[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 244 (Thursday, December 19, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69783-69784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27412]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to
renew this collection. In accordance with the requirements 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 Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of this collection for no longer
than 3 years.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by February 18,
2020 to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to address
below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite
W18200, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send
email 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, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, 365 days a year (including Federal holidays).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.
OMB Number: 3145-0215.
Expiration Date of Approval: June 30, 2020.
Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an
information collection.
Abstract: The proposed information collection activity provides a
means for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to garner qualitative
customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in
accordance with the Agency's commitment to improving service delivery.
By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful
insights on perceptions and opinions, but not statistical surveys that
yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of
study. This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder
perceptions, experiences, and expectations; provide an early warning of
issues with service; or focus attention on areas where communication,
training, or changes in operations might improve delivery of products
or services. This collection will allow for ongoing, collaborative and
actionable communications between the Agency and its customers and
stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the
improvement of program management.
The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: Timeliness,
appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of
service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery.
Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or
maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this
information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and
stakeholders on the Agency's services will be unavailable.
NSF will only submit a collection for approval under this generic
clearance if it meets the following conditions:
[cir] The collection is voluntary;
[cir] The collection is low-burden for respondents (based on
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or
burden-hours per respondent) and is low-cost for both the respondents
and the Federal Government;
[cir] The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues
of concern to other Federal agencies;
[cir] The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have
experience with the program in the near future;
[cir] Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only
to the extent necessary and is not retained;
[cir] Information gathered is intended to be used only internally
for general service improvement and program management purposes and is
not intended for release outside of NSF (if released, NSF must indicate
the qualitative nature of the information);
[cir] Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
[cir] Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the
collection will not be designed or expected to yield statistically
reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the
population of study.
Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful
information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the
overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative
information will not be used for quantitative information collections
that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as
monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such
data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target
population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame,
the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the
precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed
sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing
potential nonresponse bias, the protocols for data collection, and any
testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding
this study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely
to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for
other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative
results.
As a general matter, this information collection will not result in
any new system of records containing privacy information and will not
ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and
attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly
considered private.
Below we provide the National Science Foundation's projected
average estimates for the next three years:
[[Page 69784]]
Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and
Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government.
Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: 50.
Respondents: 500 per activity.
Annual Responses: 7,500.
Frequency of Response: Once per request.
Average Minutes per Response: 30.
Burden Hours: 12,500.
Comments: 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 those who are
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Dated: December 16, 2019.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2019-27412 Filed 12-18-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P