PDW SS Part A

SUPPORTING STATEMENT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
AND FORMAL EVALUATION OF NOAA ONLINE EDUCATION MATERIALS
OMB CONTROL NO.: 0648-xxxx

A. JUSTIFICATION
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.
According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), studies show
that “our nation’s education system is failing to prepare students with the essential science skills
required in an increasingly competitive global economy.” Minority students and those from lowincome families perform particularly poorly. Adults, including educators, also lack knowledge.
According to the 1999 survey Communicating About Oceans, nearly 60% of Americans do not
realize that more plants and animals live in the oceans than on land; 75% mistakenly believe that
forests, rather than oceans, are the planet’s main sources of oxygen; and 40% are unaware of the
essential role oceans play in regulating climate. Thus, a project that seeks to educate first
teachers and then students, and at the same time evaluate the efficacy of NOAA products, will
enable NOAA to build new environmental literacy capacity in all four of its mission-goal areas.
The Oceans Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-256) established a commission to make recommendations for
a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy, with goals including “stewardship of
ocean and coastal resources” and “expansion of human knowledge of the marine environment.”
The Commission on Ocean Policy produced An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century (2004)
which highlights the importance of ocean science in teaching basic scientific concepts, as well as
how it can enhance the teaching of social sciences (e.g., economics, history). It concludes:
“Because scientists typically do not know what type, level, or format of information K-12
teachers require, and because teachers generally are not aware of how ocean-related data can be
used to advance student achievement, collaborative efforts will be needed to develop and
disseminate research-based, ocean-related curricula that are designed with state and national
educational standards and meet the needs of teachers.”
Since 2004, NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) has produced and offered Web-based
formal educational products geared toward educators and students at the high school level. They
are comprised of tutorials, case studies, and lesson plans based on NOAA research, and are
correlated to National Science Education Standards and the AAAS Benchmarks for Science
Literacy.
These products have been widely accessed. In 2006, NOS’s education Web site received nearly
five million hits, and lesson plans have been downloaded at an average rate of 16,000 every
month. In 2004, NOS entered into a Cooperative Agreement with the National Science Teachers
Association (NSTA) to evaluate the content of its educational products. All of the products
received high marks for age-appropriate, Web and inquiry-based materials.

Through its partnership with the NSTA, NOS has become acutely aware of teachers’ growing
needs for educational materials on ocean-science topics, as well as their need to learn more about
the topics themselves and how best to teach them. NOAA has the opportunity to fulfill a specific
and critical need by reaching out to these educators, informing them of the availability of NOAA
educational materials, and providing them with professional development to implement them in
their classrooms. In addition, it is essential for NOAA to create a formal mechanism by which its
educational materials may be evaluated by the educators and students who use them. NOAA
needs objective external feedback to assess the effectiveness of its educational materials in
improving the teaching of state and national education standards, and to determine its success in
promoting the concepts and content of the major ocean literacy principles.
The NOAA Education Plan states that NOAA’s Education Program will “support educator
professional development programs to improve understanding and use of NOAA sciences,” that
these planning efforts will “incorporate external evaluation and review,” and that “NOAA’s
educational activities will include goals, measurable objectives, and an evaluation component.”
The Education Branch of NOS’s Communication and Education Division, together with the
National Education Coordinator of NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration (OE), conclude that
conducting a series of one-day professional development seminars for educators, which will
include a rigorous evaluation and feedback component as well as an in-classroom follow-up
component, is the best way for NOAA to achieve these goals.
In Great Lakes Educational Needs Assessment: Teachers’ Priorities for Topics, Materials, and
Training (Fortner & Corney, 2002), the authors write that “Research indicates that high-quality
curriculum materials, accompanied by extensive teacher preparations for their use, can increase
student achievement . . . In fact, research has shown that unless curriculum innovations are
accompanied by teacher education, the materials are unlikely to be implemented. Thus it is
critical for providers of materials to think not only about what is needed for the curriculum, but
how teachers will react to specific opportunities for learning. Effective use of funds for teacher
enhancement could depend on knowing more about teachers’ priorities and needs.” The authors
also found that “respondents indicate that workshops are a primary source of . . . information,
and one-day formats are preferred. This reinforces earlier research that found that one-day
workshops were most effective in getting teachers to use new materials and introduce them to
other teachers.”
Similarly, in the article Relative Effectiveness of Four Modes of Curriculum Dissemination
(Mayer & Fortner, 1987) the researchers found that 80% of educators who participated in a oneday professional development seminar continued to utilize the materials in their classrooms for
up to four years.
To address the educational needs of today’s teachers and students, NOAA must provide formal
materials that teachers can use in the classroom. These materials should be multidisciplinary and
relate to the real world. NOS’s and OE’s combined efforts will make it possible for NOAA to
provide teachers with professional development opportunities that cover the entire realm of
coastal and ocean science, from the study of near-shore habitats and processes (NOS’s focus) to
open ocean processes and deep-sea exploration (OE’s focus).

