1110-0050_Supporting Statement

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION

Supporting Statement

Agency: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Title: FBI National Academy Level I Questionnaires

Forms: FBI National Academy Level 1: Student Course Questionnaire

FBI National Academy: General Remarks Questionnaire

OMB No: 1110-0050

Prepared by: Laleatha B. Goode

Management and Program Analyst

Federal Bureau of Investigation

FBI Academy

Training Division,

Quantico, Virginia 22135

Telephone: (703) 632-3495

Fax: (703) 632-3111

The FBI Training Division's Curriculum Management Section (CMS), Evaluation and Accreditation Unit (EAU) are requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the Paperwork Reduction Act submission for a new data collection. The collection consists of two student reaction questionnaires directed at the FBI National Academy (NA) students. CMS wants to ensure that the FBI National Academy is meeting the training needs of their students and offer them an opportunity for suggestions for program enhancement.

Responses from the questionnaires will assist the CMS Section in identifying deficiencies and strengths in service delivery. From this information, training areas can be identified to foster development of best customer service practices to increase efficiency and quality of training.

The FBI National Academy Level 1: Student Course Questionnaire will be distributed to all students who attend training at the FBI National Academy. The questions will target the students’ reaction to the training they just completed.

The FBI National Academy: General Remarks Questionnaire will be distributed to all students who attend training at the FBI National Academy. The questions will target the students’ reaction to their overall experience during their 10-week training at FBI National Academy.

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Circumstances of the collection

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) National Academy was created in response to a 1930 study released by the National Committee on Law Observation and Enforcement. This body was appointed by Hebert Hoover to study causes of criminal activity (largely related to prohibition) and make recommendations regarding appropriate national policy responses. One of those recommendations was regarding appropriate national policy responses. One of those recommendations was to establish as "FBI Police Training School" that would offer training to law enforcement professionals from around the country to bring about greater standardization of techniques and a higher level of professionalism.

Today, the mission of the Academy is to "support, promote, and enhance the personal and professional development of law enforcement leaders by preparing them for complex, dynamic and contemporary challenges through innovative techniques, facilitating excellence in education and research, and forging partnerships throughout the world.” To meet this mission, the FBI National Academy offers a quarterly 10-week training program including undergraduate and graduate courses at their campus in Quantico, Virginia. The subject areas include law, behavioral science, forensic science, leadership development, communication, and health and fitness. In addition to class work, FBI National Academy attendance allows law enforcement professionals the opportunity to network, share ideas, and learn from their various experiences. Participation is by invitation only and is implemented though a supervisory nomination process. Attendees represent state and local police and sheriffs’ departments, military police organizations, and federal law enforcement agencies from the United States and over 150 foreign nations.

2. Purpose and Use of the Information

The purpose of the proposed data collection from both questionnaires is to gather information from FBI National Academy students to measure the students’ reaction to the training they received at the Academy. Under the most common models of training evaluations, four levels are defined. A Level I evaluation seeks information from students on the degree to which they felt the training experience was of value to them. Under Level II, resulting knowledge is assessed. Level III is concerned with the degree to which a training experience actually affected post training performance, which is the focus of this data collection. A Level IV evaluation seeks evidence that training has had the intended impact on the organization as a whole.

FBI National Academy Level 1: Student Course Questionnaire

The information collected from the FBI National Academy Level 1: Student Course Questionnaire will determine the strengths and weaknesses of the existing program. Information received will measure the students’ reaction to the FBI National Academy training program. No one other than the students’ perception can provide relevant feedback on how the quality of the instruction at the FBI National Academy has affected them and how it can affect their job performance once they return to work. This questionnaire represents the most cost-effective method for allowing the students to provide such feedback and, as a result, create the opportunity for improvements to Academy programs to benefit future participants.

FBI National Academy: General Remarks Questionnaire

The information collected from the FBI National Academy: General Remarks Questionnaire will determine how the FBI can improve the students overall experience during their stay at the FBI National Academy. This will be accomplished by assessing students’ views of the FBI’s facilities, programs and resources that are offered as well as point to ways in which improvements or alterations can be instituted to strengthen the FBI National Academy. No one other than the students can more directly provide feedback on how this experience has affected them. This questionnaire represents the most cost-effective method to provide such feedback and, as a result, create the opportunity for improvements to the FBI National Academy.

This data collection is justified under 5 USC 410.601(f) (Office of Personnel Management, Training, Evaluation of Training). This section reads as follows:

Under provisions of chapter 41 of title 5, United States Code, and Executive Order 11348, the agency head shall evaluate training to determine how well it meets short and long-range program needs by occupations, organizations, or other appropriate groups. The agency head may conduct the evaluation in the manner or frequency he or she considers appropriate.

