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Request for Approval under the

“Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

(OMB Control Number: 1880-0542)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 2012/17 (BPS:12/17) Restricted-Use File (RUF) User Survey 2019-20

PURPOSE:

The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) is a nationally representative collection of data on postsecondary students. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) makes BPS data available to researchers, policymakers, and the public in the form of hundreds of variables on topics including enrollment, persistence, attainment, employment, student aid, finances, and demographics. Every round of BPS includes one base-year collection and two follow-up collections conducted over the course of six years. A new series of BPS collections begins every eight years. BPS:12/17, the most recent round of BPS, used the 2011-12 academic year as its base year and included two follow-up collections, one in 2014 and one in 2017. A BPS:12/17 restricted-use file (RUF) is expected to become available to researchers with an IES (Institute of Education Sciences) restricted-use license approximately in August 2019. This request is to conduct a customer satisfaction survey to obtain feedback from BPS:12/17 RUF data users. This user survey will collect information about which data researchers are using, how they are using the data, and their satisfaction with the restricted-use data. The results will be part of the information used to determine: (a) which data should be included in future BPS and related surveys and (b) how to improve BPS restricted-use file (RUF) and data tools processes, data products, and usability.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The respondents will be recruited from the population of RUF license holders who participate in a mandatory online training. At the end of the training, they will be prompted to indicate if they perform research using the BPS:12/17 RUF. Those who respond in the affirmative will be redirected to the RUF user survey, which will likewise be administered online.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other:

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. 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 future.

Name: Kashka Kubzdela ([email protected])

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Type of Respondent	Maximum Number of Respondents	Burden Hours Per Respondent	Total Hours
Restricted-use data user	6,000	0.25 (15 minutes)	1,500

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government for this project is $897.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or will employ statistical methods, provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

The respondents will be recruited from the population of RUF license holders who participate in a mandatory online training. At the end of the training, they will be prompted to indicate if they perform research using the BPS:12/17 RUF. Those who respond in the affirmative will be redirected to the RUF user survey, which will likewise be administered online.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

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