In doing so, the project will directly support NOAA’s cross-cutting priority for environmental
literacy, outreach, and education. NOAA hopes to inspire the nation’s youth to pursue scientific
careers and improve the public’s understanding of ecosystem processes and natural hazards.
Regarding strategies and measures of success in this area, the NOAA Strategic Plan states that
“NOAA will create an agency-wide mechanism for distributing and using its educational
materials and services and for measuring the effectiveness of its outreach efforts,” and suggests
that these mechanisms can be measured by “an increased number of favorable survey scores of
NOAA’s performance in delivering accurate, prompt, and comprehensible information.”
For this reason, formal and rigorous evaluation must take place. Due to privacy laws and other
regulations, it can prove difficult for federal agencies to conduct evaluations of material
presented on federal Web sites. Among the ways that evaluative information can be collected on
formal educational materials presented online are via feedback from educators who have
participated in professional development seminars and workshops, as well as from students who
have utilized the materials firsthand in the classroom.
In summary, the purpose of this study is to assess the usefulness and effectiveness of the online
education resources of NOAA’s Ocean Service education Web site and the Office of Ocean
Exploration’s Expedition Online Education Modules in enhancing the teaching of National
Science Education Standards (NSES) and promoting the Ocean Literacy Principles and
Fundamental Concepts.
The bulleted list below provides the constitutive definitions of “usefulness” and “effectiveness”
in accordance with the statement of purpose:
“Usefulness” means teachers...
• Think they have found a wealth of exemplary resources.
• Think about how they can incorporate the NOAA online educational materials into their
curricula—not necessarily ocean science—in order to meet the educational standards they
need to teach to.
• Perceive NOAA education Web sites as a “go to place” for resources they will need.
• Think the information appears in a usable format, can access information quickly, and in
a targeted way - i.e., user- friendly.
• See that education standards are clearly labeled, easy to access, useful.
• Use NOAA education Web sites on a regular basis.
“Effective” means teachers are...
• Empowered as teaching professionals using these materials.
• Excited about bringing these materials to their students.
• Thinking about students reactions to the materials.
• Thinking about how these materials will help them meet education standards.
• Thinking about coastal and ocean environments.
• Thinking about NOAA and why the organization exists/what the organization does.
• Intrigued by these NOAA Web sites, and encouraged to explore additional NOAA online
education resources.
• Clearly understanding the collaboration between scientists and educators.

•
•
•
•
•
•

Clearly understanding that these materials have been written by educators.
Recognizing that these materials represent reliable scientific information.
Recognizing that, as an organization, NOAA is working for them, as a resource.
Increasing the number of online components they use - Increasing NOAA Web site usage
in the classroom.
Are feeling enhanced as a professional.
Achieving classroom success through use of the online materials.

