[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41951-41952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13735]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0114]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Evaluation of the Professional Learning Resources of the REL NW Toolkit 
for Using Technology To Support Postsecondary Student Learning

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education 
(ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Department is proposing a new information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
August 28, 2023.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2023-SCC-0114. 
Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov 
site is not available to the public for any reason, the Department will 
temporarily accept comments at [email protected].

[[Page 41952]]

Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information 
collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. 
Please note that comments submitted after the comment period will not 
be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by 
postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Manager of the 
Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, 
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W203, 
Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Heidi Gansen, 202-245-6765.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department, in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), 
provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to 
comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of 
information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its 
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting 
burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. The Department is soliciting comments on the 
proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 
The Department is especially interested in public comment addressing 
the following issues: (1) is this collection necessary to the proper 
functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and 
used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) 
how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department 
minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including 
through the use of information technology. Please note that written 
comments received in response to this notice will be considered public 
records.
    Title of Collection: Evaluation of the Professional Learning 
Resources of the REL NW Toolkit for Using Technology to Support 
Postsecondary Student Learning.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 13,177.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,280.
    Abstract: The current authorization for the Regional Educational 
Laboratories (REL) program is under the Education Sciences Reform Act 
of 2002, Part D, Section 174, (20 U.S.C. 9564), administered by the 
Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), 
National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance 
(NCEE). The central mission and primary function of the RELs is to 
support applied research and provide technical assistance to state and 
local education agencies within their region (ESRA, Part D, section 
174[f]). The REL program's goal is to partner with educators and 
policymakers to conduct work that is change-oriented and supports 
meaningful local, regional, or state decisions about education 
policies, programs, and practices to improve outcomes for students.
    The Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest is developing a 
toolkit based on the Using Technology to Support Postsecondary Student 
Learning What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Practice Guide to support 
student learning in community college contexts. Community college 
instructors, across all disciplines, including those who teach in 
person, hybrid (remote and in person), and online courses, are the 
primary audience for the Toolkit.
    This toolkit's efficacy evaluation will collect information about 
the professional learning resources, organized as the eAcademy: 
Professional Learning for Using Technology to Enhance Learning, that 
will comprise the main component of the Toolkit. In the efficacy study, 
the eAcademy will be offered to instructors in community colleges in 
Oregon. The evaluation of the eAcademy includes two parts: first, using 
a random assignment design, researchers will examine the impact of the 
eAcademy on instructor knowledge, teaching practices, and student 
outcomes. Second, researchers will collect implementation data to 
understand fidelity of implementation, treatment contrast, and how the 
eAcademy influences instructor and student outcomes.
    The research questions include: What is the impact of the eAcademy 
on instructors' awareness of technology tools for learning, knowledge 
of how to use technology for learning, and comfort using education 
technologies to support student learning, what is the impact of the 
eAcademy on instructors' use of technology to support student learning, 
and what is the impact of the eAcademy on student engagement, 
interaction, course completion, and persistence to the next quarter?
    The goals of the program evaluation include documenting the content 
of eAcademy (topics covered and activities provided), the way the 
eAcademy is implemented, and the treatment dosage to understand 
fidelity of implementation. The evaluation study will provide further 
insight into how the eAcademy is related to instructor- and student-
level outcomes, and the implementation study will document treatment 
contrast between the eAcademy and other available professional 
resources. eAcademy participation data will be used to affirm whether 
instructors in the treatment group accessed the professional resources 
and instructors in the control group did not.
    Findings from the implementation study may be used to improve 
future iterations of the eAcademy and to update the WWC Practice Guide 
recommendations. They may also generate ideas for new approaches to 
professional development that lead to better outcomes.

    Dated: June 23, 2023.
Juliana Pearson,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2023-13735 Filed 6-27-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P