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Session Title: Evaluation Specialists: How Those who Evaluate Cooperative Extension Services and Other Educational Organizations Define and Design Their Job

Panel Session 397 to be held in Calvert Ballroom Salon E on Thursday, November 8, 1:55 PM to 3:25 PM

Sponsored by the Extension Education Evaluation TIG

Chair(s):

Daniel payday loan  McDonald payday loan ,  University of Arizona,  mcdonald@ag.arizona.edu

Abstract: This panel of in-house evaluation specialists will discuss the roles and responsibilities of evaluators who work within educational organizations, such as, but not exclusively, Cooperative Extension. According to a recent study entitled, "An Exploratory Profile of Extension Evaluation Professionals," the job responsibilities of in-house evaluators differ based on organizational expectations as well as where the specialist is located within the organization. In Extension, many evaluators work system-wide and are housed in a separate program evaluation or administrative unit. A small, but significant number, however, serve only a single program area and are housed with program-specific specialists. The panel will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of their own working arrangement and will invite the audience to discuss implications and recommendations.

A 4-H Evaluation Specialist: Building Evaluation Capacity From Within a Program Unit Mary payday loan  Arnold payday loan ,  Oregon State University,  mary.arnold@oregonstate.edu Cooperative Extension has unique and pressing evaluation needs, and there are many varieties of ways these needs are met. One way is through the creation of an evaluation specialist position within in the organization, and in at least one state, internal evaluator positions have been created within specific program areas. This presentation will outline the unique set of evaluation responsibilities covered in the presenter's job as an internal evaluator for the Oregon 4-H youth development program. Topics to be covered include, position responsibilities and how the specialist works within the 4-H program and the larger Extension organizations. The presenter will also share lessons learned, and ideas for being a successful internal evaluator with multiple roles and responsibilities.

Evaluation/Program Development/Institutional Research: Evaluators Wear Many Hats Heather payday loan  Boyd payday loan ,  Virginia Tech,  hboyd@vt.edu My role as a program evaluator at Wisconsin Cooperative Extension has me positioned to work with program-related teams and individuals by providing technical assistance, guidance and professional development in program development and evaluation. However, I also facilitate and lead program development and evaluation of organization-wide initiatives and participate in institutional research. My training in quantitative methods makes me a source of information for hypothesis and statistical testing when faculty and staff have questions about this area. I also serve on cross-divisional teams across all four divisions of Wisconsin Extension.

An In-house Product Researcher: Determining the Efficacy of Educational Products and Services by Introducing Randomized Controlled Trials James payday loan  Demery payday loan ,  McGraw-Hill,  james_demery@mcgraw-hill.com Since the passage of NCLB in 2001 and the Education Sciences Act of 2002, publishers of educational products and services have noticeably increased their efforts to ensure their products are backed by research that meets the federal government's requirements for scientifically based research. To that end, SRA/McGraw-Hill, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, created a department that would be responsible for initiating randomized controlled efficacy studies of its major products and conducting quasi-experimental studies to support its supplemental line of products. As is expected with any new position, the director of product research has to cultivate an environment that will be receptive to what many see as a whole new way of thinking about research. The resources, particularly time and money, needed to conduct solid experimental research that can produce internally and externally valid results are not closely scrutinized by some who may view the whole process as overkill.

A State Evaluation Leader: Providing Evaluation Leadership to Cooperative Extension Statewide Koralalage payday loan  Jayaratne payday loan ,  North Carolina State University,  jay_jayaratne@ncsu.edu The State Evaluation Leader closely works with Program Leaders, District Extension Directors, and State Extension Specialists to facilitate evaluation process within the organization. This position was created to streamline the evaluation process across the state. The State Evaluation Leader is a tenure-track faculty position with 70% extension and 30% teaching in the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education. This is an academic department within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This position is responsible for providing evaluation leadership to county and state Extension faculty. The State Evaluation Leader works with extension faculty to conduct needs assessments; develop faculty expertise in evaluation; and. provide assistance in grant development. Balancing 70% extension with 30% teaching responsibility is a challenge. Use of teaching responsibility to complement Extension Evaluation Training responsibility is the best approach to face this challenge.

Guiding Team Evaluation: Building Capacity for Evaluation Within Program Area Teams Allison payday loan  Nichols payday loan ,  West Virginia University,  ahnichols@mail.wvu.edu The Extension system in West Virginia is organized around 15 program area teams that encompass four program units. The evaluation specialist, although housed in one of those units, provides evaluation and research training and technical assistance organizational-wide. Working within teams allows the evaluation specialist not only to guide individual evaluation projects, but to assist with the creation of program indicators that have become the basis of the Plan of Work reported to USDA. A position that began as a support to a limited number of grant-funded initiatives has grown into a position that supports the entire organization. There are obvious implications for restructuring and adding additional personnel.