Air University International Officer School (IOS) Follow-On and Site Surveys

Request for Approval under the “Fast Track Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery”

(OMB Control Number: 0704-0553)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:

Air University International Officer School (IOS) Follow-On and Site Surveys

PURPOSE:

To collect student reaction data (feedback) from international officers (IOs) attending IOS Prep Course programs at Air University (AU). This feedback is important indirect data supporting AU Institutional Effectiveness and program assessment efforts to maintain accreditation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Eligible respondents to the follow-on surveys are IOs attending the IOS Air War College (AWC), Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), or Squadron Officer School (SOS) Prep Courses at AU after they have enrolled in, and completed several weeks of, their follow-on program.

The IOS Preparation Course Field Studies Program (FSP) Site Survey is used after each FSP event/site visit for all three IOS prep programs. Only the names and dates of the sites the IOs visit are changed from administration to administration.

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:

Justification for the 6-point response options: Since 2011, Air University (AU) has used the 6-point Likert type response options of (a) Strongly Agree, (b) Agree, (c) Slightly Agree, (d) Slightly Disagree, (e) Disagree, and (f) Strongly Disagree to collect student reaction data regarding their attitudes/opinions on their educational program experiences. The surveys are typically administered at end of courses and at graduation (exit) from programs. The continuous use of these response options has supported AU’s demonstration of consistent methodology in data collections and longitudinal data analysis for continual program improvement, critical for both joint and regional accreditation of AU educational programs. The 6-point response options have several advantages over 5-point Likert type response options when collecting data on students’ reactions to their education program experiences. These response options provide clearer insights students’ attitudes and opinions regarding their educational program experiences. The response options are balanced and symmetrical with three positive and three negative options, distinguishing degrees of agreement or disagreement, and providing greater granularity. This creates for more variability in the data, greater differentiations in the degrees of positive or negative responses and allows a more nuanced understanding of respondents’ attitudes. Removing the neutral middle eliminates ambiguity, forcing respondents to indicate either a positive or negative position which is appropriate for educational surveys.

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: Ithuriel Arden Unbrit Gale, Director, Program Assessment, Office of Academic Affairs, AU

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

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

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

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) 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

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Individuals or Households (FSP Site Surveys)	194	10 minutes	32.33 hours
Individuals or Households (Follow-On Surveys)	194	10 minutes	32.33 hours
Totals	388		65 hours

PUBLIC COST: The estimated annual cost to the public is __$469__________

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please 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? [X] Yes [ ] 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?

Full population sampling will be used to gather student feedback. All IO students attending the courses or FSP events will be provided the opportunity to respond to the corresponding survey. Student rosters are maintained both by the IOS and the AU registrar.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media (all surveys will be delivered using the AU enterprise solution online survey tool, commercially known as Qualtrics)

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

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

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