This Week’s Activities
This week has been very busy. I transcribed my last interview and finished up my data analysis for the 4-H group. I still need to go through the short answer section of the TWKAHA surveys.
I’ve stopped working on my project and have been focusing on my deliverable. The deliverable is a how-to packet that will guide the program administrators in future evaluation. The manual includes basic Excel knowledge, such as how to open Excel, add tools, and write a function. The manual will also explain how to set up a spreadsheet and interpret the Excel outputs.
I have also been talking with many of the students about the format of the final reception. For only 20 minutes of time there is a lot of thought going into this.
Next Week’s Activities
Next week I have to present my summer research and experience with the CUSP advisors and my work supervisors. I’ve been working so hard on my deliverable and planning the Wednesday night reception that I haven’t been able to spend time writing a speech. Next week I will plan my speech and finish my deliverable. I am running out of time to edit, print, and mind the packet because work ends on Friday.
Critical Incident
The summer EPS workshop was canceled this morning. Last week 5 parents showed up. And today 3 showed up. The high drop out rate is something that this program has shown in the past. There are a number of excuses that the parents have made as to why they can not come. The challenge is figuring out what can be done to help parents participate in the course. Or coming up with an alternative way of improving the parenting skills of low-income New York City parents.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Week 5 Assignment
This Week’s Activities
This week has been a data entry and analysis week. I spent all of Monday transcribing three interviews and organizing the data for the How to Talk to Kids about HIV and Aids program. On Tuesday I met with the coordinator of the Public Presentation program and we discussed what I will do for her in terms of evaluation. I also sat in on the Family and Youth Development monthly meeting. The meeting was interesting because I got a chance to learn about all the other programs that go on in the department. Wednesday I analyzed the public presentation data and found no significant change in the students anxiety levels from before they speak to after they speak. Today, Thursday, I am analyzing the How to Talk to Kids about HIV and Aids. So far, there is no significant findings.
Next Week’s Activities
Next week I will be meeting with the creators of the other programs to discuss my results with them. I will also further analyzing the data. Right now I have done an overall evaluation and found no change. But, on an individual question there may be some change. For example I may find that there was a 10% increase in participants knowledge about how STD’s are transmitted over the course of the program. If so, the course is successful in accomplishing one of its goals; to promote knowledge about STD’s.
I’m also getting very anxious about finishing my evaluation at CUCE. I am just now completing my statistical analysis and still need to write up my findings and create a report.
Critical Incident
I came across a wonderful book called Measures of Personality Attitudes. It includes descriptions of measures for shyness, confidence, and anxiety. Not only is this what the Public Presentation program is looking to measure, but the book has helped me organize my coding and evaluation structure for all three programs.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Assignment 4
This Week’s Activities
I have spent the majority of this week re-writing my proposal. This makes my current work in progress the third rendition of my project. What has changed is that I will be adding a second, and possibly third program, to my summer internship at CCE. At this point I am not 100% committed to this new plan, however, I feel that writing a new proposal will help me think through my new project and see if I can realistically do it in three-four weeks.
My Original Project
My initial project was to create an evaluation process for the Enhanced Parenting Skills Program. Quantitative data was gathered for the final 6 participants in the fall session and hopefully another 8 will be coming in from the summer session. I, and my adviser, were concerned about this low number of participant data. The statistical significance is simply not high enough—and thus would be a weak final project for my degree. Qualitative data was gathered for the 6 fall participants. The deliverable for this project was going to be a report of my findings and a how-to booklet of the statistical process for the CCE office (so that they can repeat the process without me).
To make this project more substantial (for the purpose of using it as my exit project) I was going to gather more qualitative data by interviewing the two creators, the facilitator, and the involved community members. I was then going to compare and contrast their views and goals of the program.
My New Proposed Project
The new plan is to continue the evaluation for EPS and also help out one or two more programs at CCE that are also trying to set up an evaluation process. There is a public speaking program that has pre and post tests sitting on a shelf. I would code them, analyze them, and add them to my final report. Another program just finished a pilot of a pre and post test. For this program I would critique the pre and post test – with data from participant feedback and my literature on evaluation and its goals.
