Supporting Statement for
Community College of the Air Force Alumni Survey
OMB: 0701-0136
A. JUSTIFICATION
1. Need for the Information Collection
The information to be derived from a survey of separated Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) graduates is required to determine how effectively the institution is meeting its mission and also identify areas needing improvement. Documenting the institution’s effectiveness is also required to maintain the Community College of the Air Force’s regional accreditation and demonstrate the quality of the overall program. Administering surveys to separated graduates will provide data on the usefulness and acceptance of the Community College of the Air Force degree in the civilian sector. Title 10, U.S.C., Section 9315, establishes the Community College of the Air Force. Air Force Instruction 36-2304, Community College of the Air Force, states the mission, goals, and responsibilities of the Community College of the Air Force.
2. Use of Information
The information to be collected will be used by the Community College of the Air Force Administrative Center at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, to evaluate the effectiveness of the Community College of the Air Force program and provide a basis for making improvements through the college’s strategic planning cycle. Results will be used primarily in-house but selected findings may be publicized within the Air Force education community.
3. Use of Technology
The survey will be administered through CCAF’s homepage. The survey will be loaded on a local server, and potential survey respondents will be notified of the survey’s availability by letter or e-mail and provided the Web site address. Survey results will be stored in a Microsoft Access database.
4. Non-duplication
No other Air Force or DoD office collects or maintains data which is being collected by the Community College of the Air Force Alumni Survey on Community College of the Air Force graduates.
5. Burden on Small Business
This collection does not affect small businesses or other small entities
6. Less Frequent Collections
Failure to collect this information on a regular (biennial) basis will jeopardize the Community College of the Air Force’s efforts to determine the institution’s effectiveness and could endanger our regional accreditation status.
7. Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines
The collection of information will be conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
8. Consultation and Public Comments
The 60-day Federal Register notice was published on October 1, 2008 (73 FR 57071).
No comments were received.
Members of the Air University Board of Visitors recommended the collection of data from separated Community College of the Air Force graduates.
9. Gifts or Payments
There are no gifts or payments provided to the respondents.
10. Confidentiality
Survey responses will be anonymous, as survey participants will not be required to provide their names when responding.
11. Sensitive Questions
No sensitive questions are asked.
12. Respondent Burden and its Costs
a. 500 applicants are projected to complete the survey. There will be one response per respondent. 500 x 20 minutes = 167 burden hours. In a pilot test of the survey instrument, the average respondent took 20 minutes to complete the instrument.
Number of Respondents: 500
Frequency of Response: 1
Total Annual Response: 500
Minutes per Response: 20
Total Burden Hours: 167
b. Out of Pocket Cost to Respondent
The annual cost to respondents is: $2,500. This assumes a value of $15 per hour of respondents’ time. Since the collection requires 20 minutes per respondent and we project 500 respondents, the total burden hours is 167. Total estimated cost is $15 x 167 or $2,500.
Wage of Respondent ($15.00 per hr x 20 minutes x 500 respondents) = $2,500
13. Cost of Respondent Burden
There are no capital or start-up costs associated with this information collection.
14. Cost to the Federal Government
a. Total cost to the Federal Government is estimated at up to $1,245. This is based on the average hourly wage of $41.55 and the appropriate amount of time (2 minutes) spent on each response. Cost per response ($1.39 per response) x 500 responses = $695. The $41.55 per hour includes a 25 percent allowance overhead. Printing, envelopes and postage are estimated to cost $550 if potential survey respondents are sent an invitation letter instead of e-mail notification of survey availability.
b. The total cost to the Government:
Personnel cost ($41.55 per hour) x 500 responses x (2 minutes per response) . . . $695
Printing, envelopes and postage estimated at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0-$550
Total Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$695- $1,245
15. Reasons for Change in Burden
There are no program changes or adjustments.
16. Collections of Information
Other than distributing survey results through an internal newsletter or within the Air Force education services community, there are no plans to publicize survey results in a public forum.
17. Expiration Date
The Air Force is not seeking an exception to display the expiration date of this information.
18. Certification Statement
There are no exceptions to the Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions certification statement.
B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS:
The potential respondent universe is Air Force personnel who separated or retired from the Air Force. The next Community College of the Air Force Alumni Survey will be conducted in 2009 and will target former students who earned the Community College of the Air Force Associate in Applied Science Degree. About 262,447 CCAF graduates comprise the population. A stratified random sample of about 1,200 will be selected and surveyed. Past survey response rates indicate about 500 people in this type of audience will respond. The number of responses needed to ensure a 95 percent confidence level is about 370.
An in-house computer query of the Air Force Personnel Center enlisted retiree and separated databases will provide the names and addresses of CCAF graduates meeting the survey criteria. Graduate data will be downloaded in an Excel spreadsheet. Statistical software will be used to select a stratified random sample of about 1,200 CCAF graduates. If potential survey respondents are notified of survey availability be letter, mailing labels will be generated from the downloaded graduate data. Letters advising graduates of the survey’s availability will be mailed to the survey sample. If e-mail addresses are available from the database, potential survey respondents will be notified of survey availability by e-mail. The Community College of the Air Force Alumni Survey will be administered biennially.
Several measures will be undertaken to increase the survey response rate. The Community College of the Air Force commandant will sign a survey cover letter. The mailing list will be closely screened to ensure surveys are only sent to complete and valid addresses. Surveys will be sent only to stateside addresses, and to graduates who separated or retired since 1999.
No tests of procedures are planned.
The survey instrument was developed by Dr. James R. Larkins, Jr. (Community College of the Air Force, Dean, Telephone 334-953-2703). The Community College of the Air Force, Institutional Effectiveness Division, will be responsible for administering the survey and compiling and analyzing the survey data.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR AFROTC FORM 59 |
| Author | HQ-AFROTC |
| Last Modified By | Patricia Toppings |
| File Modified | 2009-03-31 |
| File Created | 2008-08-15 |