Abbreviated Supporting Statement

OMB Approval No. 1205-0436

Expiration Date: 11/30/2013

ABBREVIATED SUPPORTING STATEMENT

CLEARANCE FORM

A. SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORTING STATEMENT

A.1. Title:	State-Level Technology-Based Learning Survey of the Workforce Investment System
A.2. Compliance with 5 CFR 1320.5: Yes __X_ No _____				A.3. Assurances of confidentiality: Yes. Based on terms of umbrella clearance, OMB No. 1205-0436 requiring confidentiality.
A.4. Federal cost: $259,005.001				A.5. Requested expiration date (Month/Year): June 2013
A.6. Burden Hour estimates: a. Number of Respondents: 46 a.1. % Received Electronically: 100% b. Frequency: Once c. Average Response Time: 30 minutes d. Total Annual Burden Hours: 23 hours				A7. Does the collection of information employ statistical methods? ___X__ No _______ Yes (Complete Section B and attach BLS review sheet).
The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) launched a national strategy technology-based learning (TBL) agenda in 2006. The dramatic evolution of available technology coupled with the pressing need for increasingly cost-effective training solutions has likely had an impact on both consideration and use of TBL, over the ensuing six years. However, comparatively little is known about the current extent to which these TBL training strategies are being used, under what circumstances, and the factors that shape their adoption in the public workforce system. This request is for an 11 question web-based survey to be completed by the universe of State Workforce Agency Administrators. The survey will be administered one time only during fall 2012. The primary purpose of this survey is to gather up-to–date information on information on TBL opportunities at the state level and factors that influence its adoption and design.2 Specifically, this research is designed to profile the public workforce system with respect to: The extent to which TBL is currently being offered by approved Title I training providers, The current mix of state-level supports, resources, and regulations regarding TBL, and Factors that facilitate or impeded the adoption of TBL within state. Given the rapid evolution of training and educational technology, this survey of State Workforce Agency representatives is the only practical method for efficiently gathering an up- to-date profile of state-level practices, priorities and developmental needs. This highly current feedback will enable ETA properly discharge its obligations to propose an appropriate budget to Congress, issue clarifications of policy, provide appropriate technical assistance, and promote continuous improvement. Survey findings will also help in identifying state-level TBL adoption and opportunities (to inform future guidance and policy), currently a major ETA policy concern. The instrument will be designed and hosted on the internet using the FluidSurveys online survey platform.3 This survey consists of three sections: 1) state policy, guidance, and support for TBL; 2) opportunities for TBL in support of WIA Title I training services; and 3) factors influencing the current level of TBL opportunities. The content of the survey further justifies this request for abbreviated clearance in that the instrument, in select cases, references specific technologies and modalities that may evolve at a very rapid pace. The survey has been pilot tested with five State Workforce Agency Administrators to carefully review an array of design issues including content, wording, organization, flow, skip logic, and clarity of instructions, as well as overall level of burden. Pilot testing revealed considerable variation across states in TBL opportunity and usage as well as the availability of detailed provider information. The instrument has been revised to accommodate this cross-state variation. In addition, the wording of select questions and response scales has been revised in order to elicit the most accurate and current data possible as well as minimize overall burden. The limited number of prospective respondents coupled with the absence of available stratifiers regarding TBL use strongly supports a survey design that targets the entire universe of State Workforce Agency Administrators. As such, this is a one-time survey of a census of administrators, from each of the federated states and from the territories of Washington DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Mariana Islands. Efforts to survey the universe of state will result in approximately 46 responses from State Workforce Agency Administrators.4 An examination of the select web-based surveys conducted over the last ten years with State Workforce Agencies, indicates that an 80 percent response rate is a viable target with appropriate levels of support and follow-up. Specifically, in December 2009, the National Association of Workforce Agencies’ (NASWA) survey of state workforce agencies regarding Unemployment Insurance (UI) state trust fund solvency received a 100 percent response rate.5 Similarly, a NASWA survey on the UI provisions of the Recovery Act, released in May 2010, also had a successful completion rate (100 percent of UI Administrators) with a total of 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.6 This data collection will not duplicate any information currently collected. Although identifiers will be used to monitor survey completion and link survey responses to regions, identities of respondents will not be included in published reports nor otherwise be revealed to anyone not directly involved in the information collection (i.e., contractor personnel).
Program Official		Date	Departmental Clearance Officer		Date

1 This is the federal project cost for entering into this contract with Abt Associates.

2 The scope of work under the task order executed with Abt Associates calls for the conduct of two complementary surveys to gather insight on TBL use from the perspective of both state policy makers as well as local workforce development practitioners. Specifically, in addition to this survey of State Workforce Agency Administrators, the SOW calls for a companion survey of Local Workforce Investment Board Executive Directors to gather information on TBL usage at the local level and factors that influence its adoption and design. The shared fixed costs incurred in the development of the overall research design and the questionnaires makes it impractical to estimate the total cost of either of the surveys independently in Section A.4. However, the two surveys are being submitted under separate OMB applications because they are distinct data collection efforts and doing so maximizes the flexibility in the data collection schedule.

3 The survey is section 508 compatible.

4 This response target will be reached through a combination of strategies including: 1) a series outreach and reminder e-mails sent by appropriate representatives at strategic intervals; 2) a user friendly web-based survey instrument that can be shared across the respondent organization and accessed multiple times; 3) deployment of an in-house “solutions desk” to monitor response rates, data quality and aggressively follow-up with non-respondents who will have the flexibility to complete the instrument by phone if they prefer.

5 NASWA UI Trust Fund Solvency Survey; http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/pdf/2009/NASWA%20Solvency

%20Survey%20Summary%20of%20State%20Responses.pdf, and http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/pdf/2009/ Executive% 20Summary%20of%20NASWA%20Solvency%20Survey%20with%20Supporting%20Documents.pdf.

6 Unemployment Insurance Provisions of the Recovery Act Survey - Summary of State Response:

http://www.workforceatm.org/sections/pdf/2010/UIARRAfinalsummary5_4_2010.pdf.