Pro’s to the switch
-I will have a more substantial final exit paper because more data will be analyzed and I will be able to experience more elements of an evaluation process .
-I will be a greater help to the Cornell University extension office by helping more programs move forward in evaluation.
-My report is no longer only about Parenting – a niche that I did not want to get stuck in or remembered for.
Con’s to the switch
-I am causing more work for myself because I have to coordinate time to speak to each projects creators and evaluators.
-I may not have time to complete the project over the summer and will most likely work into the fall.
-I will have less qualitative data because I will not interview the creator, facilitator, or community members of EPS and the other two projects do not have participants that I can interview.
Next Week’s Activities
Next week I will be meeting with the creators of the other programs. I will also be taking out all the information in my lit review about parenting ( and adding it to an appendix). Hopefully, I will be able to begin evaluation on one of the other programs as well.
I have spent the majority of this week re-writing my proposal. This makes my current work in progress the third rendition of my project. What has changed is that I will be adding a second, and possibly third program, to my summer internship at CCE. At this point I am not 100% committed to this new plan, however, I feel that writing a new proposal will help me think through my new project and see if I can realistically do it in three-four weeks.
My Original Project
My initial project was to create an evaluation process for the Enhanced Parenting Skills Program. Quantitative data was gathered for the final 6 participants in the fall session and hopefully another 8 will be coming in from the summer session. I, and my adviser, were concerned about this low number of participant data. The statistical significance is simply not high enough—and thus would be a weak final project for my degree. Qualitative data was gathered for the 6 fall participants. The deliverable for this project was going to be a report of my findings and a how-to booklet of the statistical process for the CCE office (so that they can repeat the process without me).
To make this project more substantial (for the purpose of using it as my exit project) I was going to gather more qualitative data by interviewing the two creators, the facilitator, and the involved community members. I was then going to compare and contrast their views and goals of the program.
My New Proposed Project
The new plan is to continue the evaluation for EPS and also help out one or two more programs at CCE that are also trying to set up an evaluation process. There is a public speaking program that has pre and post tests sitting on a shelf. I would code them, analyze them, and add them to my final report. Another program just finished a pilot of a pre and post test. For this program I would critique the pre and post test – with data from participant feedback and my literature on evaluation and its goals.
Pro’s to the switch
-I will have a more substantial final exit paper because more data will be analyzed and I will be able to experience more elements of an evaluation process .
-I will be a greater help to the Cornell University extension office by helping more programs move forward in evaluation.
-My report is no longer only about Parenting – a niche that I did not want to get stuck in or remembered for.
Con’s to the switch
-I am causing more work for myself because I have to coordinate time to speak to each projects creators and evaluators.
-I may not have time to complete the project over the summer and will most likely work into the fall.
-I will have less qualitative data because I will not interview the creator, facilitator, or community members of EPS and the other two projects do not have participants that I can interview.
Next Week’s Activities
Next week I will be meeting with the creators of the other programs. I will also be taking out all the information in my lit review about parenting ( and adding it to an appendix). Hopefully, I will be able to begin evaluation on one of the other programs as well.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Week 3
This Week’s Activities
This week I completed a draft of my proposal. The majority of my time was spent researching and reading articles for my literature review. Since the lit. review is a ‘living’ part of my project I don’t really feel a sense of accomplishment at this point with my draft. Non-the-less, my proposal outlines my new goals and methods for the project.
This week I am also thinking a lot about the questions that I will be using during my interviews. I have four main categories that I want to interview. They are, the participants, the community leaders, the creators, and the facilitators. In reading my literature review I have come across some interesting questions and have formed a short list. Here are some of the questions:
What motivates you to teach/participate/implement the EPS class?
this question is designed to better understand why the program exists and what drives/motivates it.
What do you see are the desired outcomes of the workshop?