“Effective” means students are...
• Excited about using these materials.
• Intrigued by these NOAA Web sites, and encouraged to explore additional NOAA online
resources.
• Engaged when using the online educational materials.
• Recognizing that these materials represent reliable scientific information.
• Recognizing that, as an organization, NOAA is working for them, as a resource.
• Increasing their knowledge of ocean science.
• Increasing their awareness of potential ocean science careers.
The Evaluation Plan
Using the statement of purpose previously presented, an evaluation plan was developed for the
study. The evaluation plan was built upon the theory that when adopting materials for use,
participants follow a logical progression of steps (Guskey, 2000). At the foundation, there are
sufficient inputs to a program; the material must be valid and thorough for the needs of the
audience. Upon introduction to new material, participants will react to it. If the reaction is
positive, they will likely develop skills to use it. Once skills are acquired, participants often will
plan on how they will use the material, before the behavior actually takes place. If behavior has
occurred, it is important to look at the environmental circumstances that helped or hindered the
behavior being performed as intended. A successful evaluation must take measures at each of
these steps in order to fully inform the outcome of the program.
The following Evaluation Questions were developed, based on the logic above, to guide the
assessment of the usefulness and effectiveness of NOAA’s online educational materials. A grid
displaying how each of the questionnaire items is related to the evaluation questions can be
found at the end of the document.
Teacher Professional Development
a.(Inputs) What are the characteristics of the teachers and classroom environments that
correlate with measures of participants’ reactions, skills, intentions, and behavior?
b. (Inputs) Do participants perceive the overall workshop as useful in accordance with
specific needs of teachers?
c.(Reactions) Do the teachers have a positive attitude toward using the NOAA’s online
education resources?
d. (Reactions) Does the professional development workshop have the effect of increasing
teachers’ awareness or interest in incorporating ocean related materials and/or activities
into their curriculum?

e.(Skills) Does the professional development workshop enhance teachers’ perceived ability
to utilize NOAA’s online education resources?
f. (Intention to Behave) Does the professional development workshop increase teachers’
intentions to utilize NOAA’s online education resources?
g. (Behavior) Does the teacher attending the professional development workshop utilize the
NOAA online education resources? What is their experience?
h. (Behavior) What contextual factors impact teacher utilization of NOAA’s online
education resources in the classroom?
Student Academic Development
a.(Reactions) Do the students have a positive attitude toward using NOAA’s online
education resources?
b. (Reactions) Does utilization of NOAA’s online education resources increase students’
characteristics associated with academic achievement (e.g., engaged in learning)?
c.(Skills) Does utilization of NOAA’s online education resources increase students’
academic achievement as measured by a pre-post knowledge test?
d. (Intention to Behave) Does utilization of NOAA’s online education resources increase
students’ characteristics associated with environmental stewardship (e.g., knowledge of
ocean science issues, intention to participate in ocean science related volunteer
opportunities or work)?
2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be
used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support
information that will be disseminated to the public, then explain how the collection
complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.
The instruments and sources of measures that will be used to collect data for answering the
research questions are summarized in Table 1. To ensure the validity and reliability of the scales
used in this evaluation, measures were taken from past, peer-reviewed, published studies and
adapted to this study. Adapted instruments were reviewed and edited by former educators. Table
2 presents the timeline for instrument distribution.
Table 1. Levels of Measurement by Instrument
Level of Measurement
Inputs
Workshop Pre-Questionnaire

x

Workshop Post-Questionnaire

x

Reactions

Skills

Intention to
Behave

x

x

x

Follow-Up Questionnaire
Student Pre/Post Questionnaire

x
x

x

x

Behavior

x
x

x

Table 2. Instrument Distribution Timeline
At start of workshop

Workshop PreQuestionnaire
Workshop PostQuestionnaire

At end of workshop

After Unit Completion (3-6
months following
workshop)*

X
X

Follow-Up
Questionnaire

X

Student Pre/Post
Questionnaire

X

*depending on workshop date

The Pre-Workshop Questionnaire is designed to measure program inputs. It will collect
demographics of the participants, confirm the program products are compatible with the needs of
the audience, and take measures of baseline participant reactions. The Post-Workshop
Questionnaire is designed to answer questions regarding participants’ reactions to materials, their
perception of their ability to use materials, their intentions to use materials in the classroom, and
their overall assessment of the program inputs. The Post-Workshop Questionnaire will be
divided into three sections: one for the end of the NOS session, one for the end of the OE
session, and one overall questionnaire section (as the NOS questionnaire will be administered
directly after the morning session, and as the OE presentation is after the break, the last two
sections will be administered in a separate document).
Participants will be directed to administer the Student Pre-Lesson Questionnaire within the week
prior to beginning the lesson(s) with their classes. Instructions for Administration will be
provided. Baseline information will be collected from students regarding their attitudes toward
science and ocean science and their knowledge of related items 1 . The Student Post- Lesson
Questionnaire will assess changes in these baseline measures and also ask students to document
their reactions to using the online materials. Teachers will be directed to administer the PostLesson Questionnaire the day after, or as soon as possible after, the completion of the NOAA
related lesson or activity.
Approximately three to six months following the workshop, workshop participants will complete
a Follow-Up Questionnaire. The purpose of this instrument is to assess teachers’ use of the
materials in the classroom, document their reactions to the experience and their perception of the
materials’ impact on students, and collect an overall assessment of the program outcomes in
terms of the usefulness and effectiveness of program material.

