Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request, Proposed Collection: Museums for Digital Learning Program Evaluation, 35889-35890 [2019-15800]

Agencies

• National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities
• Institute of Museum and Library Services

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35889-35890]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15800]


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NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Institute of Museum and Library Services


Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request, Proposed Collection: 
Museums for Digital Learning Program Evaluation

AGENCY: Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Foundation 
on the Arts and the Humanities.

ACTION: Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request.

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SUMMARY: The Institute of Museum and Library Services announces the 
following information collection has been submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. This program helps to ensure that 
requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden 
(time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are 
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on 
respondents can be properly assessed. By this notice, IMLS is 
soliciting comments concerning the forms and instructions for the 
program evaluation for the Museums for Digital Learning (MDL) Project 
for the next three years.
    A copy of the proposed information collection request can be 
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice.

DATES: Comments must be submitted to the office listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below on or before August 25, 2019.
    OMB is particularly interested in comments that help the agency to:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology (e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses).

[[Page 35890]]


ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Attn.: OMB Desk Officer for Education, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, (202) 395-
7316.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Sandra Webb, Director of Grant 
Policy and Management, Institute of Museum and Library Services, 955 
L'Enfant Plaza North SW, Suite 4000, Washington, DC 20024-2135. Dr. 
Webb can be reached by Telephone: 202-653-4718 Fax: 202-653-4608, or by 
email at [email protected], or by teletype (TTY/TDD) for persons with 
hearing difficulty at 202-653-4614.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Institute of Museum and Library Services 
is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and 
museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, 
and related organizations through grant making, research, and policy 
development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work 
together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To 
learn more, visit www.imls.gov.
    Current Actions: The Museums for Digital Learning (MDL) is a 
project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) 
that seeks to identify and test new ways that digitized museum 
collections can be made available in the form of engaging digital 
educational resources via a pilot digital platform to educators around 
the country seeking to engage their students with all subjects. This 
two-year project is being led by the Indianapolis Museum of Art at 
Newfields in collaboration with two museum content partners--The Field 
Museum and History Colorado and a team of K-12 educators. Once the 
pilot suite of online products has been created by the project team, 
they will be tested in the classrooms of the ten educational partners. 
Testing and validation of the content contribution approach and 
standard templates to the pilot platform will be conducted with a 
cohort of up to ten additional museums of various sizes and 
disciplines.
    This project aligns with IMLS's strategic goal and priorities of 
building the digital capacity of the sector. MDL will catalyze and 
empower museums to come together and create a national model with a 
shared vision to thoughtfully assess some of the critical gaps in the 
current platforms and digital access/use models, and then leverage the 
power of a shared digital platform to provide easy-to-access, 
interdisciplinary, and dynamic content from museums in digital format 
for educators and students.
    The project will benefit the national education sector by providing 
a model for museums to collaborate as a sector with educators and 
engaging them not just as users of museum content and services, but as 
co-creators and co-facilitators of student learning; a suite of 
curriculum enhancing and student-centric digital collections-based 
educational resources; and an opportunity to pilot-test and improve the 
resources from the formative evaluation to better meet the needs of the 
nation's learners.
    The product and process evaluation of the MDL project will be 
completed by a third party evaluator with experience in evaluating 
digital education platforms produced by the cultural heritage 
community. The process evaluation aspect will assess the overall 
planning and implementation of the collaborative model of MDL between 
the partner museums and the educators, as well as the effectiveness of 
the training and ease of content contribution of the ten additional 
museums. Much of the front-end and user experience design of the MDL 
platform will be formed through the collaboration and co-creation 
process between the cooperator, lead museum content partners, and the 
team of educators. The product evaluation will assess the ease of 
access and educational value of the collections-based digital education 
products for educators and students.
    This action is to create the overall evaluation plan, survey and 
data collection instruments and instructions for the various evaluation 
techniques to be used at different points in the development and 
implementation of the MDL pilot initiative for the next two years.
    Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services.
    Title: Museums for Digital Learning Project Evaluation.
    OMB Number: 3137-TBD.
    Frequency: Once.
    Affected Public: Museum staff, teachers.
    Number of Respondents: 100.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 45 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 65 hours.
    Total Annualized capital/startup costs: N/A.
    Total Annual costs: $1,755.

    Dated: July 22, 2019.
Kim Miller,
Grants Management Specialist, Institute of Museum and Library Services.
[FR Doc. 2019-15800 Filed 7-24-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7036-01-P