This question is designed to better understand the perceived goals of the workshop. I am interested in comparing the comments of each category (creator vs. facilitator vs. participant vs. community leader).
Who are the Primary intended users (PIUs) of the evaluation?
This question is for the creators and facilitator. It may be interesting to see who the participants and community members feel are the important stakeholders – but I feel that they may not be involved enough in the program to realize that the participants are not the only stakeholders. This question is designed to help me identify the stakeholders in the program (administrators, staff, community leaders, sponsors, coalitions, participants). By doing so I will be able to collaborate with the stakeholders and help the staff realize who else affects the program.
How can project activities be improved?
This question is designed to better understand what can be improved. The four groups may see different places for improvement.
My goal as an evaluator of the program is to understand how these four constituents view the program and its goals.
Program participation is low. With this in mind, I was thinking that maybe I should create a 5th category of nonparticipating parents. I would ask these parents one question, “are you interested in participating in the Enhanced Parenting Skills class, and why or why not?” At the community center that the class is held in for the summer there are plenty of parents who walk in and out of the building or wait for their children in the lobby (rather than join the class). These are the parents that I would question.
I think there is a bit of a stigma behind the idea of taking a ‘parenting class’. In reflecting why I wouldn’t take the class I came up with the following; i don’t have time, I feel offended that you assume I need help, I don’t need help, I am embarrassed to admit that I could use some help. If I discover that parents equate the class to mean that they are ‘bad parents’ or that they are offended or embarrassed to take a “parenting class”, something as simple as changing the name to, “How to talk to your kids” or “Listen2Me” may be an effective tool in gaining participation.
Next Week’s Activities
My meeting with the two creators to code the written part of the tests fell through. I am rescheduling to do this next week. Monday I have a meeting the two creators of the program. I also plan on finalizing my interview questions.
This week I completed a draft of my proposal. The majority of my time was spent researching and reading articles for my literature review. Since the lit. review is a ‘living’ part of my project I don’t really feel a sense of accomplishment at this point with my draft. Non-the-less, my proposal outlines my new goals and methods for the project.
This week I am also thinking a lot about the questions that I will be using during my interviews. I have four main categories that I want to interview. They are, the participants, the community leaders, the creators, and the facilitators. In reading my literature review I have come across some interesting questions and have formed a short list. Here are some of the questions:
What motivates you to teach/participate/implement the EPS class?
this question is designed to better understand why the program exists and what drives/motivates it.
What do you see are the desired outcomes of the workshop?
This question is designed to better understand the perceived goals of the workshop. I am interested in comparing the comments of each category (creator vs. facilitator vs. participant vs. community leader).
Who are the Primary intended users (PIUs) of the evaluation?
This question is for the creators and facilitator. It may be interesting to see who the participants and community members feel are the important stakeholders – but I feel that they may not be involved enough in the program to realize that the participants are not the only stakeholders. This question is designed to help me identify the stakeholders in the program (administrators, staff, community leaders, sponsors, coalitions, participants). By doing so I will be able to collaborate with the stakeholders and help the staff realize who else affects the program.
How can project activities be improved?
This question is designed to better understand what can be improved. The four groups may see different places for improvement.
My goal as an evaluator of the program is to understand how these four constituents view the program and its goals.
Program participation is low. With this in mind, I was thinking that maybe I should create a 5th category of nonparticipating parents. I would ask these parents one question, “are you interested in participating in the Enhanced Parenting Skills class, and why or why not?” At the community center that the class is held in for the summer there are plenty of parents who walk in and out of the building or wait for their children in the lobby (rather than join the class). These are the parents that I would question.
I think there is a bit of a stigma behind the idea of taking a ‘parenting class’. In reflecting why I wouldn’t take the class I came up with the following; i don’t have time, I feel offended that you assume I need help, I don’t need help, I am embarrassed to admit that I could use some help. If I discover that parents equate the class to mean that they are ‘bad parents’ or that they are offended or embarrassed to take a “parenting class”, something as simple as changing the name to, “How to talk to your kids” or “Listen2Me” may be an effective tool in gaining participation.
