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Program Goals (program + goal)
Selected AbstractsUsing e-Journals to Assess Students' Language Awareness and Social Identity During Study AbroadFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 1 2010Julia Aguilar Stewart Abstract: This article reports on a study that explored the use of e-journals to understand through students' personal narratives what factors (gender, living situation, classroom dynamic, social network) may have influenced their learning during the study abroad semester. Pretests on language measures were compared with posttest results, and information was gleaned from students' journal entries to assess possible relationships between a student's language gains and the development of his or her social identity during study abroad. In view of the call for more targeted assessment of program goals and learning outcomes by accrediting bodies in higher education, e-journals are proposed as a means of closely following students' progress and the factors that may be affecting their learning in the study abroad context. [source] Evaluation of the Personal Dental Services (Wave 1) for Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Primary Care Trusts , Part 2: Retrospective analyses of treatment and other dental record dataJOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 3 2005Helen Best BDS MDS PhD Abstract Aim/Objective, The purpose of the study was to undertake analyses of treatment data for the Personal Dental Services (PDS) of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Primary Care Trusts and relate the analyses to the PDS goals of supporting practitioners deliver appropriate quality dental care and ensuring that appropriate quality safety net services are available for all residents. Method, Analyses of treatment data provided by the Dental Practice Board were undertaken for the post-PDS period (February 1999,March 2003, based on data availability). Analyses of the clinic notes for 1500 patients were also undertaken for the 1 year pre-PDS period (October 1997,September 1998) and post-introduction of the PDS (October 1998,June 2003). Two sets of analyses were undertaken to evaluate trends in treatment claims for the Dental Practice Board data, absolute numbers of each type of treatment claimed each month and change in numbers of types of treatments claimed over time. The clinic notes were used to undertake post-PDS, pre-PDS comparisons of the number of treatment items and grouped treatment item categories undertaken and the number of courses and percentages of private treatment items provided. The following sociodemographic characteristics of the patients were also analysed, age, gender, exemption ,status ,and ,attendance ,status. Results, Overall it was identified that the percentage reduction in the number of treatment items undertaken was 13% (95% CI ,19%, ,7%), post- as compared to the pre-PDS introduction period. On an annual basis it was identified that the percentage reduction in the number of treatment items undertaken per year per patient post-PDS was 4% (95% CI ,6%, ,2%). There were significant variations in the impact of the PDS on the number of treatment items undertaken for different types of patients. A limited number of treatment types changed significantly post- as compared to pre-PDS. The proportion of exempt patients treated did not increase ,post-PDS. Conclusions, It is possible that a less, invasive style of dental treatment was provided during the course of the PDS, however, there was only limited evidence to indicate that dentists practice style changed based on types of treatment categories provided. The PDS provided a limited safety net service for local residents. In setting program goals the nature of quality dental practice requires definition and evaluation should be undertaken on a prospective basis. [source] The School Health Portfolio System: A New Tool for Planning and Evaluating Coordinated School Health ProgramsJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 9 2004Robert M. Weiler ABSTRACT: The School Health Portfolio System (SHPS), developed originally to evaluate the Florida Coordinated School Health Program Pilot Schools Project, offers a new and innovative system for planning and evaluating a coordinated school health program at the individual school level. The SHPS provides practitioners a detailed but easy-to-use system that enables schools to create new programs or modify existing programs across all eight components of the CSHP model, as well as administrative support critical to sustainability. The System comes packaged as a self-contained, notebook-style manual divided into 15 sections. It includes electronic templates of key documents to guide school teams in creating a customized portfolio, and a list of sample goals and artifacts that confirm achievement of a goal related to the school's coordinated school health program. An evaluation rubric provides a structured method to assess a program portfolio's contents, and the extent to which the contents document achievement of program goals. The rubric produces both a qualitative assessment, such as a narrative summary of program strengths and areas for improvement, and a quantitative assessment, such as a numerical score (0,100), letter grade (A-F), or 5-star system (* - *****). The physical structure, function, and scoring of the rubric depend on the method of assessment. The SHPS enables schools to set goals based on individual school needs, and incorporate CSHP goals into school improvement plans - a critical factor in sustainability and accountability. The System also offers teams the option of coordinating their efforts with CDC's School Health Index as a companion assessment measure. This article outlines the process a team would follow in developing a portfolio, and includes a sample assessment for the area of School Health Education. (J Sch Health. 