0651-0077 Supporting Statement Part A March 2018

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

United States Patent and Trademark Office

National Summer Teacher Institute

OMB CONTROL NO. 0651-0077

March 2018

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Necessity of Information Collection

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) requests review of an information collection request associated with the National Summer Teacher Institute (NSTI). This program, which focuses on innovation, STEM, and Intellectual Property, is offered in support of USPTO’s ongoing education and outreach programming and Department of Commerce Innovation initiatives. The Institute, launched in 2014, is part of the USPTO’s ongoing efforts to foster innovation, competitiveness and economic growth, domestically and abroad, by providing relevant intellectual property, innovation, and invention resources to school administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

USPTO facilitates the enhancement of internal and external relations, including stakeholder partnernships and collaborations, and support for Government-wide efforts to promote STEM education initiatives. In order to obtain a broad range of participants for the NSTI, the USPTO must collect data related to courses taught, teaching experience, and school district demographics.

The National Summer Teacher Institute combines experiential training tools, practices, and project-based learning models to support elementary, middle, and high school teachers in incorporating concepts of making, inventing, and innovation into classroom instruction. Recent focuses of the yearly institute have focused on the creation and protection of intellectual property; including inventions, knowledge discovery, creative ideas, and expressions of the human mind that may have commerical value and are protectable under patent, trademark, copyright, or trade secret laws. Intellectual property is modeled as both a teaching and learning platform to help inspire and motivate student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Table 1: Statute and Rule Citations

IC No.	Requirement	Statute	Rule
1	Teacher’s Summer Institute Application (NSTI 1)	35 USC 2(a)(2) and (b)(11)	N/A
2	Teacher’s Summer Institute Participant Survey (NSTI 2)	35 USC 2(a)(2) and (b)(11)	N/A
3	Teacher’s Summer Institute Webinar Survey (NSTI 3)	35 USC 2(a)(2) and (b)(11)	N/A

2. Needs and Uses

This program receives information from applicants requesting to participate in the National Summer Teachers Institute program and certifying that they are educators with at least 3 years’ experience and who 1) have taught in STEM or innovation related fields during the preceding academic year; 2) plan to teach in a STEM or innovation related field this upcoming academic year; and 3) commit to incorporate the learnings from the Teacher Summer Institute into their curriculum, where applicable, and cooperate with sharing lessons/outcomes with teachers and PTO.

The surveys, in this collection, will primarily be conducted electronically using either a survey tool or e-mail. In-person surveys may potentially be conducted. All applications for the institute must be submitted electronically through the USPTO website.

The information collected, maintained, and used in this collection is based on OMB and USPTO guidelines. This includes the basic information quality standards established in the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), in OMB Circular A-130, and in the USPTO information quality guidelines.

Table 2: Needs and Uses

IC No.	Form and Function	Form #	Needs and Uses
1	National Summer Teachers’ Institute Application	NSTI 1	Use allows teachers to apply to the Teacher Summer Institute. Allows USPTO to select a range of participants in the Institute.
2	National Summer Teachers’ Institute Participant Survey	NSTI 2	Use provides a feedback tool for those involved in the institute. Allows USPTO feedback to understand program participants and prepare program enhancements.
3	National Summer Teachers’ Institute Webinar Survey	NSTI3	Use provides a feedback tool for those involved in program webinars. Allows USPTO to understand webinar participants and their particular needs and interests.

2. Use of Information Technology

Applications will be submitted electronically through the www.uspto.gov/education website.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

This information is collected to determine whether the applicant is eligible for the program. It does not duplicate information or collection of data found elsewhere.

5. Minimizing the Burden to Small Entities

No significant impact is placed on small entities.

6. Consequences of Less Frequent Collection

This information is collected only as required to process an application for participation in the program. This information is not collected elsewhere. Therefore, this collection of information could not be conducted less frequently. If this information were not collected, the USPTO would not be able to host this event.

7. Special Circumstances in the Conduct of Information Collection

There are no special circumstances associated with this collection of information.

8. Consultation Outside the Agency

The 60-Day Notice was published in the Federal Register on January 10, 2018 (83 Fed Reg. 1242). The comment period ended on March 12. One public comment was recieved.

COMMENT: The public comment asserted this program (and all STEM programs for educators) should reside under the Department of Education rather than the Patent Office.

RESPONSE: The Agency responds that it has statutory authority to conduct the program, which focuses on innovation, STEM, and intellectual property.

The USPTO also works closely with both the National Science Foundation and the National Science Teachers Association in developing materials used in connection with the program and they can be consulted, as needed, in providing feedback on the program and any information collection activities.  The USPTO also solicits general public comments regarding its information collections. 

8. Payment or Gifts to Respondents

This information collection does not involve a payment or an award to select respondents. For teachers selected to participate in the Teacher Summer Institute, the USPTO will extend invitational travel for individuals selected who live outside of a 50 mile radius of the Institute venue.

