Email correspondence

Appendix C: Research Participant Survey Notifications, Invitations, and Reminders

This section contains the schedule and associated text for contacting respondents that NSF and the contractor plan on using when fielding the survey. Table C-1 describes the plan chronologically from 2 days prior to the survey launching to 3 weeks after launch. This plan has been designed to increase the response rate for the survey.

Table C-1. Respondent Contact Schedule

Form of Contact	When Contact Will Occur
Advanced Notice from PI	2 days before launch
Advanced Notice from NSF	Day of launch
Survey invitation via email from study team	Launch day
First Email Reminder from Study Team	1 week after launch
Second Email Reminder from Study Team	2 weeks after launch
Email Reminder from NSF	2 weeks after launch
Final Email Reminder from Study Team	2.5 weeks after launch
Phone Reminder from Study Team	3 weeks after launch

1. Advance Notice from PI

Dear __ (former student),

In the next few days you will receive an email from the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute requesting your participation in a survey to help improve NSF’s Research Experience and Mentoring award our research team received. I encourage you to fill out the survey, which will take about twenty minutes. The information gathered from the survey will be used to improve the program for REM participants <at INSTITUTION> and across the country in the years to come.

All the best,

Dr. ___

2. Advance Notice from NSF

Dear __ ,

You will receive an email shortly from the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute requesting your participation in a survey about your experience as a participant in the Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program. Filling out the survey should take about twenty minutes, and will provide NSF with valuable information that will be used to improve the program for REM participants across the country into the future.

Filling out this survey will not impact your future relationship with NSF, and responses will be presented to us in aggregate. Thank you for your time and consideration. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns regarding the survey.

All the best,

Alias Smith

alismith@nsf.gov

3. Survey invitation via email from study team

Subject: The NSF Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) survey

Dear «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

On behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) is conducting a survey of past participants in the NSF Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program. NSF would like to understand if and how the REM award achieved the goal of promoting research opportunities for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, and faculty.

You are being contacted because you participated in a REM program and STPI has identified you as an eligible participant. Because the pool of awardees is small, we hope that you are willing and able to complete a short survey. Your decision to participate is confidential, and survey results will only be reported to NSF in aggregate. The aggregated results will assist NSF in continuing to offer research opportunities for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, faculty, and veterans.

The survey will take about 20 minutes and will ask you about your experiences related to the program.

Here is your personalized link: «Invite_Link»

If you have any questions regarding the technical aspects of the survey, please feel free to email REMeval@ida.org. If you would like to verify the authenticity of this study feel free to contact the NSF program office for the REM supplement, Dr. Alias Smith, at alismith@nsf.gov.

On behalf of the STPI team, thank you for your time and care,

Asha Balakrishnan

Asha Balakrishnan, PhD

Science and Technology Policy Institute

1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

--

STPI is a federally-funded research and development center based in Washington, D.C. that supports the Federal agencies in various areas of science policy research. Please see our website for more information: https://www.ida.org/stpi.php.

4. First email reminder from study team

   1. Not started

Subject: Reminder! NSF Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program survey

Dear «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

This is a reminder to please complete our survey for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program. The goal of the survey is to understand if and how the REM award achieved the goal of promoting research opportunities for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, and faculty. Because the pool of awardees is small, we would really appreciate your feedback and thoughts on the program.

The survey is roughly 20 minutes and will ask about your experiences related to the program. Your decision to participate is confidential, and survey results will only be reported to NSF in aggregate. The aggregated results will assist NSF in continuing to offer research opportunities for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, and faculty.

Here is your personalized link: «Invite_Link»

If you have any questions regarding the technical aspects of the survey, please feel free to email REMeval@ida.org. If you would like to verify the authenticity of this study feel free to contact the NSF program office for the REM supplement, Dr. Alias Smith, at alismith@nsf.gov.

On behalf of the STPI assessment team, thank you for your time and care,

Asha Balakrishnan

Asha Balakrishnan, PhD

Science and Technology Policy Institute

1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

--

STPI is a federally-funded research and development center based in Washington, D.C. that supports the Federal agencies in various areas of science policy research. Please see our website for more information: https://www.ida.org/stpi.php.

1. Partially complete

Subject: Reminder! Complete your NSF Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program survey

Dear «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

Thank you for starting the survey for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program. This is an email reminder to complete the survey. Because the pool of awardees is small, we would really appreciate your feedback and thoughts on the program. As of DATE your survey is listed as partially completed. Previous answers are automatically saved and you can access the survey using the personalized link below. Your response is essential.

The survey is roughly 20 minutes and will ask about your experiences related to the program. Your decision to participate is confidential, and survey results will only be reported to NSF in aggregate. The aggregated results will assist NSF in continuing to offer research opportunities for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, and faculty.

