Documentation for the Generic Clearance of Customer Service Satisfaction Collections

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

OF CUSTOMER SERVICE SATISFACTION COLLECTIONS

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Customer Satisfaction Survey, OPE First- and Last-Year Grantees

[x ] SURVEY [ ] FOCUS GROUP [ ] SOFTWARE USABILITY TESTING

DESCRIPTION OF THIS SPECIFIC COLLECTION

The purpose is to collect information about customer satisfaction from two groups of Office of Postsecondary Information grantees: new grantees (having received grants in FY2009) and grantees near the end of their grant periods.

This data collection is needed to obtain feedback from grantees that can be used to improve the grant process. The FY2010 data collection will provide baseline data against which changes in succeeding years can be compared.

The customer satisfaction survey will be sent via an email announcement to a Web site link to two groups of grantees during June 2010. Responses will be analyzed at the program and grantee type (new/ending) levels, as well as in the aggregate, to identify areas in which program improvements might lead to higher customer satisfaction and better program performance.

Data will be collected through a database connected to the data collection Web site (most likely a resource such as SurveyMonkey).

It is anticipated that the survey will be repeated periodically, most likely using the same or similar grantee populations. The specific programs and grantees surveyed will, of course, change from year to year.

AMOUNT OF ANY PROPOSED STIPEND OR INCENTIVE

No payments are planned.

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response or participation time in minutes (/60) = annual burden hours):

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
New grantees	1,375	15 min.	344 h.
Ending grantees	2,745	15 min.	686 h.
Totals	4,120		1,050 h.

BURDEN COST COMPUTATION

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Hourly Rate	Response Time	Total
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Totals	N/A			N/A

STATISTICAL INFORMATION

If statistical methods are to be used, fully describe the methodology, sample selection, expected response rates, and any other concepts needed to provide a full understanding of those methods.

The main approach to be used for this customer satisfaction survey is analysis of Likert and modified-Likert scales. Likert scale items will use a four-point (forced choice) scale with items (Poor/Mediocre/Satisfactory/Excellent). Modified Likert scale items will use two criteria: an importance criterion (Least important/Significant/Most important) and the performance criterion. In addition, some items will be yes/no or categorical and a small number of open-ended questions will request narrative information.

The survey will attempt a census (100% sampling) of two grantee populations:

1. New grantees: Approximately 1,375 OPE grantees receiving grants during FY2009.

2. End-of-grant grantees: Approximately 2,475 grantees with grants due to end between 4/1/2010 and 9/30/2010.

These grantee populations represent a wide variety of OPE programs.

Project Director (PD) names, email addresses and actual mail addresses are available for all grantees through OPE’s GEMS database. Target response rate is at least 80%. We will use alert emails and repeated emails during the survey period to drive up response numbers.

Analyses of data received will select responses identified as Significant or Most important and examine ratings distributions at the program, grantee type levels as well as overall. Chi-square tests will be used to test for significance of distributional differences, although given the large expected respondent numbers, some consideration of magnitudes of differences will be required.

REQUESTED APPROVAL DATE: 31 May 2010

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: John Clement

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 202-502-7520

MAILING LOCATION: Room 8073, 1990 K St. NW, Washington DC 20006

ED DEPARTMENT, OFFICE: OPE/PPI/Strategic Planning Staff