8. Assurance of Confidentiality.

Personal information (personal addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addressed) is retained in this collection. An amended Privacy Act System of Records Notice entitled “Commerce PAT/TM-19, Dissemination Events and Registrations” was published in the Federal Register on December 27, 2006 (71 Fed. Reg. 77739).

Records for public users are kept in secured premises with physical and electronic access to the information limited to staff members whose official duties require it. The information is available to the extent required by law and as allowed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act. Personal addresses, personal telephone numbers, and e-mail addesses are kept confidential; business addresses or telephone numbers could be provided in response to a FOIA request.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

None of the information collected is considered to be of a sensitive nature.

12. Estimate of Hour and Cost Burden to Respondents

Table 3 calculates the anticipated burden hours and costs of this information collection to the public to be an estimated $8,613.02, based on the following factors:

• Respondent Calculation Factors

The USPTO estimates that it will receive 500 applications per year.

• Burden Hour Calculation Factors

The USPTO estimates that it takes the public approximately between 5 – 30 minutes to complete the items in this collection, depending on the nature of the information. This includes the time to gather the necessary information, prepare the application and submit it and any supplemental supporting materials, to the USPTO.

• Cost Burden Calculation Factors

The USPTO expects that secondary schoolteachers will complete the applications and surveys. The professional hourly rate for secondary school teachers is $29.53, based upon the May 2016 Occupational Labor Statistics Report for secondary school teachers (25–2031).

Table 3: Burden Hour/Burden Cost to Respondents

IC No.	Item	Hours (a)	Responses (yr) (b)	Burden (hrs/yr) (c) (a) x (b)	Rate ($/hr) (d)	Total Cost ($/hr) (e) (c) x (d)
1	National Summer Teachers’ Institute Application (NSTI 1)	0.50	500	250	$29.53	$7,382.50
2	National Summer Teachers’ Institute Participant Survey (NSTI 2)	0.17	100	16.67	$29.53	$492.27
3	National Summer Teacher’s Institute Webinar Survey (NSTI 3)	.08	300	25	$29.53	$738.25
	Total	- - -	900	291.67	- - -	$8,613.02

13. Total Annualized Cost Burden

As all materials are only accepted electronically there are no postage costs associated with this information collection. No processing costs or other costs are imposed on respondents. Therefore, the total cost burden of this collection is $0.

14. Annual Cost to the Federal Government

The USPTO’s total estimated cost for processing the information in this collection is estimated at $1,356.22 per year. The estimated cost for processing the applications is as follows:

It is estimated that a GS-9, step 3, will take 3 minutes (0.05 hours) to review the applications for completeness. The hourly rate for a GS-9, step 3, is currently $28.74 according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s 2018 wage chart, including locality pay for the Washington, DC area. When 30% is added to account for a fully loaded hourly rate (benefits and overhead), the rate per hour for a GS-9, step 3 is $37.36 ($28.74+ $8.62).

It is estimated that a GS-14 step 1, will take 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to apply selection critertia to the application and 3 minutes (0.05 hours) to process the surveys. The hourly rate for a GS-14, step 1, is currently $54.91 according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s 2018 wage chart, including locality pay for the Washington, DC area. When 30% is added to account for a fully loaded hourly rate (benefits and overhead), the rate per hour for a GS-14, step 1 is $71.38 ($54.91 + $16.47).

Table 4: Burden Hour/Burden Cost to the Federal Government

IC No.	Item	Hours (a)	Responses (yr) (b)	Burden (hrs/yr) (c) (a) x (b)	Rate ($/hr) (d)	Total Cost ($/hr) (e) (c) x (d)
1	National Summer Teachers’ Institute Application GS 9, step 3 Attorney, GS 14, step 1	0.05 0.08	500 50	25 4	$37.36 $71.38	$934.00 $285.52
2	National Summer Teachers’ Institute Participant Survey	0.05	100	5	$71.38	$356.90
3	National Summer Teacher’s Institute Webinar Survey	0.05	300	15	$71.38	$1,070.70
	Total	- - -	950	49	- - -	$1,356.22

15. Reason for Change in Burden

1. Changes in Collection since prvious OMB approval in 2015

OMB previously approved the renewal of this information collection in March 2015. The current collection contains:

• 900 responses

• 291.67 burden hours

• $8,052.92 in hourly respondent cost

• $0.00 in annual (non-hour) costs.

2. Changes proposed in this request to OMB

• $8,613.02 in hourly respondent costs

There are no changes to responses, burden hours, or annual non-hour costs.

Change in Respondent Cost Burden

For this renewal, the USPTO estimates that the annual respondent costs will increase by $560.10 (from $8,052.92 to $8,613.02) from the previous renewal. This is due to this increase in the hourly rate for secondary school teachers.

16. Project Schedule

There is no plan to publish this information for statistical use.

17. Display of Expiration Date of OMB Approval

The form in this information collection will display the OMB Control Number and the OMB expiration date.

18. Exception to the Certificate Statement

This collection of information does not include any exceptions to the certificate statement.

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

This collection of information employs statistical methods and is described in greater detail in Supporting Statement Part B.

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