Here is your personalized link: «Invite_Link»

If you have any questions regarding the technical aspects of the survey, please feel free to email REMeval@ida.org. If you would like to verify the authenticity of this study feel free to contact the NSF program office for the REM supplement, Dr. Alias Smith, at alismith@nsf.gov.

On behalf of the STPI assessment team, thank you for your time and care,

Asha Balakrishnan

Asha Balakrishnan, PhD

Science and Technology Policy Institute

1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

--

STPI is a federally-funded research and development center based in Washington, D.C. that supports the Federal agencies in various areas of science policy research. Please see our website for more information: https://www.ida.org/stpi.php.

5. Second email reminder from study team

Dear «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

As you may have heard, STPI is conducting a survey of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program. Because the pool of awardees is small, we would really appreciate your feedback and thoughts on the program.

The survey is roughly 20 minutes and will ask about your experiences related to the program. Your decision to participate is confidential, and survey results will only be reported to NSF in aggregate. The aggregated results will assist NSF in continuing to offer research opportunities for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, and faculty.

Here is your personalized link: «Invite_Link»

If you have any questions regarding the technical aspects of the survey, please feel free to email REMeval@ida.org. If you would like to verify the authenticity of this study feel free to contact the NSF program office for the REM supplement, Dr. Alias Smith, at alismith@nsf.gov.

On behalf of the STPI assessment team, thank you for your time and care,

Asha Balakrishnan

Asha Balakrishnan, PhD

Science and Technology Policy Institute

1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

6. Email reminder from NSF

Dear REM participant,

You should have received an email in the last few weeks from the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute inviting your participation in a survey about the Research Experience and Mentoring program. To those that have already taken the time, thank you so much for your contribution to this effort.

If you have not had a chance to do so already, filling out the survey should take about twenty minutes. The results of the survey will help guide the future of the REM program as we help to bring research experiences to students across the Nation. Responses will be presented to us in aggregate, so your participation is confidential. Thank you for your time and consideration. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns regarding the survey.

All the best,

Alias Smith

alismith@nsf.gov

7. Final Email Reminder from Study Team

   1. Not started

Subject: Help improve The NSF Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program

Dear «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

We wanted to follow up one more time to remind you to please complete our survey for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program Assessment. Because the pool of awardees is small, your feedback and thoughts on the program are especially important.

The survey is roughly 20 minutes and is on your experiences related to the program as well as outputs and outcomes associated with your time in the program. Your decision to participate is confidential, and survey results will only be reported to NSF in aggregate. The aggregated results will assist NSF in continuing to offer research opportunities for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, and faculty.

Here is your personalized link: «Invite_Link»

If you have any questions regarding the technical aspects of the survey, please feel free to email REMeval@ida.org. If you would like to verify the authenticity of this study feel free to contact the NSF program office for the REM supplement, Dr. Alias Smith, at alismith@nsf.gov.

On behalf of the STPI assessment team, thank you for your time and care,

Asha Balakrishnan

Asha Balakrishnan, PhD

Science and Technology Policy Institute

1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

--

STPI is a federally-funded research and development center based in Washington, D.C. that supports the Federal agencies in various areas of science policy research. Please see our website for more information: https://www.ida.org/stpi.php.

2. Partially complete

Subject: Help improve The NSF Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program

Dear «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

We wanted to follow up one more time to remind you to please complete our survey for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program Assessment. Because the pool of awardees is small, your feedback and thoughts on the program are especially important. As of DATE your survey is listed as partially completed. Previous answers are automatically saved and you can access the survey using the personalized link below. Your response is essential.

The survey is roughly 20 minutes and is on your experiences related to the program as well as outputs and outcomes associated with your time in the program. Your decision to participate is confidential, and survey results will only be reported to NSF in aggregate. The aggregated results will assist NSF in continuing to offer research opportunities for high school students, STEM teachers, undergraduate STEM students, and faculty.

Here is your personalized link: «Invite_Link»

If you have any questions regarding the technical aspects of the survey, please feel free to email REMeval@ida.org. If you would like to verify the authenticity of this study feel free to contact the NSF program office for the REM supplement, Dr. Alias Smith, at alismith@nsf.gov.

On behalf of the STPI assessment team, thank you for your time and care,

Asha Balakrishnan

Asha Balakrishnan, PhD

Science and Technology Policy Institute

1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

--

STPI is a federally funded research and development center based in Washington, D.C. that supports the Federal agencies in various areas of science policy research. Please see our website for more information: https://www.ida.org/stpi.php.

8. Phone Reminder from Study Team

Hello «First_Name» «Last_Name»,

We have been trying to reach you to learn more about your experience in the Research Experience and Mentoring program in «Year». Do you have interest in taking a short survey to help improve the REM program? Is there a better email address to send the link to? Otherwise, I would be happy to administer the survey over the phone. We estimate it will take about twenty minutes to complete.

Thank you for your time.