Qualitative interviews and focus groups are commonly used methods to elicit participants' voices in program evaluations. However, the use of these data-gathering methods can fall short of the goal; even with open-ended questions, the protocols guiding and shaping interviews and focus groups heavily reflect the evaluators' understanding and…

Improving the quality of healthcare while simultaneously reducing its overall costs remains a challenge. One of the recommended approaches for achieving this goal is to build high quality data collection and reporting systems to facilitate evidence-based practice (EBP), which emphasizes the importance of using the solid evidence available to make…

Program evaluation is an important part of Extension, especially with the increased emphasis on metrics and accountability. Agents are often the point persons for evaluation data collection, and Web-based surveys are a commonly used tool. The iPad tablet with Internet access has the potential to be an effective survey tool. iPads were field tested…

The XX IDEA annual conference has been focused and reflected on different ways and means of meeting various kinds of methodological challenges, new technologies and multi-media developments, newly emerging partnerships and collaboration between emerging sectors on one hand and between the institutions functioning with similar objectives and…

A demonstration project explored the potential of satellite video consulation to improve the quality of rural health care in Alaska. Satellite ground stations permitting both transmission and reception of black and white television were installed at clinics in Fairbanks, Fort Yukon, Galena, and Tanana. Receive-only television capability was…

An experimental program based on a study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development was activated to deliver services to urban residents via automated communications technology. Designed to contribute to improvement in the quality of life, the program of a Community Information and Services Center (CISC) included: outreach programs, i.e.,…

This report of the proceedings of a conference on institutional research techniques contains information on the conference and 23 selected papers. Conference information includes the program, a list of steering committee members, and a list of attenders. The following papers are included: (1) "Examples of How Institutional Research Can Help…

This report describes and evaluates the first year of a demonstration project to develop an on-demand telecommunications network linking four remote hospitals in southwestern Ohio to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The Telecommunications Information Network (TIN) is designed to allow health care professionals at those hospitals to…

The two reports presented here describe an 18-month project intended to review and evaluate the first year's activities of the Office of Telecommunications Policy's (OTP) Telecommunications Demonstration Program for the delivery of social and health services; develop approaches for evaluating individual demonstration programs in the future;…

Outlines a distance education course in telecommunications offered through Brunel Technical College, Bristol, England. Objectives of the college, the sponsor, college staff, and students enrolled in the course are investigated together with problems, cost implications, and student and staff perceptions. Distance and evening students' performance…

A third party evaluation was conducted of an experiment in service training program (Project Interact) in career education using duplex (two-way) television to reach several groups in different cities simultaneously. Two main aspects of the project were under study: the particular curriculum content on career education and the use of the Texas…

Historical documents and interview data are compiled to develop a chronology of critical events used in studying the impact of the Applications Technology Satellite educational demonstration (ATS-6) in Alaska. This method of evaluation was implemented as a parallel approach to that of gathering data in the villages from Native informants and from…

The four 1991 issues of the newsletter "Development Communication Report" are primarily concerned with the use of communication technologies in developing countries to educate the people. Evaluation is the theme of the first issue, which contains the following articles: "Evaluating Communication Programs: Means and Ends,""Making a Splash: How…

Measures, tools, and techniques applicable to the performance measurement of computer communication networks are described for technicians who procure computer services from a remote access network. Cost considerations are discussed as a major component of evaluation, and measurement and evaluation methodologies are surveyed. External measurement…

The Appalachian Education Satellite Project (AESP) was conceptualized in 1973 (1) to develop courses in reading and career-education instruction for teachers in the Appalachian region, and (2) to determine the feasibility of conducting such courses over a large geographical area via communication satellites. During the summer of 1974 nearly 600…