1

Two versions of the Pre and Post-Lesson questionnaire exist for the attitude portion of the
evaluation, tailored for grades 6-8 and 9-12. We are not required to seek approval for the
knowledge assessment portion of the evaluation, per the Paperwork Reduction Act, 1320.3(7).

A summary of this information is provided in Table 3.
Table 3. Program measures
Evaluation Question

Instrument

Measures

What components of the
teacher professional
development programs
contribute to teachers
feeling prepared to utilize
the NOAA online education
resources with their
students?

Workshop PreQuestionnaire

Demographic
information: Years
as a teacher,
grade(s) taught,
subject(s) taught,
number of
students
Program inputs:
computer use in
school, topic
priority and
coverage in school

What components of the
teacher professional
development programs
contribute to teachers
feeling prepared to utilize
the NOAA online education
resources with their
students?
Do the teachers have a
positive attitude toward
using the NOAA online
education resources?
Do the professional
development programs
increase teachers’
intentions to utilize the
NOAA online education
resources?

NOS, OE, Overall
Workshop PostQuestionnaire

Sources for
measures
The Holden
Arboretum, OH:
Growing Students
with Science
(2006)

Use of information

NASA Explorer
Schools (ongoing)

Contextual
information
describing an
environment in which
to use online
materials
Control for teacher
characteristics that
can influence
outcomes of
workshop

Collection of
demographic data for
description of target
audience

Teacher familiarity
with NOAA,
teacher
confidence in
teaching ocean
science, teacher
comfort with
computer online
environment
Teacher reactions
to online
materials, teacher
prediction of
student reactions
to online materials

The Holden
Arboretum, OH:
Growing Students
with Science
(2006)

Guskey (2000)

Building blocks of
logic model

Teacher
assessment of
professional
development
experience
Teacher intention
to use online
materials in
classroom.

Guskey (2000)

Building blocks of
logic model

Guskey (2000)

Building blocks of
logic model

Evaluation Question

Instrument

Measures

Do the students have a
positive attitude toward
using the NOAA online
education resources?
Does utilization of the
NOAA online education
resources increase
students’ characteristics
associated with academic
achievement (e.g., engaged
in learning)?

Student prelesson
questionnaire

Student attitude
toward science,
student attitude
toward Internet

Does utilization of the
NOAA online education
resources increase
students’ academic
achievement in the NOS
lesson plan content as
measured by a pre-post
knowledge test?

Student prelesson
questionnaire

Does utilization of the
NOAA online education
resources increase
students’ characteristics
associated with
environmental stewardship
(e.g., knowledge of ocean
science issues, intention to
participate in ocean science
related volunteer
opportunities or work)?
Do the students have a
positive attitude toward
using the NOAA online
education resources?
Are the teacher
professional development
programs increasing the
utilization of the NOAA
online education resources
by teachers? How
consistently are the
materials being utilized?
What contextual factors
impact teacher utilization of
the NOAA online education
resources in the
classroom?

Sources for
measures
NASA Explorer
Schools
Classroom of the
Future (2005)

Use of information

Student changes
in results of
knowledge items

NOAA’s National
Ocean Service

Building blocks of
logic model

Student interest in
ocean science
related careers,
volunteer
opportunities
Teacher
perception of
student reactions

NASA Explorer
Schools
Classroom of the
Future (2005)

Building blocks of
logic model

The Holden
Arboretum, OH:
Growing Students
with Science
(2006)

Triangulation;
Multiple respondents’
data strengthen
validity of findings

Student reactions
toward online
education
resources
Teacher behavior

Guskey (2000)

Building blocks of
logic model

Guskey (2000);
Danter (2005)

