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Request for Problems: Questions & Answers

Thanks for your interest in our Request for Problems, an opportunity to partner with ideas42 on postsecondary success. Following are some questions weve received along with our responses. We look forward to receiving your application by August 7.

Behavioral Problems
Are the sample problems listed in the RFP the questions we should focus on? These questions are simply examples to help guide you, and you might also want to consider other questions. For more information about how to develop a problem statement, please see the recording of our webinar. Can we submit more than one problem? Your final RFP application should only include one problem statement. If you are weighing different problems and would like to discuss which is most appropriate, we are happy to help. Our capacity to do so depends on how early you contact us, so we encourage you to email dan@ideas42.org as soon as possible. The RFP appears to be geared toward practitioners. Can a policy organization apply? Policy groups are welcome to apply. However, it is important to note that the strongest applications will meet all of the selection criteria we presented in the RFP, which includes having the organizational capacity to implement a behavioral intervention. We welcome applications from organizations that apply as a collaborative, as long as one group has the ability to coordinate the execution of the project and is designated as the lead applicant. Do you hope to have a mix of interventions (representing the different stages of student life)? Will the student stage be a factor in the selection? While we do hope to have a mix of projects representing the different stages (postsecondary preparation, transition to postsecondary education and postsecondary completion) this will not be a primary factor in the selection process.

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What is considered to be a reasonable scale for the pilot? Is there a minimum/maximum number of targeted students/stakeholders for the pilot? It is important that we are able to conduct robust experiments to test the efficacy of the intervention(s) we design. Therefore, the larger the potential sample size, the more attractive the application. While ideal sample sizes will vary depending on the intervention we are testing, we are generally looking for sample sizes of around 5,000 participants. We will consider sample size down to as small as 1,000, meaning we need at least 500 subjects to test an intervention and 500 more for a control group. For strong applications, we are willing to look for alternative options when it is not possible to test on this scale. Can we submit a behavioral problem that involves parents? Yes, provided the problem is ultimately related to improving student outcomes. We recognize there are many "actors" in a student's life - including parents, faculty, and administrators - so the intervention itself may be designed to target one or more of these groups. The examples and much of the RFP seem to focus on programs serving traditional college programs and traditionally aged students. Would a program that is focused on working adult students be considered? Absolutely. We use the term postsecondary education to refer to any type of higher education that leads a student of any age toward greater economic selfsufficiency. Were casting a wide net in our search for behavioral problems in postsecondary education, and we would welcome problems focused on working adult students.

Partnerships
How much money is available for groups that are selected to do pilots? The exact amount will depend on the scope of the problem and project we select, but we expect to cover the direct costs associated with executing the pilot. However we expect partner organization to cover indirect costs and have staff resources to help implement the interventions. In addition, we estimate that ideas42 will provide approximately $250,000 worth of behavioral design consulting services for each project. Financial assistance for Masterclass participation will also be available. This funding is available thanks to the generous support of the Citi Foundation. Will there be a match requirement? There will not be a match requirement.

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Will ideas42 actively support connections to potential implementation partners, or do we need to identify those in our application? The strongest applications will meet the selection criteria we presented in the RFP, which includes having the organizational capacity to implement a behavioral intervention. Therefore, if your organization does not have this capacity, your application would be strengthened by applying in collaboration with a partner that is able to do this. Can you elaborate on the type and level of support you are looking for from the selected partner organizations? We view this work as a collaboration that leverages our behavioral design expertise and our partners deep knowledge of the problem. What we need from partners will depend on the phase of the project: define, diagnose, design, or test. During the first two stages, we will ask partners to help us understand the context of the problem, usually by giving us access to data or scheduling site visits. When we move into the design phase, we'll need your help accessing end users for prototype testing, which may involve scheduling focus groups, surveys, or other observations. Lastly, once we've decided on our intervention(s), you will be responsible for execution and facilitating data collection with our support and guidance. At all stages, your feedback will be important to us, and we anticipate a close working relationship.

Application Process
Who from my organization should apply? We are looking for key decision makers and program architects within the organization, as well as those who would be responsible for the execution of the behavioral intervention. A successful application will demonstrate support at the senior level of your organization, as well as capacity to execute the project. Note that up to three individuals from your organization may apply. How many of the organizations that attend the Masterclass will be selected for intervention pilots? Of the 20 to 25 organizations represented at the Masterclass, we currently plan to select around 3 to work with on piloting interventions. We expect that even for the organizations that are not selected, two days of instruction from leading behavioral science experts will prove useful for you to apply within your organization. We are also actively recruiting funding partners, whose support would allow us to select more organizations with whom to design interventions.

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If you receive multiple submissions of the same problem, will you connect organizations to work together or somehow select the strongest applicant? It depends. Even similar problem statements are likely to have significant contextual differences, and so there may be cases in which it makes sense to implement interventions with multiple organizations. In other cases, we may select the strongest applicant.

Timeline
What if I cant attend the Masterclass? Can I still apply? Yes, please apply. We understand that fall is a busy time and that scheduling conflicts happen. If you submit a great application that gets selected, we can find a way to pursue a partnership outside of the Masterclass structure. If I send you my problem before the application deadline, will you look at it and give me feedback? We are happy to offer feedback before the application deadline, time allowing. Please send your requests for feedback to dan@ideas42.org. The sooner you begin working on your application, the more likely it will be that we can provide comments. Note that this is not a requirement of the application process. What will be the length of this investment (including start-up, implementation, and evaluation)? If your organization is selected to partner with us, we plan to begin the problem definition stage in late fall 2013. On average, we get designs into the field within 6-12 months after selecting partners. The length of time it takes to test an intervention depends on the particular project.

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