This paper presents a mathematical methodology in treating the systems approach to the evaluation of instruction. The major aspects of the procedure and the use of sensitivity analysis as a check upon the logical validity of the system are discussed. Advantages of a systems analysis when compared to qualitative analysis are also presented.…

An evaluation methodology based on problem-solving techniques which can be effective and efficient in defining and analyzing problems which impair program performance is described. The model provides a potentially unique cost/benefit methodology for estimating the potential worth of improving program performance. (Author/RL)

The client-oriented cost outcome system provides feedback of the data generated by or for consumers for a program's service planning, delivery, quality control, and evaluation methods. The system's conceptual framework, necessary components, and applications for program evaluation are described. Available from: Pergamon Press, Maxwell House,…

To design cost-effective solutions to nursing practice problems, staff development educators must be able to identify problems accurately. This article presents approaches to problem identification and criteria for problem classification that will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of staff development departments and activities. (Author)

A comprehensive framework for the evaluation of online bibliographic retrieval services is applied to EISO, and relationships between search processing variables associated with costs and output variables measuring client's knowledge gain and degree of satisfaction are discussed. (Author/MBR)

Representative models of program evaluation are described by their approach to values, and categorized by empirical style: positivism versus humanism. The models are: social process audit; experimental/quasi-experimental research design; goal-free evaluation; systems evaluation; cost-benefit analysis; and accountability program evaluation. (CP)

Cost-effectiveness represents an attempt to apply one methodology to decision-making in education. Three recent trends in the behavioral and social sciences are apparent: Rationalization in the decision process, institutionalization of research in education, and the beginning of a general theory of organizational behavior. The problem posed is how…

Training managers increasingly are being asked to document the cost effectiveness of their programs. A cost-benefit analysis program was implemented at the Anchor Hocking Corporation that may be useful for other organizations. The cost-benefit analysis at Anchor Hocking is part of the training system design. The complete training system design…

In adult education, program planning and administrative management are important areas within which economic analysis may contribute to effective and efficient decision making. The adult education administrator is faced with a dual economic task: (1) to prove beforehand that his programs will pay for the operating budget he is demanding; and (2)…

Reviews some approaches to organizational effectiveness suggested by organizational theorists, reports on the applications of these theories in libraries, develops some hypotheses regarding the assessment of performance in libraries, and describes a model which synthesizes some of the approaches. A 52-item reference list is attached. (Author/JL)

This article offers an integrated approach to government program evaluation and an organizational model that clearly identifies the central role of evaluation in organizational life. This view includes: outcome evaluation; benefit-cost analysis; human rights; the level and distribution of benefits, costs, and rights; and a systems model of…

In order to determine the value of cost-benefit analysis to adult educators, this paper discusses the concepts involved and how they are being operationalized in adult education. The specific technique is discussed within the general framework of systems approach. A survey of current usage reveals that it has thus far been limited primarily to…

A framework is presented for evaluating family centers in the context of the community environment. The family centers will be created in a variety of communities and under varying auspices. Several will be selected as prototype centers and, as such, will need more elaborate evaluation plans than the others. Prototype centers will need to evaluate…

The least understood of complex systems is that which produces educated people. Superficially, many key elements of a manufacturing organization are part of the system: a product, product tolerance limits, methods for assessing product deviation, and a feed-back system for making compensatory adjustments. In layman's terms these elements are:…