Next Week’s Activities
My meeting with the two creators to code the written part of the tests fell through. I am rescheduling to do this next week. Monday I have a meeting the two creators of the program. I also plan on finalizing my interview questions.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
week 2
This Week’s Activities
This week I coded the pre and post tests for the spring session of the workshop. I based my coding on the results of the meeting I had with the two creators of the program last week. I also ran the data through excel to test for significance. Not to my surprise, no significance was found. But I couldn’t expect much from an N of 6!
I am also continuing my work on the my literature review. I found a couple of articles about teaching teachers. The creators are currently working on this issue I would like to add this topic to my lit review and my project.
I also plan on finishing my literature and my proposal this weekend.
Next Week’s Activities
On Monday I have a meeting the two creators of the program. During this time they will go through the pre and post tests and code them. I will use their scores to normalize my own. Next week I will begin transcribing my data from the spring EPS workshop and entering the pre-tests into the computer for the summer 2007 data.
Critical Incident
My Project
During my meeting with my adviser I met Laura. Laura works for Cornell and the Extension Programs. During our chat she mentioned that her office collected data from over 100 parents and children from the surrounding New York Extension Offices. This data was on another parenting program but was never analysis. My hope was that I could analyze this data and this other program and add it to my current work on the EPS workshop. Unfortunately, when I arrived back in the city, I received an email from Laura informing me that her colleague had promised that data to another student.
On a positive note, the summer session of the EPS workshop has not been canceled ~ yet. Yesterday’s program had 12 participants! This more than doubled the first day’s turn out. If the site is able to maintain these participants, and host a future workshop in the fall, then my project would have a decent sample size. I could even look at contrasting the different locations and track how changes that are made influence the program results.
This week my project changed and then changed right back. This transition has actually allowed me to appreciate the scope of my project. I have decided to KIS my project! By Keeping It Simple and staying with my evaluation of just the EPS program I will be able to influence its success on a more personal level. I will simply run my tests of significance and use the rest of my report focusing on the needs of the community and how CUCE-NYC help meet these needs. (And maybe, if the extension can get a few more groups, I can still run a multi-level analysis).
This week I coded the pre and post tests for the spring session of the workshop. I based my coding on the results of the meeting I had with the two creators of the program last week. I also ran the data through excel to test for significance. Not to my surprise, no significance was found. But I couldn’t expect much from an N of 6!
I am also continuing my work on the my literature review. I found a couple of articles about teaching teachers. The creators are currently working on this issue I would like to add this topic to my lit review and my project.
I also plan on finishing my literature and my proposal this weekend.
Next Week’s Activities
On Monday I have a meeting the two creators of the program. During this time they will go through the pre and post tests and code them. I will use their scores to normalize my own. Next week I will begin transcribing my data from the spring EPS workshop and entering the pre-tests into the computer for the summer 2007 data.
Critical Incident
My Project
During my meeting with my adviser I met Laura. Laura works for Cornell and the Extension Programs. During our chat she mentioned that her office collected data from over 100 parents and children from the surrounding New York Extension Offices. This data was on another parenting program but was never analysis. My hope was that I could analyze this data and this other program and add it to my current work on the EPS workshop. Unfortunately, when I arrived back in the city, I received an email from Laura informing me that her colleague had promised that data to another student.
On a positive note, the summer session of the EPS workshop has not been canceled ~ yet. Yesterday’s program had 12 participants! This more than doubled the first day’s turn out. If the site is able to maintain these participants, and host a future workshop in the fall, then my project would have a decent sample size. I could even look at contrasting the different locations and track how changes that are made influence the program results.
This week my project changed and then changed right back. This transition has actually allowed me to appreciate the scope of my project. I have decided to KIS my project! By Keeping It Simple and staying with my evaluation of just the EPS program I will be able to influence its success on a more personal level. I will simply run my tests of significance and use the rest of my report focusing on the needs of the community and how CUCE-NYC help meet these needs. (And maybe, if the extension can get a few more groups, I can still run a multi-level analysis).