Provide evidence for
effectiveness of
professional
development
workshop

Teacher
perception of
supports and
barriers

Danter (2005)

Control for
extraneous variables
that may impact
outcomes

Building blocks of
logic model

Student postlesson
questionnaire
Teacher follow-up
questionnaire

Student postlesson
questionnaire
Teacher follow-up
questionnaire

Student Pre-, Post
Teacher FollowUp
Teacher FollowUp Questionnaire

Summary
This initial evaluation will provide baseline data and offer NOAA proven, pilot-tested
instruments for use in future educator workshops on this topic. As an outcome of this evaluation,
NOAA’s NOS and OE will learn about how the workshop materials are being implemented by
the teachers and what benefits they are having for participants and students. The evaluation
results will be used by managers to document the effects of currently-funded programs, to inform
future decisions on what programs to fund, and to share critical “lessons learned” with national
education communities. The instruments developed as part of this evaluation will be made
available to professional development program providers for their use in monitoring their
individual programs’ effectiveness.
As explained in the preceding paragraphs, the information gathered has utility. NOAA will
retain control over the information and safeguard it from improper access, modification, and
destruction, consistent with NOAA standards for confidentiality, privacy, and electronic
information. See response #10 of this Supporting Statement for more information on
confidentiality and privacy. The information collection is designed to yield data that meet all
applicable information quality guidelines. Prior to dissemination, the information will be
subjected to quality control measures and a pre-dissemination review pursuant to Section 515 of
Public Law 106-554.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques or other forms of
information technology.
The purpose of the project is to allow teachers and students to gain access to NOAA materials
through the Internet. By allowing teachers to explore the Web sites during the workshop and to
adopt the materials that are necessary and sufficient for their needs, workshop providers will
avoid unnecessary printing of materials that would otherwise be discarded. Teachers will be
asked to evaluate the online education resources, in some cases, while they are viewing them.
Facilities employed to host the workshops will only have sufficient computer resources for
teachers to view the Web resources in groups of two. Due to the fifteen minute time limit for
questionnaire completion, coupled with the lack of individual computer resources, teachers will
be asked to complete paper versions of questionnaires. Paper versions of the questionnaires will
ensure that all teachers have the opportunity to complete the questionnaire, given the possibility
that each participant will not have his or her own computer to access an online version.
Teachers will need to access the Web sites while completing the Follow-Up Questionnaire. For
ease of completion, they will be supplied with a paper version of the instrument, but will have
the option of completing and submitting the questionnaire online. Due to the potential limitations
of computer access for each individual student, students will be asked to complete paper versions
of questionnaires. This is ensure that all students have the opportunity to complete the
questionnaires, and also reduces the risk that students will share their answers on the Pre and
Post knowledge questionnaires.

All data received will be entered into SPSS for statistical analysis.
Communications with participants regarding post-workshop requirements will be conducted via
email. Email addresses and phone numbers will be collected from workshop participants at the
workshop setting. Contact information will be stored in a locked file cabinet accessible only to
the data analyst and shredded following the termination of the project, in accordance with
guidelines established to protect personally identifiable information.
The reports containing the results of the evaluation will be available to the public via the NOAA
Web site.
4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.
No other NOAA programs are surveying teachers and students regarding NOAA’s NOS and
OE’s online education resources.
5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe
the methods used to minimize burden.
The questionnaires for this program were designed to maximize data collection regarding use
patterns and outcomes while ensuring that respondents could complete them in a budgeted time
frame. The program providers seek to ensure maximum participation and minimal burden for the
participant.
6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is
not conducted or is conducted less frequently.
The evaluation results will provide NOAA with insight into the targeted user’s perception and
effective use of the NOAA’s NOS and OE’s online education resources. It will inform NOAA
about the outcomes of the funding which is allocated toward the development of online
education resource materials, the workshops held to promote them, and improve/refine the
quality of future online education resources.
7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a
manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.
The collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with OMB guidelines.

