NSF is requesting a generic clearance for several reasons. As a federal agency, NSF is engaged in a process of continuous improvement in the data collections it conducts. Critical to the improvement in existing surveys is the ability to engage in small scale projects to test alternatives to current approaches being utilized in the surveys. Generic clearance authority substantially enhances NSF's ability to engage in such testing and exploration. Furthermore, as the world continues to change, NSF must continuously evaluate its surveys in light of these changes. Respondent behaviors will change (e.g., response rates decrease over time); technology will change (e.g., the web quickly became a data collection option); and the S&E enterprise will change (e.g., today's students increasingly pursue multi/interdisciplinary studies rather than a single discipline). Similarly, the understanding of how to improve surveys continues to evolve (e.g., today's research continues to update the interpretation of the best implementation for web surveys).
US Code:
42 USC 1861 et seq.
Name of Law: National Science Foundation Act, as amended
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.