Week 1
This Week’s Activities
This week is dedicated to researching sources to add to my literature review and coding the pre and post tests. Today I had a meeting with the two creators of the EPS program and we went over the Pre and Post tests to assign scores to each response. This week I will code each individual’s response and do some preliminary statistical tests in preparation for meeting my advisor on Monday. This week, on Wednesday, I will be traveling to Far Rockaway Queens to administer the pre-test to parents who are starting a summer EPS workshop.
Next Week’s Activities
On Monday I have a meeting with my Advisor. On Tuesday and Wednesday I plan on finishing my Lit. Review so that I can hand it in on Thursday. In my other time I will continue to work on my qualitative data analysis.
Critical Incident
In response to last Thursday’s discussion I set up a meeting and spoke to my boss and the other project leader about my role as a program evaluator. We concluded that I will not be observing future parenting classes. Instead, I will interview the facilitator to get her feedback about what works well and what doesn’t. Upon reflection, I may also decide to interview the program creators to get a sense of their view on program’s intentions. This meeting was important in setting the boundaries for my project. I feel relieved that I don’t have to ‘report’ back what I observed. I am also believe that by conducting a formal interview I am following a PAR format in which the facilitator’s feedback can be used to create positive changes in the program. The participant’s feedback and the facilitator’s and creator’s interviews will allow me to collect qualitative data that can help guide the program in the future.
Topics for this Thursday
PAR research: I would like to discuss PAR and be able to classify my project into one of the categories. I would also like to know the difference between PAR and service learning.
Subjectivity: I would like to discuss our role as evaluators and if it is appropriate to make comments that suggest change. My organization has asked that I recommend changes to the program. But, as we discussed last week, we are not experts, and it is important to maintain objectivity. If I do decide to make suggestions for change, what section of the report should they be included under?
This week is dedicated to researching sources to add to my literature review and coding the pre and post tests. Today I had a meeting with the two creators of the EPS program and we went over the Pre and Post tests to assign scores to each response. This week I will code each individual’s response and do some preliminary statistical tests in preparation for meeting my advisor on Monday. This week, on Wednesday, I will be traveling to Far Rockaway Queens to administer the pre-test to parents who are starting a summer EPS workshop.
Next Week’s Activities
On Monday I have a meeting with my Advisor. On Tuesday and Wednesday I plan on finishing my Lit. Review so that I can hand it in on Thursday. In my other time I will continue to work on my qualitative data analysis.
Critical Incident
In response to last Thursday’s discussion I set up a meeting and spoke to my boss and the other project leader about my role as a program evaluator. We concluded that I will not be observing future parenting classes. Instead, I will interview the facilitator to get her feedback about what works well and what doesn’t. Upon reflection, I may also decide to interview the program creators to get a sense of their view on program’s intentions. This meeting was important in setting the boundaries for my project. I feel relieved that I don’t have to ‘report’ back what I observed. I am also believe that by conducting a formal interview I am following a PAR format in which the facilitator’s feedback can be used to create positive changes in the program. The participant’s feedback and the facilitator’s and creator’s interviews will allow me to collect qualitative data that can help guide the program in the future.
Topics for this Thursday
PAR research: I would like to discuss PAR and be able to classify my project into one of the categories. I would also like to know the difference between PAR and service learning.
Subjectivity: I would like to discuss our role as evaluators and if it is appropriate to make comments that suggest change. My organization has asked that I recommend changes to the program. But, as we discussed last week, we are not experts, and it is important to maintain objectivity. If I do decide to make suggestions for change, what section of the report should they be included under?
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Orientation
This weekend has been very exciting.
I moved into my NYC dorm room- which has a great view!
And, I have taken two wonderful walking tours of lower Manhattan.
I moved into my NYC dorm room- which has a great view!
And, I have taken two wonderful walking tours of lower Manhattan.
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