Prepare for ATE Survey

The ATE Survey collects information about ATE projects and centers that can be aggregated to show the scope, activities, and accomplishments of the program as a whole. It is an annual census of activities and achievements across the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, and serves as a program-level monitoring resource, not an evaluation of individual ATE projects or centers

The ATE Survey is a census of active ATE projects and centers. If you receive an invitation to complete the survey, your project or center has been identified by NSF as active during the reporting period, with a funding start date on or before December 31 of the previous calendar year.

The survey includes projects and centers in no-cost extensions.

Your responses are not anonymous to the EvaluATE Survey Team because project information is used to manage and track survey participation. However, individual project or center responses are not identified in public reports or other publications based on the survey data.

EvaluATE does not provide individual survey responses to NSF for use in decisions about continued funding. If you want information from your survey responses to be considered by NSF in connection with your project, include it in your annual report or other communication with your program officer.

ATE Survey data may also be shared with researchers for approved research purposes. Researchers who receive data agree to report findings in aggregate and not identify individual projects or centers.

Because the ATE program is federally funded, survey responses are subject to applicable Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requirements.

The survey uses screening questions to show you the questions that apply to your project’s activities. You may not need to answer every question in the survey.

If you do not have the information needed to answer a question, you may skip it. However, preparing your project data in advance can help you answer as many applicable questions as possible.

There is some overlap between the ATE Survey and the annual report you submit to NSF, but they serve different purposes. The ATE Survey collects specific information about ATE activities and achievements in a format that can be aggregated across the program.

Your annual report, in contrast, focuses on your individual project’s progress, goals, and outcomes. Learn more about how these reporting requirements differ in our Guide to Reporting in the ATE Program.

The ATE Survey and your NSF annual report both document your project’s work, but they serve different purposes.

The ATE Survey collects standardized information that can be combined with data from other ATE projects to describe the program as a whole. Your annual report provides NSF with a more detailed account of your individual project’s progress toward its goals and outcomes.

Planning your data collection with both requirements in mind can help you avoid duplicating effort.

Some survey questions may require information from other members of your project team, your institution, or external partners. If you don’t have the information readily available, identify who may have access to it and request it as early as possible.

Your institutional research office or another institutional data contact may be able to provide student or program data. EvaluATE also offers resources to help you request and collect data.

If you are unable to obtain the information you need, you may skip the question.

Yes. The PI can share the survey link with other members of the project team to help gather and enter the information.

Multiple team members may contribute to the survey, but the PI is ultimately responsible for reviewing the responses and ensuring that the submission is accurate and complete.

No. The ATE Survey primarily collects concrete information about project activities, outputs, participants, partnerships, and other achievements during the reporting period.

The information is used to build a program-wide picture of what ATE projects are doing and accomplishing. Your responses contribute to a larger understanding of the ATE program and can help inform future resources, research, and advocacy.

ATE Survey findings help show the scale and scope of the ATE program and how its activities evolve over time. Findings are shared through annual ATE Survey reports, the interactive ATE Survey data dashboard, the ATE Survey website, presentations, publications, and other resources.

The data can also support research, inform future resources, and help the ATE community understand trends and opportunities across the program.

The survey is distributed to the principal investigators, or designated team member, of active ATE projects and centers by email. Your survey link is specific to your project or center.

If you cannot find your survey invitation or need help accessing the survey, contact the ATE Survey Team.

Yes. Your responses are saved as you work through the survey, allowing you to return later if you need to gather additional information or consult with your project team.

You do not have to complete the survey in one sitting. You can re-access your survey by clicking the link in your email or copying and pasting the link in your browser.

Yes. You can work through the survey section by section and return later to continue.

We recommend starting the survey early rather than waiting until the deadline. This gives you time to identify missing information, contact your project team or institutional data partners, and complete your responses without a last-minute rush.

Your survey link is specific to your project or center and will remain active until you have clicked “submit” at the end of the survey. You can re-access your survey by clicking the link in your email or copying and pasting the link in your browser.

Submit your survey by the due date provided in your survey invitation. Before submitting, review your responses to make sure they are as complete and accurate as possible.

After you submit, you will have an opportunity to download a copy of your responses. Save this copy with your project records and make it accessible to other members of your project team.

You don’t have to figure it out on your own. Contact the ATE Survey Team with questions about the survey, the information being requested, or how to prepare your responses.

We encourage you to reach out early rather than waiting until you’re stuck or close to the submission deadline.

Save a copy of your submitted survey with your project records. Keeping your responses and notes about your data sources can make future ATE Survey submissions and other reporting requirements easier.

Making the information accessible to your project team can also help maintain continuity if project responsibilities change.

Start by downloading and reviewing the survey questions. Then identify what information you already have, what you’ll need to gather, and who on your project team or at your institution can help.

Experienced ATE projects often have a simple data management process in place, making it easier to collect and store information throughout the year. You can review these additional resources for ideas on how to manage your data, shared by fellow ATE projects.

The information you’ll need depends on your project’s activities, but may include:

• Project and grant information
• Project activities and outputs
• Student and participant counts
• Partner and collaboration information
• Evaluation findings and outcomes
• Institutional or other secondary data

Some information may require coordination with your institutional research office, project partners, or other team members. Gathering this information early can make completing the survey much easier.

Create a simple process for collecting and storing the information you’ll need. Review the survey questions with your project team, assign responsibilities for gathering data, and keep track of where information is stored.

You can also use your previous survey responses as a starting point. Just remember to review the current questions each year, since your project activities and the survey itself may change.

The ATE Survey evolves over time to reflect changes in the ATE program, community feedback, and the information needed to understand the program’s activities and achievements.

Core questions are generally maintained to support comparisons across years, while questions and sections may be updated when the ATE program or information needs change. Review the current survey questions before beginning to see what’s new.

Survey questions are developed and revised based on the ATE solicitation, the ATE program’s information needs, and feedback from the ATE community. Each question is included for a reason: to collect information that can be used to understand the program, inform resources, support research, or address questions of interest to the ATE community.

Changes may also help improve the clarity, accuracy, or usefulness of the information collected.

The Special Topics Questions are a section of the ATE Survey that changes from year to year. Researchers and other members of the ATE community can propose questions about topics related to technician education or the ATE program.

When selected, these questions are included in the Special Topics section of the survey and answered by participating active ATE projects and centers. This provides researchers with an opportunity to gather information from across the ATE community without conducting a separate survey.