Cooperative Extension strives to provide agricultural producers with non-formal educational opportunities designed to positively impact agriculture (NIFA, 2021). Therefore, a team of Extension professionals at the University of Nebraska -- Lincoln developed and facilitate an ongoing professional development program designed to enhance the…

Basic measurements and applications of six selected general but critical operational performance-based indicators--effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, profitability, return on investment, and benefit-cost ratio--are presented. With each measurement, goals and potential impact are explored. Errors, risks, limitations to measurements, and a…

Purpose: This paper assesses the effectiveness of volunteer farmer trainers in promoting adoption of agricultural technologies in western Kenya. Specifically, the purpose was to assess the type of information they disseminated, farmer trainers' characteristics desirable to farmer trainees, and how trainees evaluate farmer trainers.…

Discusses four approaches to assessing training effectiveness and efficiency: resource requirement models, life cycle models, benefits models, and productivity models. Examines different ways of addressing the cost/benefits issue which could be useful in a particular training situation. Each model is analyzed in detail. (CT)

Purpose: The study aims to examine the human resource management challenges in Southern EU and their effect on organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach: First, key challenges were identified in the existing literature. Then, these challenges were matched with those reported most often in the CRANET questionnaire. These challenges…

This guide is concerned with productivity measurement and improvement in mental health centers, and focuses on the relationship between service outputs and available clinical staff, i.e., staff productivity. Staff productivity measures are described as useful in identifying existing levels of productivity, making comparisons to determine the…

The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, a conceptual model for measuring productivity and efficiency, is presented and applied in this report. First, the DEA model is described, and three of its properties that make it particularly useful are identified; i.e., it measures efficiency of units relative to each other rather than to absolute…

The results of a 1976 study, "Measures of Institutional Goal Achievement" (MIGA), based on a survey of 1,150 faculty, administrators, and trustees at 45 American colleges and universities are presented, and implications for the work of college planners and administrators are assessed. Respondents, answering questions about goal priorities and…

This monograph provides definitions, guidelines, and recommended practices for assessing and improving institutions of higher education in South Carolina which are congruent with the accreditation standards and criteria of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The first section defines key terms and states that overall institutional…

This paper examines the trend toward demanding increased accountability and efficiency by institutions of higher education in the United States and Europe and its implications for the relationship between government and the college or university. It notes that such factors as limited state resources, rising educational costs, and the growing…

This technical paper is one of three produced by a large-scale effort aimed at implementing a new approach to measuring productivity, and using that approach to assess the impact of feedback, goal setting, and incentives on productivity. The productivity measurement system was developed for five units in the maintenance and supply areas at an Air…

The design and results of a program to support writing and, by extension, research among new college faculty (n=16) are reported. The strategy emphasized six components of writing (motivation, imagination, fluency, control, audience, and resilience), and was found to help participants meet goals for improvement (more articles accepted in refereed…

A project was conducted to assess the evaluation needs of post secondary cooperative education program administrators and to develop procedures and checklists for assessing productivity and impact of postsecondary cooperative education. This work built upon a general design developed in 1976 under part C of Public Law 90-576 for improving…

Recent Australian research provides a solid body of evidence that training investments can yield very high levels of returns for firms across a range of sectors. It highlights these important factors about returns on investment (ROI): ROI come in many forms; immediate ROI are highest when training is highly focused; measuring ROI is not always…

This report, summarizing the results of a survey of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Bureau of Police, focuses on perceived opportunities for productivity improvements in the Bureau as viewed by police officers themselves. The study looks at definite change strategy suggestions and the attitudinal climate influencing any potential changes. A survey…