3. Use of Automated, Electronic, Mechanical or Technological Collection of Techniques

To the extent possible, all data collection will be conducted through the Internet. The data collection plan calls for the FBI National Academy students to be contact via email and inform them of the existence and purpose of the questionnaire. Therefore, all activities associated with this data collection involve information technology. The decision was made to use these methods to make it as easy as possible for all respondents to participate. Note that if any students prefer to complete a paper version of the questionnaire, they will be allowed to request one via email. We anticipate that this option will be selected infrequently.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

Given the unique nature of the FBI National Academy’s program, evaluation efforts are possible only by questioning students. No other sources are available or viable for this purpose.

5. Impact on Small Business

The collection of information will not have an impact on small businesses.

6. Consequences of not Collecting Data

Although the content of the FBI National Academy’s program and the way in which it is conveyed have been carefully designed to address the institution’s mission, the changing nature of law enforcement activities over time presents the possibility that additional content may be needed or that content has become less worthwhile to professionals in the field. Level 1 evaluation allows FBI personnel to monitor the quality of instruction and make necessary changes to the curriculum.

7. Special Circumstances

(a) Respondents will not be required to report information more than quarterly. (b) Although open-ended responses will be included in the questionnaire, most questions are in multiple-choice format. Those questions that do require a written response are intended to elicit brief comments or recommendations related to the FBI National Academy program content. We will be asking students to respond in a period of two weeks or less but feel the nature of the written responses is such that this will not inflict undue burden. This is especially true since all input will be gathered via the Internet. (c) Respondents will not be required to submit documentation of any kind with their completed questionnaires. (d) Respondents will not be required to retain records of any kind as part of this data collection. (e) All students who attend each ten-week training session at FBI National Academy, approximately 1,040 law enforcement professionals, will be questioned. No statistical data classification is required. The proposed questionnaire does not include a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use. Respondents are not required to submit proprietary trade secrets or other confidential information.

8. Outside Consultation

Consultation was conducted internally within the personnel of the FBI’s Training Division. Its feedback was utilized to tailor the questionnaires to meet the needs of the students.

9. Payment to Respondents

No payment or gifts will be offered to respondents

10. Assurance of Confidentiality

All respondents will be assured of confidentiality under Public Law 93-573 (Privacy Act of 1974). They will be assured that individual data will not be released, and that only aggregate data will be reported. Limited demographic information will be collected, allowing no possibility of identifying individual respondents.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

This data collection includes no questions of a sensitive nature.

12. Estimates of Hour Burden

Based on the target population we estimate the maximum response time for the questionnaire to be 34 minutes. With a sample size of 1,040 and a 70% response rate, we anticipate the final database will include 728. Thus, the total burden for the data collection will be 413 hours. Wage rate data was obtained from the Department of Labor.¹ Because respondents occupy a variety of positions within law enforcement agencies, we took the average of the upper limit salaries from the following classifications to represent wage rate: detectives/criminal investigators, police and detective supervisors, grade 14/15 FBI special agents, police chiefs, deputy police chiefs, and police captains. The average annual salary came to $93,227. Given a yearly total of 2,080 hours on the job, the average hourly salary comes to $44.82. With a 34 minute response time, the costs associated with this effort come to $25.50 per respondent, or a potential total of $26,520.

13. Estimates of Cost Burden

No equipment, software, systems, or technology will be purchased to support this effort. Completing the both questionnaires will have no monetary cost on the respondents.

14. Estimates of Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

This is a collection that will be offered four-times a year. Costs outlined in 12/13 represent the total cost of this project.

15. Reasons for Program Changes

There are no program changes or adjustment reported in Items 13 or 14 of OMB Form 83I.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication

The Evaluation Program of the EAU, CMS, will provide a report summarizing the background, methodology, and results. The report will not be released to the public but maintained in a database for use by FBI employees or FBI contract employees. At this time it is anticipated that the following data summaries will be provided:

• Charts showing the summation of all the quantitative items on the questionnaires.

• Compilation of the responses to each of the close-ended items.

At this time, it is not anticipated that complex statistical issues will emerge. The time schedule for the project is provided in the table below.

Event	Completion Date
Questionnaire approval by OMB
Questionnaire programming
Initial contact with students
Reminder notifications
Completion of data collection
Content analysis
Final questionnaire database
Data analysis
Delivery of draft report
Delivery of final report

17. Request for Approval not to display OMB Expiration Date

The expiration date for OMB approval number will be displayed.

18. Exceptions to the Certification Statement

No exceptions to the certification statement are requested.

1 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/print/police-and-detectives.htm, Retrieved February 19, 2013

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