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Extension Evaluation Research Collaborations: Will They Kill You or Make You Stronger?
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| Presenter(s):
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| Marc Braverman, Oregon State University, marc.braverman@oregonstate.edu
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| Abstract:
Evaluation research collaborations between Extension teams and non-Extension researchers provide many benefits and are becoming more common. These partnerships may involve theory building, new program development, or delivery of completed programs. Besides the benefits, however, there are characteristic challenges in making the collaborations successful, stemming from differences in the partners' expectations, goals, and reasons for collaborating. The role of Extension evaluators can be pivotal in ensuring projects' productivity. This presentation will identify issues that Extension evaluators should consider when they are involved in building research partnerships, whatever the level of research expertise within the Extension team. The presentation will identify critical topics, provide illustrative examples from previous experience, and offer recommendations for practice. Examples of the major topics include structuring the project budget, making decisions about scholarly products, negotiating evaluation rigor, formulating roles for Extension county-based faculty, and determining timelines for disseminating both the evaluation results and the program itself.
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Framework for Building Evaluation Capacity of Extension Personnel: Challenges and Alternatives
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| Presenter(s):
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| Koralalage Jayaratne, North Carolina State University, jay_jayaratne@ncsu.edu
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| Abstract:
Building evaluation capacity of Extension educators is necessary for enabling them to conduct quality evaluations and document program results. Extension evaluators are responsible for building evaluation capacity in Cooperative Extension. This paper presentation discusses challenges, alternatives and a framework for building evaluation capacity in Cooperative Extension. This paper is based on the information gathered from literature and the author's experience in helping build evaluation capacity of Cooperative Extension Services in two states. The framework presented in this paper has direct implications for Cooperative Extension and other nonprofit organizations. This is a timely topic for evaluators who face the reality of building evaluation capacity in their organizations. It contributes to the evaluation practice by laying out a framework for building organizational evaluation capacity.
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Optimizing Conditions for Success: An Extension Case Study in Cross-Program Surveys
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| Presenter(s):
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| Gwen Willems, Willems and Associates, wille002@umn.edu
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| Abstract:
Surveying is a highly popular method that has been used for decades to gather evaluative data. The advantages are numerous: it's a relatively low-cost and straight-forward way to obtain data from many people in a short period of time, as described by Gary Henry. One of the difficulties is standardizing surveys across a variety of programs.
Much of the literature and discussion of surveys gives attention to survey design, error reduction, the audience, and sampling of respondents. This presentation will step back, instead doing a meta-analysis that focuses on a process and environment that led eventually to successful design and adoption of cross-program end-of-educational-session and follow-up surveys for a section of the University of Minnesota Extension. The presenter will describe this case study, the multi-activity process she used with Extension educators, challenges in that environment, and factors that contributed to success of the cross-program survey initiative.
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