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Child Welfare Caseworker Pre-Service Training: Evaluating Transfer of Skills to the Job
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| Presenter(s):
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| Chris Hadjiharalambous,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
sissie@utk.edu
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| Chris Pelton,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
peltonc@sworps.utk.edu
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| Abstract:
Traditionally, the scope of training evaluation efforts in the field of human services was limited to measuring participant satisfaction and assessing knowledge and skills acquired. It is only in the last decade that we see agencies investing in assessing on-the-job use of newly acquired knowledge and skills and then use that information as feedback for improving curricula for newly hired workers but also for changes in organizational practices that may hinder transfer of knowledge and skills to the job. The purpose of the present proposal is to share findings related to transfer of knowledge and skills to the job for two cohorts of new child welfare workers. Evaluation findings relate to new workers' acceptance and use of key skills taught in pre-service, as well as the degree to which they felt supported by supervisors and senior fellow workers to employ these skills in their daily work with children and families.
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Challenges in Evaluating Adult Education Programs: How Theory Can Help Fill in the Gaps and Connect the Dots
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| Presenter(s):
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| Noelle Rivera,
University of California, Los Angeles,
novari320@hotmail.com
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| Abstract:
Evaluating adult education programs have often presented problems with choosing and defining appropriate goals and outcomes. In general, the goal of the vast majority of adult education programs is to educate adults in some vital capacity. For instance, a goal for adult literacy programs is for adult students to become literate; similarly, transition-to-workplace programs intend for adults to successfully gain employment. Official program goals such as these may present challenges to the evaluator in that they may not be easily measurable or consistently defined. Moreover, program goals may not align to student goals or address the potential effects that stem from program participation which in turn may result in negative or no-effect evaluation findings. This presentation proposes the use of adult learning and development theories to enhance the scope of adult learning program evaluations, examine the potential outcomes of such programs for adult students, and inform decision-making and program development.
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Mainstreaming Training Evaluation at the New York City Administration for Children's Services: An Interpersonal Process
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| Presenter(s):
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| Henry Ilian,
New York City Administration for Children's Services,
henry.ilian@dfa.state.ny.us
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| Abstract:
In the human services, use of training evaluation results is not automatic. Unless the evaluation is entered upon with a specific plan to apply them, results are used only when the evaluator can find managers interested in using them. This paper presents a case history, which focuses on the interpersonal dimension in ensuring that training evaluation is used. It traces a progression in which the evaluators, the Assessment & Evaluation Department of the training Academy of a major metropolitan public child welfare agency, sought to mainstream the evaluation of trainees performance and make the results a component in organizational decision-making. The results of this process are that evaluation results now influence both what occurs in the classroom and the activities of training supervisors at the trainees initial field assignments. At each stage, results depended on specific contacts that were made and the insights and abilities of participants in the process.
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A Process Evaluation of a Community Organizing Agency
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| Presenter(s):
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| Ayana Perkins,
Georgia State University,
ayanaperkins@msn.com
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| Mary Wilson,
East Point Community Action Team,
mwilson@ep-cat.org
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| Abstract:
The utility of community organizing agencies is exemplified in the civil rights and environmental justice movements where change was initiated by equipping vulnerable populations with the skills and resources to improve their conditions. The biggest strength of community organizing agencies is their ability to promote self-sustaining practices within a community. These self-sustaining practices are strengthened through the active support of community linkages. The challenge facing these organizations is that their unconventional role in assisting communities easily becomes confusing to the general public. Using a case study of a community organizing agency in East Point, Georgia, a process evaluation examines critical strategies in achieving the standard outcomes for these type of agencies: community ownership, community leadership, and social capital development.
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