A conceptual framework for considering the costs and benefits of postsecondary education assessment is presented, along with a typology linking the costs of evaluation to their informational benefits. A number of cost-analysis paradigms and techniques for assessing alternative evaluation projects at the institutional level are also examined. The…

This paper presents a standard costing model appropriate for determining real costs of programs which are not entirely self-contained. Central to the model is the concept of allocation pools involving resources which are not attributable to a single program or program component, but whose costs must be shared by any given program which is part of…

Scripts of the three presentations made during Forum 12 of the AACJC conference are presented here. The introductory remarks, made by James O. Hammons, deal with the need for accountability and cost effectiveness and the development of these concepts. Sharon Jaggard presents a comparison of three courses at Bulington County College on the basis of…

A method using estimates of individual time allocations was developed to produce a profile of departmental functioning as a whole. Previous research suggested that staff estimates were a reasonably accurate and economical method for obtaining estimates of time. Each staff member estimated the percentage of his or her time spent on different tasks…

The five-phased plan of action developed by personnel at Kent State has delineated an overall structure of teacher education redesign. Present costs can be computed for each graduating student. Implementation of the new guidelines for teacher education based on emerging needs will change the costs of teacher preparation. The purpose of this…

The paper examines an exemplary special education school for the handicapped in Peru and describes the school's success in training children in primary education and basic work skills. A rate of return for the investment in the school is calculated using cost-benefit analysis. The results are noted to indicate a conservative estimate of 10% return…

The paper describes a simple, yet effective method of computing a comparative index of instructional costs. The Instructional Cost Index identifies direct cost differentials among instructional programs. Cost differentials are described in terms of differences among numerical values of variables that reflect fundamental academic and resource…

Cost benefit analysis may in the future become a valuable tool for management in higher education, provided the benefits of acquiring a body of knowledge can be defined. Since higher education is not subject to the disciplines of the marketplace in the sense that private business is, we need to find other reasons for influencing our decisions on…

A model is outlined that generates program costs and indicates the relative contribution of the various dimensions of a program to costs. The model says that there is no direct relationship between costs and learning, but that program (and school) parameters intervene. Some of these parameters have costs associated with them, but these are not…

The study presented in this paper is part of the National Institute of Education's effort to study federally sponsored compensatory education programs through demonstration projects. One aspect of the study of demonstration projects concerns the cost associated with the changes in allocation procedures and concentration levels which result from…

A study examined the relationship between investment in training and labor productivity in a sample of 237 large and medium-size Taiwanese firms producing auto parts. Of the 162 firms (68.4%) that returned usable questionnaires, 142 (59.9%) had training programs and 131 (55.3%) provided full cost data. The data were analyzed by multiple regression…

Cost-effectiveness/benefit analysis is an analytical technique for assessing outputs of educational programs in relation to the program objectives and the associated program costs. It combines the two concepts of cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis into a comprehensive model. The cost-effectiveness/benefit analysis model has been…

The paper focuses on the Title I Evaluation Technical Assistance Centers to illustrate issues of measuring costs and deciding on outcome criteria before promoting "cost-effective" approaches. Effects are illustrated for varying resource allocations among personnel, travel, materials, and phone costs as a function of emphasizing…

This paper describes a management system for secondary vocational education programs that is based on a cost-effectiveness analysis model. The model described was developed specifically for use in planning and evaluating secondary school vocational programs, although it might be applied to other educational programs as well. The model generates…

Information concerning early retirement in colleges and universities was obtained through a faculty survey, prediction of rates of retirement and costs under three plans, computer simulations of faculty turnover rates, and faculty/administrator opinions and data pertaining to the implications of specific plans. In 1980, 647 faculty 45 years old…