Program Evaluation and Its Usefulness Essay Example

Program Evaluation and Its Usefulness Essay Program evaluation is a tool used for evaluating and assessing a program in place. This paper will describe program evaluation and how it can be useful for an organization wishing to determine the efficiency, effectiveness, and the impact of a program. Five of the most common program evaluation models will be introduced. A number of different models are used by those who evaluate programs. This paper will describe, in detail, the success case method for evaluations. Program Evaluation and Its Usefulness Program evaluation is a process of assessing whether a program is efficient, effective, and has an impact on its intended users (Posavac and Carey, 2007). Program evaluation occurs in an organized setting and is a collection of methods, skills, and sensitivities used to determine whether a need is met and whether or not the objectives or goals of the program are sufficiently delivered and achieved. Evaluation looks at program and project objectives and asks whether they have been achieved, judges the worth of ongoing programs, decides upon the usefulness of new program or projects, and so forth† (Boulmetis and Dutwin, 2005, p. 3). Another way to look at program evaluation is to assess the current state of a program and identify any discrepancies of the current state and what the intended state is supposed to be. Program evaluations can be useful to an organization in several ways. We will write a custom essay sample on Program Evaluation and Its Usefulness specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Program Evaluation and Its Usefulness specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Program Evaluation and Its Usefulness specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Program evaluations can contribute to quality services by providing feedback. Formative evaluations, which are designed to help form the programs themselves, provide feedback that can be crucial to the success of an organization (Posavac and Carey, 2007). Also, evaluations can help an organization decide whether a program should be started or not and choose between different program options (Posavac and Carey, 2007). Through data collection, evaluation questions, and data analysis an organization can decide on the effective of a new or ongoing program. Program evaluations can verify that resources would be devoted to meeting unmet needs, verify that implemented programs do provide services, examine the outcome of programs, provide information to maintain and improve quality, and watch for unplanned side effects. Five Most Common Types of Program Evaluation Models The five most common types of program evaluations are ones that assess the program’s efficiency, assess the program’s design and theory, assess the program’s impact on the community or end user, assess the program’s process or implementation, and assess the need for the program. Success Case Model for Evaluation According to Brinkerhoff (1983), success case evaluation seeks qualitative information about a few subjects rather than seeking thinner, quantifiable data about many subjects. The success case model derives information from those participants who have benefited from the program according to the goals and objectives the program intends to have. This feedback may be helpful to others who have not benefitted as well from the program. Success cases may be studies briefly through short interviews with a few trainees or through more elaborate approaches, such as work-sample analysis, records analysis and observation† (Brinkerhoff, 1983, para. 9). Some uses of the success case method are illustrating that the program has a positive impact, modifying and strengthening the program being evaluated, and building data collection methods to determine the extent of the program’s impact (Brinkerhoff, 1983). Evaluation questions often associated with th e success case model ask: How has the program been used? What benefits are results of the program? What problems occurred during or because of the program? Conclusion Program evaluation is necessary to accurately examine a program’s efficiency, effectiveness, or impact of the particular program through the means evaluation questions, data collection, and data analysis. These types of evaluations can provide useful feedback to organizations to examine the outcomes of a program, verify that the goals and objectives of a program are met, provide information to choose between different programs, provide information to improve quality of a program, and watch for unplanned side effects. The five most common evaluation models address the need for a program, the efficiency of a program, the impact of a program, the theory of a program, and the implementation of a program. The success case model of evaluation seeks information on a select group of participants who have experienced success from the program. Feedback from the program can help to modify or strengthen the program, help others who have yet to benefit from the program, and determine the impact of the program on its participants. References Brinkerhoff, R. O. (August 1983). The success case: a low-cost, high-yield evaluation. Training and Development Journal. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from www. ebscohost. com. Boulmetis, J. amp; Dutwin, P. (2005). The ABCs of evaluation: Timeless techniques for program and project managers. (2nd ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/John Wiley amp; Sons. Posavac, E. , amp; Carey, R. (2007). Program evaluation: Methods and case studies. (7th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Make Paper Chromatography With Leaves

