FAS Evaluation Team--Documenting our Progress

2001 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Dementia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1064-1068
Author(s):  
Patricia Mc Parland ◽  
Clare Cutler ◽  
Anthea Innes

This paper reports on the challenges associated with implementing and evaluating an innovative pilot music and movement project. The evaluation documents that participants enjoyed the sessions and that they created the opportunity for social engagement although there is little to suggest this is unique to this particular type of intervention. Difficulties included matching the programme to the needs of participants, communicating effectively, and over burdensome paperwork. The paper also comments on the challenges associated with last minute, limited funding opportunities for both the organisation commissioning a project and the team evaluating it. In this case, the evaluation team found that many of the more difficult issues associated with the pilot could have been resolved with more time for planning and preparation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Badieah Badieah ◽  
Rachmat Gernowo ◽  
Bayu Surarso

In order to improve academic quality in higher education, students’ performance evaluation is becoming important. To prevent increasing failure rate in the course, we need a system that is capable of predicting student’s performance in the end of the course. The research used several factors that are considered to affect students' performance on Problem Based Learning (PBL), such as students’ demography, students’ prior knowledge and group heterogeneity.  The method used in the study was Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with backpropagation training algorithm. Total 8 neurons were used as inputs for ANN which were obtained from gender variable (2 neurons), age variable (1 neuron), students’ average knowledge variable (1 neuron), students’ average skill variable (1 neuron) and group heterogeneity variable (3 neurons). Several different ANN architecture were tested in the study using 2, 7 and 12 hidden neurons respectively. Each architecture was trained using various different training parameters in order to find the best ANN architecture. Dataset used  in the research were obtained from Academic Information System in Faculty of Dentistry Unissula which contained Adult and Elderly Diseases Course’s participants from year 2009 to 2013. The ANN output were numeric values which represented students’ performance in Adult and Elderly Diseases Course. The output of this study is a system that is able to predict the student performance in block course. The result shows that using 7 hidden neurons in the network combining with 0.5 ,0.1 and  9000 for learning rate, momentum and epoch respectively, were the best ANN architechture and parameters in the study. The MSE obtained from validation test was 0,011926 with correlation coefficient (R) 0,796879. The prediction system are expected to help faculty and academic evaluation team to conduct actions to improve student’s academic performance and prevent them from failure in the course. 


Author(s):  
Larry S. Englisher ◽  
Susan Bregman ◽  
Stephen Pepin ◽  
Alicia Powell Wilson

In 1993 the SmarTraveler advanced traveler information system (ATIS) was introduced to travelers in the greater Boston area as part of an operational test jointly funded by FHWA and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction. The service offers real-time, route-specific travel information by phone for major highways and public transit. During the 3-year test period from January 1993 to January 1996, service usage grew to nearly 60,000 calls per week, made by an average of more than 20,000 users. To achieve this growth, SmarTraveler was marketed to both cellular and land-line phone users using a variety of strategies over the course of the test. Evaluation and monitoring studies were commissioned to examine the degree to which users responded to SmarTraveler and the marketing program. The evaluation included extensive surveys of users and nonusers as well as tracking of calls and call frequency. The findings of the independent evaluation team on the success of various promotional efforts associated with the SmarTraveler operational test are presented. Overall, the marketing program aimed at the broad target market during the first 2 years appears to have been only partly successful in increasing the public’s level of awareness of SmarTraveler, in convincing its target market of SmarTraveler’s superiority to radio and TV travel reports, and in inducing trials. As a result of the second-year evaluation, changes were made to marketing and pricing during the third year of operation to target cellular telephone users. Further surveys were conducted to examine cellular telephone user response to these changes. SmarTraveler experienced a large increase in calls and users in the third year, especially in the cellular telephone market. Among the survey findings was that this market is quite price sensitive.


2009 ◽  
pp. 69-84
Author(s):  
Cristina Citterio ◽  
Mirko Freni ◽  
Laura Gioria ◽  
Ivana Pais

- This article is about a model proposed by OBR Fondimpresa Lombardia for the evaluation of concerted training plan. Usually, in Italy the term "evaluation" is perceived as a negative word which reminds critics and judgment. In this investigation job, which is characterized by a participated and shared process, the meaning of evaluation gains a completely opposite sense: it is meant as a "giving value", as a way to bring into light the different aspects that build the Fondimpresa system, aiming to scout and to create some possible improvement spaces. The article is divided into six sections. First paragraph is about the beginning and the characteristics of inter-professional funds which support life long learning. Second paragraph describes the action plan followed by the promotion and evaluation team (the so-called professionals) of Obr Fondimpresa Lombardia. In the third paragraph shall be disclosed the specifics of the evaluation of the concerted training. In the fourth and fifth paragraph are presented, respectively, the path to building the model for assessing Fondimpresa in Lombardy and the results so far emerged. The last paragraph outline the future prospects of intervention, from a critical analysis of the path taken so far.Key words: evaluation model, evaluation brainstorming, inter-professional funds, education, action researchParole chiave: modello di valutazione, brainstorming valutativo, fondi interprofessionali, formazione, ricerca - intervento


Author(s):  
Seung Youn (Yonnie) Chyung ◽  
Stacey E. Olachea ◽  
Colleen Olson ◽  
Ben Davis

The College Advisory Program offered by Total Vision Soccer Club aims at providing young players with the opportunity to learn how to navigate the collegiate recruiting process, market themselves to college coaches, and increase their exposure to potential colleges and universities. A team of external evaluators (authors of this chapter) conducted a formative evaluation to determine what the program needs to do to reach its goal. By following a systemic evaluation process, the evaluation team investigated five dimensions of the program and collected data by reviewing various program materials and conducting surveys and interviews with players and their parents, upstream stakeholders, and downstream impactees. By triangulating the multiple sources of data, the team drew a conclusion that most program dimensions were rated as mediocre although the program had several strengths. The team provided evidence-based recommendations for improving the quality of the program.


Author(s):  
Richard E. Scott

E-Health continues to be implemented despite continued demonstration that it lacks value. Specific guidance regarding research approaches and methodologies would be beneficial due to the value in identifying and adopting a single model or framework for any one ‘entity’ (healthcare organisation, sub-national region, country, etc.) so that the evidence-base accumulates more rapidly and interventions can be more meaningfully compared. This paper describes a simple and systematic approach to e-health evaluation in a real-world setting, which can be applied by an evaluation team and raises the quality of e-health evaluations. The framework guides and advises users on evaluation approaches at different stages of e-health development and implementation. Termed ‘Pragmatic Evaluation,’ the approach has five principles that unfold in a staged approach that respects the collective need for timely, policy relevant, yet meticulous research.


Author(s):  
Edmund M. Ricci ◽  
Ernesto A. Pretto ◽  
Knut Ole Sundnes

A ‘mixed-methods’ research design, based upon the categories contained in a disaster response logic model, is suggested as the best approach to capture the complexities of the medical and public health disaster response experience. A mixed-methods design allows the evaluation team to collect and combine data from direct observation, medical records, interviews with victims, health professionals, family and friends of victims, public safety officials, other government and non-governmental officials and from public documents. Validation in a mixed-method design is based upon the concept of triangulation. The term triangulation is used in behavioral research to describe the process of obtaining data from three or more different sources and then comparing the findings to assess consistency across sources. In this design, both qualitative and quantitative data are collected and then merged during the analysis phase. Each data set is used to validate and enhance the other in order to improve the validity of the conclusions reached and the recommendations that follow. However, not all data need be combined. The mixed-method design allows for the analysis of certain types of data separately and then applied to the appropriate research question because there may be no appropriate comparative data.


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