The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
(Vol. 17 No. 45)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
PowerPoint Templates. It's not my style to be a dictator. I'd much rather attract individuals into making positive choices. Sort of goes with being an Extension educator, don't you think? Well, I'd really like any and all who make PowerPoint presentations to begin to use the templates that have been created through our Communications/IET team with the new K-State Research and Extension word mark. You can find those new templates at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/p.aspx?tabid=234. If you have some other idea, share it with Gerry Snyder, gsnyder@ksu.edu. Please, please, please don't make your own template. I do want people to know that your presentation is always "brought to you by K-State Research and Extension."
Kansas State Fair is under way. My thanks to KSU President Kirk Schulz, Dr. Sue Peterson, University Government Relations, and Dr. Gary Pierzynski, KSRE Interim Director, for making a day at the Kansas State Fair this past Saturday, September 10. Dr. Schulz was able to meet and greet the State Fair Board, many of the state legislators, the Governor, our U.S. Senators, and our U.S. Representatives who were also in Hutchinson on that day. Additionally, my thanks to our State 4-H Youth Council representatives - Cooper Clawson, Meade County; Ashley Fitzsimons, Pratt County; Leigh Ann Maurath, Golden Prairie District, Oakley Office; and Chelsey Smith, Ellis County; for hosting Dr. Schulz on a tour of the 4-H Centennial Hall. Dr. Schulz also got into the livestock pavilions, Vet Medicine birthing center, rabbit and poultry buildings, and on to the Pride of Kansas and Meadowlark buildings, greeting K-State friends and family all along the route! It was a great day for Kansas State University at the Kansas State Fair!
Media Technologies Survey. You got an email from me requesting to take some time to complete a survey. Staying up with technology is not a choice, but a necessity. Please help with your feedback to keep us steering in the most appropriate directions!
More thanks!
- Thanks Jeff Davidson for your contribution to this Tuesday Letter. What a great story and experience!
- Thanks Nozella Brown for highlighting the upcoming Annual Conference opportunity to hone our collective skills at navigating difference!
And, thanks for all you do. Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
RETIREMENT RECEPTION FOR CINDY CASPER
The Biological and Agricultural Engineering Extension, Research and Teaching Faculty and Staff invite you to a retirement reception honoring Cindy Casper, Administrative Assistant for 19 years of service to Kansas State University, on Monday, September 19, from 10 to 11 a.m. in 147 Seaton Hall.
If you wish to offer your congratulations with a card or note, you may send it to Arlene Jacobson, Extension Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, 129 Seaton Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506. --Arlene Jacobson ajacobso@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This week my picks are success stories in the 2009-10 database from Barbara Ames, Wildcat District; Dave Kehler, Butler County; and Andrea Feldkamp, Riley County:
**Quite often when we are out in the community, somebody comments positively regarding our "Enriching Kansas Families" newsletter which is mailed or emailed to 214 households on a bi-monthly basis. The newsletter is also posted to the Montgomery County Extension Website. Two recipients recently commented that they are "excited to get our newsletter because it is so informative and interesting." We've had moms call and request the newsletter be sent to their daughters who live in different locations. A gentleman remarked that he really wasn't into Family and Consumer Sciences too much, but that he was pleasantly surprised when he read our newsletter that he actually learned some things and found it very interesting. We also had people call and want programs or more information about Extension because of reading our "Enriching Kansas Families" newsletter.
**In late December, the manager from the
Shopper's Guide, approached me about contributing a weekly column. The
paper is a "Penny Power" type of publication that is distributed in Butler and
surrounding counties on a weekly basis. This has proven to be a great
method of reaching a lot of people with information who may have not
been aware of Extension.
**Thirty Camp Counselors accompanied 121 campers to 4-H camp. A first
year Counselor was struggling to keep his group of campers together. One camper wanted to race to the activities, and stay into the next
activity session. The Counselor pulled the camper aside and asked him
why he wanted to hurry to the activity session, instead of walking with
the group. The camper told the Counselor that his mother had said this
was his only opportunity to participate in 4-H camp, due to financial
restrictions. The Counselor thought about this discussion, and decided
that perhaps money could be made available to help campers with
financial need. The Counselor told the 4-H Agent about his concern, and
his idea to apply for a YIC grant. As a result, a grant application
was submitted for 10 campers to receive partial camp support for 2011 4-H
Camp. --Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
ASK THE OEIE EVALUATOR - DETERMINING WHAT PROGRAMS TO EVALUATE
Having written in this space about evaluation questions and about methods for collecting evaluation data, we turn now to another key question: How to decide what to evaluate? The work of an extension professional is multi-faceted and can often feel stretched, so it is not practical or even valuable to evaluate every aspect of extension programming. This fact requires you to make decisions about what extension programs to evaluate.
Q: How do I determine what extension programs to evaluate?
Whether we realize it or not, all programs are already being evaluated to some extent. Often extension professionals evaluate programs informally as they pay attention to casual feedback and their own observations. However, a more concerted effort towards program evaluation is valuable and/or necessary in other situations and requires a thoughtful process of identifying evaluation questions, collecting appropriate information, and analyzing and reporting the results. Since a formal evaluation cannot be done for each and every aspect of extension programs, it can be helpful to think through two types of considerations.
First, consider the value and usefulness you expect from the information you gather. Evaluation information can be valuable when it is required, as it often is for reporting purposes. If a program you deliver meets the specified outcomes of your Program Focus Team, it would be important to make sure you evaluate this program. If another program is funded by a special grant, grant funders frequently require reports that include evaluation information about specific programmatic impacts.
There are other situations in which program evaluation is valuable and useful. If you are delivering a new program, especially one you hope to deliver again, evaluating the program can help you refine the program and make it more effective. For similar reasons, you may have an established program, but you want to determine how to improve it or how to adapt it for a new setting or format. You may also choose to evaluate a program to demonstrate its worth to stakeholders.
Second, it is important to balance consideration about the value and usefulness of evaluation with consideration about the feasibility of conducting one. You should think about costs of required resources, including monetary costs and staff time for collecting and working with data. Some programs have evaluation instruments already developed that include instructions for collecting and processing the data. These steps can considerably reduce the resources required for evaluation, thereby, making the evaluation more practical.
You should also consider the program format. If your program consists of a one-time workshop, for example, it could be challenging to include a formal evaluation activity and the collected data may be of little value. If your program involves a series of sessions, it may be more resourceful to evaluate the program at particular time-points, like the beginning and the end, than after every session, or by involving a carefully selected participant sample rather than every participant.
Questions about evaluation? Contact Amy Hilgendorf at OEIE, aehilgen@k-state.edu, 785-532-5538. --Amy Hilgendorf
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