on the Web
Session 1 - Welcome to the NDSU Extension Service
Session 2 - Who We Are and What We Do
Session 3 - Policies and Procedures
Session 4 - Information Technology
Session 6 - The Land-Grant University
Session 7 - Program Development and Educational
Design
Session 8 - Evaluation
Session 9 - 4-H Youth Development
Session 10 - Personalizing Your Programs
Session 11 - Professional Development
Session 12 - Working with Differences
Session 13 - Balancing Work and Personal Life
Session 14 - Organizational Management
Session 15 - Volunteer Management
Contacts
If there’s anything that can be done to make your first year with the NDSU
Extension Service better, please contact your supervisor (district director,
assistant director or department chair) or Deb Gebeke, Assistant Director, Staff Development.
debra.gebeke@ndsu.edu
What does Extension evaluate?
- Needs of North Dakota citizens, communities, state and federal programs. For example, test plot data of soybean producers indicate we need varieties that handle iron schlorosis; surveys of county social services indicate a need for Children of Divorce programs; emerging bio-diesel industries indicate a need for local leadership training, economic development training and collaboration.
- Effectiveness of programs (outcomes or impacts) As Extension Service employees we are accountable to taxpayers and agencies/organizations who fund our work. Counting numbers of meetings and people attending is not enough. We need evaluation tools that tell us what the outcomes or impacts are of our programs. Our funders want to know if there is a good return on their investment.
The four components listed below are parts of the "Logic Model" for program planning and evaluation required for quality and accountability. You will learn more as you get involved with your team.
- Inputs are resources a program uses in providing services for program participants. Examples are staff, volunteers, facilities, equipment, curricula and money. A program uses inputs to support activities.
- Activities are the services a program provides for its participants. Examples are sheltering homeless families, educating the public about signs of child abuse, delivering meals to home-bound seniors and providing adult mentors for youth. Program activities result in outputs.
- Outputs describe what we do and who we reach are. They are a program's activities, generally measured in units of service. Examples are the number of meals provided, classes taught, hours of service given, brochures distributed and participants served. A program's outputs should lead to desired outcomes for the program's participants.
- Outcomes are benefits of changes for program participants during or after their involvement with a program. Outcomes may relate to knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, behavior, condition or status. Examples of outcomes include knowing the nutritional needs of an infant, demonstrating improved reading skills, using more effective responses to conflict, obtaining and keeping a job, and having greater financial stability. Outcomes can be short term, medium, or long term. Short term focuses on knowledge gained. Medium requires some planning, discussion of items, implement a plan. Long term is local, environmental, civic and economic and evaluations document the outcomes.
Outcomes = Impacts
Impact reporting is the phrase the NDSU Extension Service usually uses to describe the difference our work has made for North Dakotans. Impact is defined as the reportable and verifiable difference a land-grant program makes in the lives of citizens. The importance of impact reporting is to let people know what we are doing and that we are making a difference. This is important for many reasons:
- Program improvement
- Public accountability
- Program accountability
- Return on investment
- Better public understanding of the "whole picture" of research, teaching and service
- Future funding
- Better awareness of all the programs within the institution.
The first reason for evaluation is for program improvement. Evaluation helps you to know if you are providing what the audience needs and helps to improve the program. It benefits you, the educator, and is not only done for reporting reasons.
In summary, after all the plans are made, we need to deliver impact statements.
An impact statement is a brief summary, in lay terms, of the economic, environmental and/or social impact of your efforts. It states accomplishments and their payoff to society. In short, an impact statement answers the questions "So what?" and "Who cares?"
The "So what?" and "Who cares?" tests should be applied to every potential impact statement. Public officials, funding agencies and the public ask these questions to determine if you're making a difference or not.
An impact statement is not a description of process, the number of folks attending a meeting, enrolled in a program or some other "counting" report.
A good impact statement demonstrates long term outcome.
- Economic value of efficiency - "This new spray nozzle cut application of corn herbicides here by 19 percent for an annual savings of $3 per acre."
- Environmental quality - "The same spray nozzle reduced the risk of damaging trees with spray drift by 85 percent."
- Societal or individual well-being - "90 percent of the first-time youth offenders who participated in our 4-H program, instead of going to detention, did not end up back in the correction system after 7 years. Normally 50 percent of first time youth offenders end up back in the correction system."
Target Audience
Who's your target audience?
- The general public - your neighbor, taxpayers, voters, other professionals (non extension) in your subject matter area.
- Local governing bodies - city council, county commissioners, zoning board.
- State officials - governor, ag commissioner, public health officer, dept. of human resources officer, legislators, agency officials.
- Federal officials - senators and representatives, regulators, agency officials, the President, aides for all of them.
- Your peers - other researchers, extension specialists.
- External funding sources - current and potential.
- Industry representatives - commodity groups, businesses.
What do all these audiences have in common?
- Exercise some kind of control over your programs
- Generally want only information vital to decisions
- Have lots of competition for their attention
- Are asking for quantifiable differences brought about by investments in your program
Extension Accomplishment Reporting System (EARS)
The Extension Accomplishment Reporting System (EARS) helps Extension share the impacts of our work. Search the EARS Web site to see examples of the impacts of North Dakota Extension work. Imagine a federal, state or county level supervisor asking you for examples of how extension makes a difference.
EARS is our electronic database for collecting, storing and retrieving program impacts. The EARS system is also a communication tool for faculty, staff and community partners to share programs that are making a difference in North Dakota.
An EARS report answers, "So what?" and "Who cares?". Compile the information needed to report impacts.
Be sure to review the criteria for writing an EARS report on the EARS web site before you begin writing. You can also print the criteria so its easier to follow as you write.
One of the pubs of the EARS system is you can write your report in a word processing package, spell check it, copy and paste it into the EARS website.
Completing Reports
You may want to review this information by taking the concept quiz to practice identifying the differences between inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes.
Next Session
We all have professional and
personal responsibilities to the youth in our state. Next
week: 4-H
Youth Development.