The 2016 round will include all Fellows from award years 2003, 
2006, and 2009 and the 2017 round will include all Fellows from award 
years 2004, 2007, and 2010. These two rounds will collect data from 
Fellows with different award years (i.e., no Fellow will be asked to 
participate in both rounds) to obtain comparable baseline data on their 
career outcomes, and to refine the instrument administration procedures 
and survey content to maximize the reliability and validity of the 
questionnaire items.
    Although the project will adopt questions that have been tested and 
used in previous National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics 
(NCSES) instruments, the GRFP instrument is be considered a new 
instrument because it will include some new questions and the questions 
from different NCSES questionnaires will be combined and re-sequenced. 
Therefore, there is a need to test the questionnaire via cognitive 
interviews before conducting a larger data collection with all Fellows.

I. Review Focus

    NSF is interested in comments on the practical utility of the 
survey in view of the project goals and the study approach, the burden 
on respondents and potential ways to minimize it.
    Comments submitted in response to this Notice will be summarized 
and included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the ICR; they will also become a matter of public record.

II. Current Actions

    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Frequency: Questionnaire testing followed by two rounds of pilot 
data collection.
    Total Respondents:
    Questionnaire Testing Phase: The plan is to conduct two iterations 
(``rounds'') of cognitive interviews, with up to 25 respondents in the 
first round and 15 in the second round. In the first round the 
instrument will be tested to determine if revisions are necessary and, 
if so, to develop revisions to be tested in the second round. The 
respondents are expected to be graduate degree candidates or 
recipients.
    Pilot Round 1: Surveys will be administered to approximately 2,434 
GRFP Fellows (there are approximately 3,042 Fellows who were awarded 
the GRFP in 2003, 2006, or 2009, and we expect approximately 80% of 
these Fellows to respond).
    Pilot Round 2: Surveys will be administered to approximately 3,152 
GRFP Fellows (there are approximately 3,940 Fellows who were awarded 
the GRFP in 2004, 2007, or 2010, and we expect approximately 80% of 
these Fellows to respond). Note that because different award years are 
included in each round of the survey, there is no overlap in 
participants between rounds 1 and 2.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours:
    Questionnaire Testing Phase: The Foundation estimates that, on 
average, 120 minutes per respondent will be required to participate in 
the cognitive interview. The annual respondent burden for participating 
in the cognitive interviews is estimated at 80 hours, based on 40 
respondents.
    Pilot Round 1: The Foundation estimates that, on average, the 
survey will take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete. The annual 
respondent burden for Pilot Round 1 is estimated at between 1,826 and 
2,434 hours, based on 2,434 respondents.
    Pilot Round 2: The Foundation estimates that, on average, the 
survey will take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete. The annual 
respondent burden for Pilot Round 2 is estimated at between 2,364 and 
3,152 hours, based on 3,152 respondents.


[[Page 12535]]


    Dated: March 4, 2016.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2016-05280 Filed 3-8-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P