2004;74(9):359,364) [source] Practitioners' Perspectives on Effective Practices For Hispanic Teenage Pregnancy PreventionPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 4 2004Stephen T. Russell CONTEXT: In the United States, the pregnancy rate and birthrate of Hispanic teenagers are higher than those of other races and ethnicities. Although recommendations for culturally appropriate pregnancy prevention programs are commonplace, little is known about how practitioners address such recommendations. METHODS: In individual interviews, 58 teenage pregnancy prevention practitioners who work primarily with Mexican American female teenagers from two regions in California were asked about their understanding of recommendations for best practices and discussed the strategies they have used and challenges they have faced in implementing the recommendations. Qualitative methods were used to categorize responses and identify themes. RESULTS: Practitioners indicated that knowledge and awareness of Hispanic culture are essential, as is commitment to teenagers and their needs. They regard activities that encourage educational and career achievement as critical program components, and view both male partners' and family members' involvement in programs as important but challenging. Furthermore, practitioners feel that the implicit program goals of continued education and female self-sufficiency are often at odds with traditional Hispanic cultural values. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners have valuable insight into the reality of implementing culturally sensitive programs. Programs need to balance the often competing values and goals of prevention programs with those of Hispanic youth culture and experiences. [source] The Varieties of Faith-Related AgenciesPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 6 2001Steven Rathgeb Smith Although some recent literature suggests religious social service agencies can help governments reach important social program goals, the true social organization and services of the agencies remain in dispute. This article interviews officials in the wide class of "faith-related" agencies in two cities to consider two aspects of this issue: the ties or "coupling" of agencies to faith, and the impact of coupling on agency structure and service programming. The results suggest that many sampled agencies are loosely tied to faith in terms of resources, more tightly coupled in terms of authority, and moderately coupled with respect to culture; that certain aspects of service-delivery technology are heavily secularized in many agencies; that faith is more influential in such matters as the agencies' choices of services; and that the larger, potentially more secularized agencies that might be least likely to be characterized as faith based balance differing sets of resources and thereby can more fully deliver services that arguably express faith in action. Given this finding and that most agencies profess a focus on protecting the dignity and rights of clients rather than on individual responsibility or other themes that are stressed by some recent policy proposals, governments need to be extremely selective in funding agencies to promote those proposals' themes. [source] Service Versus Education: Finding the Right Balance: A Consensus Statement from the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors 2009 Academic Assembly "Question 19" Working GroupACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2009Antonia Quinn DO Abstract Many emergency medicine (EM) residency programs have recently received citations for their residents' responses to Question 19 of the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education annual survey, which asks residents to rate their program's emphasis on clinical education over service obligations. To the best of our knowledge, no prior investigations or consensus statements exist that specifically address the appropriate balance between educational activity and clinical service in EM residency training. The objective of this project was to create a consensus statement based on the shared insights of academic faculty and educators in EM, with specific recommendations to improve the integration of education with clinical service in EM residency training programs. More than 80 EM program directors (PDs), associate and assistant PDs, and other academic EM faculty attending an annual conference of EM educators met to address this issue in a discussion session and working group. Participants examined the current literature on resident service and education and shared with the conference at large their collective insight and experience and possible solutions to this challenge. A consensus statement of specific recommendations and effective educational techniques aimed at balancing service and education requirements was created, based on the contributions of a diverse group of academic emergency physicians. Recommendations included identifying the teachable moment in all clinical service; promoting resident understanding of program goals and expectations from the beginning; educating residents about the ACGME resident survey; and engaging hospitals, institutional graduate medical education departments, and residents in finding solutions. [source] | ||||||||||