ATE Answers Documentation

ATE Answers

Documentation & Data Collection

Every ATE proposal contains a supplementary document describing the data and products that will be generated by the project and the plan for managing them. The Data Management Plan (described here) should be your starting point in determining the types of data the project will collect and how it will be collected, used, and archived. In addition to collecting data in the form of project results and findings that will be disseminated to a wider audience, the project also collects data to document grant activities for required reports. 

Annual report
Project PIs are required to report major grant-funded activities, accomplishments, products, and project impacts yearly.  For a complete list of reporting categories, download the NSF Project Reporting Format template.

Evaluation report
The EvaluATE Center has developed a Data Collection Planning Matrix that projects can use to plan and track the data needed for evaluation. The specific data sources, data collection instruments, and methods that will be employed to address the evaluation questions or criteria, and how data will be analyzed and interpreted to answer the evaluation questions and reach conclusions about the quality of the project’s implementation and outcomes, should align with the evaluation plan described in the project proposal.

Audit
Audits provide NSF a review of your project’s recording and justification of expenditures and your institution’s accounting procedures.  Much of what you and your grants accounting office need to know is provided in the Grant Administration section of the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures (PAPPG) document.

  • A desk review examines the institution’s ability to administer the grant funds
  • A site visit assesses the awardees’ capability, performance, and compliance against the applicable elements that make up each award

Archiving
As outlined in the ATE program solicitation (RFP), projects are required by NSF to archive all ATE-funded digital deliverables (e.g. curriculum, reports, videos, recruitment and outreach materials) with ATE Central to help ensure their continued availability beyond the grant period.

Project institutions are required to retain records for three years, per PAPPG guidance, and can be audited.