Efforts of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst illustrate the use of cost information in decision-making. The Instructional Cost Index can be used to determine the unit costs of instruction and, combined with information from an induced course load matrix system, can provide data on the costs of programs. (LBH)

Several models exist for production methods that can be used in the development of instructional materials for use in television- or computer-based instructional programs. These models include the established audiovisual industry that currently produces educational films and similar materials; consortia of educational institutions sharing in the…

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 research described in this report attempts to estimate the costs of providing an appropriate education to all school-aged handicapped children by 1980-81. The study begins by addressing the aspects of special education that will help to predict future costs--patterns of growth to the present, legal and political mandates, the nature of various…

This report provides a detailed description of an education program cost model designed to accept descriptions of the size and composition of resources used in a particular program and translate them into an estimate of program cost, for convenient comparison of alternatives. The model also translates ("crosswalks") the program budget…

This study was undertaken to show why area vocational education programs should be developed at both secondary and postsecondary levels and to develop a model for organizational and curricular patterns for vocational education at the local level. Empirical data were analyzed to show the need for vocational education in Michigan, and a…

This publication discusses a cost analysis study of bilingual education in Texas that sought to determine the per-pupil costs of a minimally adequate program that would correspond to the regular monolingual program funded under the state's foundation finance program. The study identified the essential costs of a model bilingual education program…

Describes specific factors contributing to questionable validity and reliability of cost information used by mental health administrators. Presents a case study in which 17 different cost figures were derived for a single program using various methods currently employed. Discusses implications of nonuniform cost data. (Author/RC)

This exploratory resource allocation model for implementing community-based supported employment services for persons with mental retardation uses a multivariate linear regression approach to project the hours required to develop a job site based on the size of the community, the rate of unemployment, and the percent of service jobs. (Author/DB)

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…

The evaluation of instructional programs is necessary in order to document accomplishments, determine cost effectiveness, establish management control, and provide bases for improving the education of students. The responsibilities and technical requirements of an evaluation system involve the function of the following component areas: demographic…

A major challenge in higher education is to build evaluation models that first of all spell out various effectiveness measures and then related cost data. The Program Effectiveness and Related Costs (PERC) framework addresses this problem. The five components of PERC are outcomes, costs, students, learning programs, and faculty. An overview and…

This document applies Dr. Mehar Aurora's method for conducting cost benefit studies to the Food Manufacturing Technology-Dairy and the Food Manufacturing Technology-Canning and Freezing programs offered by the Moraine Park Technical Institute. Costs to individual students enrolled in the programs include tuition, fees, housing, travel, books,…

Cost-income studies are designed to serve two functions in instructional program evaluation. First, they act as the indicator of the economic value of a program. This economic value in conjunction with the other educational values needed in program evaluation allow for the most realistic appraisal of program worth. Second, if the studies show a…