i3 Project Director TA Survey

DRAFT: i3 Project Director Survey

INTRODUCTION

This survey is intended for the project directors of US Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation (i3) grants. The purpose of the survey is to assess the degree to which i3 grantees are utilizing the technical assistance services and resources provided by the i3 TA contract led by Westat, Inc. (e.g., individual technical assistance, group webinars, Communities of Practice) and obtain feedback from grantees on their satisfaction with and the usefulness of those services and resources.

Your individual responses will be kept confidential and will only be seen by Compass Evaluation & Research, the internal evaluator for the i3 technical assistance (TA) contract. Results will be shared and reported in aggregate form so that individual grantees are not identifiable. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete and it may be helpful to work with your project team to respond to the questions.

If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please feel free to contact Dr. Bethany Howell ([email protected]) or Dr. Sarah Heinemeier ([email protected]) of Compass Evaluation & Research via our toll-free number 877-652-0189 or email addresses.

PLEASE COMPLETE AND SUBMIT YOUR SURVEY BY [DUE DATE].

SURVEY

Grantee name: [Pre-populated]

Grantee PR award number: [Pre-populated]

Section I. Please identify the type(s) of technical assistance (TA) services and resources you have received or accessed through the i3 TA contract since October 1, 2012. You then will be asked to provide information related to the frequency and usefulness of those services and resources.

1. I have been in contact with and/or have received individual TA services from an i3 TA liaison.

• Yes Respondent continues to question 1a.

• No Respondent skips to question 2.

1a. Please identify the types of individual technical assistance services you have received from your i3 TA liaison (select all that apply).

• My TA liaison conducted a needs assessment of my project. Please briefly describe what this experience was like for you (e.g., helpful, informative, burdensome, etc.):

• My TA liaison discussed an individualized TA plan for my project with me.

• My TA liaison talked with me about the i3 resources and services available to support the implementation of my project.

• My TA liaison contacts me to provide support and discuss progress and challenges related to the implementation of my project.

• I have contacted my TA liaison to ask questions or obtain support.

1b. Overall, about how often have you had contact with your i3 TA liaison?

• Weekly

• Monthly (i.e., once or twice a month)

• Once or twice

1c. Has the amount of contact with your i3 TA liaison been sufficient to address your TA needs?

• Yes

• No

1d. What was the primary method of contact between you and your i3 TA liaison (please select one)?

• Email. Was this an effective method of delivering TA services?

  • Yes

  • No

• Telephone. Was this an effective method of delivering TA services?

  • Yes

  • No

• Email and telephone were used about equally. Was one method more effective in delivering TA services?

  • Yes, email was more effective.

  • Yes, telephone was more effective.

  • No, both methods were equally effective.

Please explain your answer:

1e. Overall, how useful have the individual TA services you have received been in helping you to better implement your project?

• Very useful

• Somewhat useful

• Not very useful

• Not at all useful

Please explain your rating:

2. I have participated in one or more group webinars (one hour webinars focused on topics such as data-driven decision making, communication, partnerships, dissemination, scale-up).

• Yes Respondent continues to question 2a.

• No. Please explain why you have not yet participated in a group webinar:

Respondent skips to question 3.

2a. Overall, how useful have the group webinars been in helping you to better implement your project?

• Very useful

• Somewhat useful

• Not very useful

• Not at all useful

Please explain your rating:

3. I have participated in one or more Communities of Practice discussions (professional learning communities focused on topics such as organizational development and performance management, communication, partnerships, dissemination, scale-up).

• Yes Respondent continues to question 3a.

• No. Please explain why you have not yet participated in an i3 Community of Practice:

Respondent skips to question 4.

3a. Overall, about how often have you accessed and/or participated in the i3 Communities of Practice?

• Weekly

• Monthly (i.e., once or twice a month)

• Once or twice

3b. Overall, how useful have the i3 Communities of Practice been in helping you to better implement your project?

• Very useful

• Somewhat useful

• Not very useful

• Not at all useful

Please explain your rating:

4. I have accessed the i3 Communities of Practice resource library.

• Yes Respondent continues to question 4a.

• No. Please explain why you have not yet accessed the resource library:

Respondent skips to Section 2.

4a. Overall, about how often have you accessed the resource library?

• Weekly

• Monthly (i.e., once or twice a month)

• Once or twice

4b. Overall, how useful have the resources you have accessed through the library been in helping you to better implement your project?

• Very useful

• Somewhat useful

• Not very useful

• Not at all useful

Please explain your rating:

Respondents who answered “Yes” to one or more of questions 1, 2, 3, or 4 will continue to question 5.

Respondents who answered “No” to questions 1, 2, 3, and 4 will skip to question 9a.

Section II. Please respond to the questions below related to the quality and impact of the TA services and resources you have received. As a reminder, the services and resources offered through the i3 TA contract have included individual TA services, group webinars, Communities of Practice discussions, and the Community of Practice resource library.

5. Overall, how satisfied are you with the TA services and/or resources you have received?

• Very satisfied

• Somewhat satisfied

• Somewhat dissatisfied

• Very dissatisfied

Please explain your rating:

6. Overall, to what extent have the TA services and/or resources you have received and/or accessed:

Outcome	Greatly	Moderately	Slightly	Not at all
a. improved your project’s organizational development and performance management (e.g., developing or revising a theory of action, incorporating feedback from implementation, project management, performance monitoring, improving cost effectiveness)?	O	O	O	O
b. improved communication within your project (e.g., within project team, with implementation sites, with stakeholders)?	O	O	O	O
c. increased or improved relationships with partners (e.g., working with and engaging external stakeholders, engaging private sectors)?	O	O	O	O
d. increased your knowledge regarding strategies and best practices for successfully implementing your project?	O	O	O	O
e. increased the likelihood that your project will be carried out successfully?	O	O	O	O
f. increased your knowledge related to the sustainability and scaling-up of your project (e.g., scale-up strategies, sustainability, sources of future funding, marketing branding)?	O	O	O	O
g. increased your knowledge about dissemination (e.g., dissemination channels, strategies for targeting different audiences, issues related to dissemination)?	O	O	O	O
h. increased your collaboration with other i3 grantees?	O	O	O	O
i. increased your network of potential collaborators and colleagues?	O	O	O	O

7. How, if at all, have i3 TA services and/or resources enabled you to accomplish what you may not have otherwise accomplished?

8a. Please describe what aspects of the i3 TA services and/or resources have been most helpful and why these aspects were more helpful.

8b. Please describe what aspects of the i3 TA services and/or resources have been least helpful and why these aspects were less helpful.

8c. In what ways, if any, could i3 TA services and/or resources be improved?

9a. What factors, if any, are adversely affecting your ability to implement your project successfully?

9b. What other TA services and/or resources, if any, would improve your ability to implement your project successfully?

This is the end of the survey. Thank you for your time. If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please feel free to contact Dr. Bethany Howell ([email protected]) or Dr. Sarah Heinemeier ([email protected]) of Compass Evaluation & Research via our toll-free number 877-652-0189 or email addresses.

Public Burden Statement:

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 25 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or email [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number 1880-0542. Note: Please do not return the completed survey to this address.

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