8. Provide a copy of the PRA Federal Register notice that solicited public comments on the
information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments received
in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response to those
comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their
views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and
recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be
recorded, disclosed, or reported.
Public comment was solicited via a PRA Federal Register notice. No comments were received.
9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than
remuneration of contractors or grantees.
NOAA's Ocean Service and Ocean Exploration Education Programs received a grant from
NOAA's Office of Education to conduct a series of professional development workshops and
evaluate NOAA online education resources. A portion of the granted funds was specifically
designated as stipends for participating teachers, recognizing that participation in the workshop
and completion of all of the evaluation requirements for the project would require the teachers to
work above and beyond their regularly assigned duties. Respondents will receive a stipend of
$250.00 for their participation in the workshop and successful completion of all evaluation
requirements. Materials needed to fulfill this obligation will be provided to the participant.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for
assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
Workshop participants will be asked to provide their name on their questionnaire so that they
may receive credit for completing the workshop requirements. Although confidentiality cannot
be promised to participants, as there is no applicable statutory authority in this case, it will be
explained to participants that only the data analyst will have access to the completed
questionnaires. All reports of data analysis will provide responses in aggregate form only, thus
individual respondents will not be identifiable. No names of participants will be included in the
final report.
In addition, students will be instructed not to include their names on their questionnaires. To
allow student pre- and post-questionnaires to be matched, students will be asked to provide an
identification code consisting of their birth date and month, and the last two digits of their home
phone number. This code will be used only to physically match the questionnaires and will not
be entered into the SPSS database.
Data will be maintained in a secured database. Paper questionnaires will be stored in a locked
file cabinet accessible only to the data analyst and shredded following the termination of the
project. Data without identifiers will be permanently stored in NOAA archives.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private.
No questions of a sensitive nature will be asked.
12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information
Total respondent burden hours are reported in Table 4.
Table 4. Total Respondent Burden Hours
Instrument

Estimated
number of
respondents

Estimated number
of responses

Estimated Time
Per Response

Estimated
Total Annual
Burden Hours

Estimated
Total
Annual
Cost to
Public

Workshop PreQuestionnaire

60

60

15 minutes

15

0

NOS Workshop
PostQuestionnaire

60

60

10 minutes

10

0

OE and Overall
Workshop PostQuestionnaire

60

60

20 minutes

20

0

Follow-Up
Questionnaire

60

60

1 hour

60

0

Student PreLesson
Questionnaire

1500 2

1500

15 minutes

375

0

Student PostLesson
Questionnaire

1500

1500

15 minutes

375

0

Totals

1560

3240

855

0

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual recordkeeping/reporting cost burden to
the respondents resulting from the collection (excluding the value of the burden
hours in #12 above).
There are no direct costs to participants. The only costs are the opportunity costs of respondents’
time required to provide information as explained in item 12 above. No capital equipment, startup, or record maintenance requirements are placed on respondents.
2

Estimated figure based on 25 students per each teacher participant.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
The estimated cost to the federal government of conducting the Evaluation of NOAA’s
Professional Development Workshops and Online Education Resources is based on the
government’s contracted cost of the data collection and related study activities along with
personnel cost of government employees involved in oversight and/or analysis. For the data
collection activities for which OMB approval is currently being requested, the overall cost to the
government is $25,000 over a one year period. This includes:
• $23,000 annually for contracted activities including instrument development; data
collection; transcription; analysis; and report writing.
• $2,000 annually for government personnel costs in overseeing the evaluation activity.
This estimate is based on the evaluation contractor’s previous experience managing other
research and data collection activities of this type.
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or
14 of the OMB 83-I.
N/A
16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and
publication.
Information collected through these questionnaires will be summarized and presented in a
complete technical document as well as a condensed executive summary. Evaluation results will
be presented at national education annual conferences including the National Marine Educator’s
Association, North American Association for Environmental Education and the NSTA.
The evaluation results will be published as a technical report with summaries appropriate for
stakeholders such as NOAA administration, workshop providers, and others interested in
professional development for educators of ocean science. The reports will summarize the
answers to the research questions posed in Item 1 of this Supporting Statement. The evaluator
may also seek to publish results in a peer-reviewed journal.
Tabulation will follow the style rule requirements of the publishing journal. The technical report
will be written according to the American Psychological Association style guidelines.
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the
information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.
The expiration date for OMB approval will be displayed on all collection instruments.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of the OMB
83-I.
This data collection meets the criteria of the certification statement in Item 19 of the OMB 83-I.