This study used a two-phased explanatory mixed-methods design to explore in-depth what factors are perceived by Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) professionals as impacting instructional design practice, how these factors are valued in the field, and what differences in perspectives exist between IDT managers and non-managers. For phase 1…

A national report by The Teaching Commission (2004), entitled "Teaching at Risk: A Call to Action", highlighted the significance of professional learning by teachers. Requirements outlined by the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) component of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001) have emphasized the demands for high-quality professional…

Examines problem areas of training needs analysis (TNA), first by presenting a model of the TNA process, then by listing sources of data available for TNA (based on an analysis of the literature), and finally by proposing a method of choosing appropriate data-gathering techniques for TNA. (CT)

Hypothesis generation and testing is outlined as an additional domain for program evaluators. Program evaluation involves a thorough analysis of the processes that contribute to change (or a lack of change) among program recipients. This process of change is analyzed in two ways: (1) treating programs as naturally occurring field studies; and (2)…

Evaluation for accountability has become a significant part of federal funding guidelines. However, local project resources and needs, and, more recently, federal insight, suggests that the evaluation functions are most successfully carried out with the cooperation and active involvement of the local project staff. Under a contract to the District…

This article develops a production frontier model for the Employment Service and assesses the relative efficiency of the 51 State Employment Security Agencies in attaining program outcomes close to that frontier. This approach stands in contrast to such established practices as comparing programs to their own previous performance. (Author/CT)

A manual for trainers of development workers and change agents in the third world provides guidelines for evaluation of development training programs. Chapters define evaluation, present a general model of development, and discuss evaluation in development training programs. Designing training systems for development workers and change agents,…