In this second annual summary of the their work, the Investing in Community Initiative provides practical advice for community leaders and policymakers around four critical issues. First, how should local needs be defined? Chapter 1 argues that data about local economies can show whether communities are best served by creating new jobs,…

This report is an assessment of the women empowerment programmes available in selected local government areas in Osun State, Nigeria and the involvement of women in the initiation and planning of the empowerment programmes.Two local government areas (LGAs) in Osun State, Ife Central and Ede South were purposively selected for the study.The…

Effective mentoring programs help to recruit new teachers and improve teacher retention rates (e.g. Ingersoll & Strong, 2011, Rideout & Windle, 2010). Many school districts require mentoring programs for new teachers; however, they do not always have the resources to prepare their teachers to mentor beginning teachers. Clinical faculty…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to better understand how program planning and evaluation courses prepare students for their future careers in various health settings. Participants (n=20) from three different institutions with Health Education programs in the U.S. participated in the study. Methods: A modified snow-ball sampling technique was…

This article discusses the results of a school of social work survey assessing the geriatric training needs of social workers and other professionals in aging and the need for a gerontology practitioner's continuing education (CE) certificate program. A total of 391 professionals, the majority of whom were social workers, participated in an online…

The purpose of this study was to identify the specific competencies needed to apply social marketing, a promising approach to behavior change, to Extension programming. A modified Delphi study was used to achieve group consensus among a panel of experts on the skills, characteristics, and knowledge needed to successfully apply this behavior change…

The continuing shortage of agricultural education instructors has been documented across the state and nation. Secondary instructor retention may help reduce the shortage and position changes each year. Identifying the challenges facing beginning teachers as perceived by beginning teachers, veteran teachers, and building administrators can help…

This study describes the development of three case studies that included a combination of multimedia production and instructional design skills within a particular setting. These case studies incorporated real-life incidents from 47 professional instructional designers. These instructional designers described a total of 146 activities involving…

While formative workplace based assessment can improve learners' skills, it often does not because the procedures used do not facilitate feedback which is sufficiently specific to scaffold improvement. Provision of pre-formulated strategies to address predicted learning needs has potential to improve the quality and automate the provision of…

Background: People with intellectual disabilities face barriers that affect their sexual health. Sex education programmes have been developed by professionals working in the field of intellectual disabilities with the aim to overcome these barriers. The aim of this study was to explore the development of these programmes. Methods: Sex education…

Needs assessment is the first step in developing a leadership education program. During the spring of 2008 researchers and program planners conducted focus groups sessions with representatives from Virginia's agricultural community with the goal of assessing the leadership development interests and needs of that community. As one focus group…

This article outlines two compatible models of planning and implementing programs for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Ziggurat Model begins the process with an assessment of student strengths and concerns related specifically to ASD and identifies interventions across five tiers that match these strengths and concerns: (a)…

Delineates necessary steps for planning effective writing center workshops, namely: (1) identify topics or target populations, (2) establish goals and measurement techniques, (3) initiate contact with faculty or administration in related content areas, (4) determine workshop format and develop comprehensive materials for student use, (5) train…

TRAINS (Training, Resource, Assessment, Intervention, and Network System), which can assist trainers in developing programs with transfer elements in them, is described. It enables trainees to do what they were trained to do, when they are supposed to do it, and where they are supposed to do it through generalized training. (CT)

Looks at how trainers can use managers and participants as resources in drawing up workshop objectives. Emphasizes planning as a critical first step in creating an effective workshop design. Examples focus on a one-day supervisory skills training workshop. (CT)