Make Paper Chromatography With Leaves You can use paper chromatography to see the different pigments that produce the colors in leaves.  Most plants contain several pigment molecules, so experiment with many species of leaves to see the wide range of colors. This is a simple science project that takes about 2 hours. Key Takeaway: Leaf Paper Chromatography Chromatography is a chemical purification method that separates colored substances. In paper chromatography, pigments may be separated based on the different size of the molecules.Everyone knows leaves contain chlorophyll, which is green, but plants actually contain a wide range of other pigment molecules.For paper chromatography, plant cells are broken open to release their pigment molecules. A solution of plant matter and alcohol is placed at the bottom of a piece of paper. Alcohol moves up the paper, taking pigment molecules with it. Its easier for smaller molecules to move through the fibers in paper, so they travel fastest and move the furthest up the paper. Larger molecules are slower and dont travel as far up the paper. What You Need You only need a few simple materials for this project. While you can perform it using only one type of leaf (e.g., chopped spinach), you can experience the greatest range of pigment colors by collecting several types of leaves. LeavesSmall  Jars with LidsRubbing AlcoholCoffee FiltersHot WaterShallow PanKitchen Utensils Instructions Take 2-3 large leaves (or the equivalent with smaller leaves), tear them into tiny pieces, and place them into small jars with lids.Add enough alcohol to just cover the leaves.Loosely cover the jars and set them into a shallow pan containing an inch or so of hot tap water.Let the jars sit in the hot water for at least a half hour. Replace the hot water as it cools and swirl the jars from time to time.The jars are done when the alcohol has picked up color from the leaves. The darker the color, the brighter the chromatogram will be.Cut or tear a long strip of coffee filter paper for each jar.Place one strip of paper into each jar, with one end in the alcohol and the other outside of the jar.As the alcohol evaporates, it will pull the pigment up the paper, separating pigments according to size (largest will move the shortest distance).After 30-90 minutes (or until the desired separation is obtained), remove the strips of paper and allow them to dry.Can you identify which pigments are pr esent? Does the season in which the leaves are picked affect their colors? Tips for Success Try using frozen chopped spinach leaves.Experiment with other types of paper.You can substitute other alcohols for the rubbing alcohol, such as ethyl alcohol or methyl alcohol.If your chromatogram is pale, next time use more leaves and/or smaller pieces to yield more pigment. If you have a blender available, you can use it to finely chop the leaves. How Leaf Paper Chromatography Works Pigment molecules, such as chlorophyll and anthocyanins, are contained within plant leaves. Chlorophyll is found in organelles called chloroplasts. The plant cells need to be torn open to expose their pigment molecules. The macerated leaves are placed in a small amount of alcohol, which acts as a solvent. Hot water helps soften the plant matter, making it easier to extract the pigments into the alcohol. The end of a piece of paper is placed in the solution of alcohol, water, and pigment. The other end stands straight up. Gravity pulls on the molecules, while alcohol travels up the paper via capillary action, pulling pigment molecules upward with it. The choice of paper is important because if the fiber mesh is too dense (like printer paper), few of the pigment molecules will be small enough to navigate the maze of cellulose fibers to travel upward. If the mesh is too open (like a paper towel), then all of the pigment molecules easily travel up the paper and its difficult to separate them. Also, some pigment might be more soluble in water than in alcohol. If a molecule is highly soluble in alcohol, it travels through the paper (the mobile phase). An insoluble molecule might remain in the liquid. The technique is used to test purity of samples, where a pure solution should only produce a single band. It is also used to purify and isolate fractions. After the chromatogram has developed, the different bands may be cut apart and the pigments recovered. Sources Block, Richard J.; Durrum, Emmett L.; Zweig, Gunter (1955). A Manual of Paper Chromatography and Paper Electrophoresis. Elsevier. ISBN 978-1-4832-7680-9.Haslam, Edwin (2007). Vegetable tannins – Lessons of a phytochemical lifetime. Phytochemistry. 68 (22–24): 2713–21. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2007.09.009

Explain the four major cultural dimensions identified by hofsted Research Paper

Explain the four major cultural dimensions identified by hofsted - Research Paper Example The four dimensions will be focused upon with respect to USA and other three countries from Europe, Asia and Latin America. Determining a culture of any given country is essential for any business. International business depends upon cultures of different countries in designing their policies; barriers within these cultures are worked upon in an effort to formulate a harmonized culture. In profiling countries based on Hofstede’s cultural dimension, the research will focus on data and indexes provide for in the Hofstede Centre website. Each country will be profiled based on given scores. The score will be done on three countries. These countries are the USA, Mexico, Japan and Germany. The scores will be used to identify suitable environments for setting up a business. The barriers from the chosen country will be focused upon thus allowing an analysis of these barriers and identifying models that will overcome the barriers. The four countries where identified due to their uniqueness in terms of geographical location, government policies and cultural differences. Recommendations will be made based on the suitable country to set up a business (The Hofstede Centre, 2010). The United States of America has a higher score in individualism compared to other cultural dimensions. Individualism had a score of 91, power distance had a score of 40, and masculinity scored 62 while Uncertainty avoidance scored 46. In the case of Mexico, uncertainty avoidance scored highly compared to other dimensions. Individualism scored lowly compared to the three dimensions (The Hofstede Centre, 2010). The scores for this country where; individualism at 30, masculinity at 69, uncertainty avoidance at 82 while Power distance at 81. Japan on the other hand had a high score on Masculinity at 95 and a lower score of 46 on individualism. Power Distance scored an average score of 54 while Uncertainty had an averagely high score of 92. In Germany,

Cement Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cement - Coursework Example First step encompasses preparation of material to their required size and condition. Mainly, this is size reduction of materials, which are bulky in size and cannot fit well in the rotary kiln besides ensuring intimate reaction of varied chemical components (ZKG, 2010). This process is raw milling mostly taking place in the field before transportation of lime (ZKG, 2010). Once materials arrive in the factory, mixing or blending of varied components takes place. This is to ensure uniform and intimate reaction of materials once they are in the kiln, which is always at high temperatures. However, these temperatures usually vary significantly in diverse sections. These include dehydration (- 4500C), Calcination (4500C to 9000C), solid-state reaction (9000 – to 13000C), clinkering section (13000C to 15500C) and finally cooling zone (Thomas & Jennings, 2008).  After formation and cooling of clinker in silo, milling commences with addition of other essential additives whose role is to ensure cement attains its required condition before stored in silosg (ZKG, 2010). Milling entails feeding the clinker into a four-chamber or cemernt mill coupled with addition of gypsum and other components to produce a very fine powder, which is cement (Taylor et al. 2008). After milling, the fine powder based on materials may stay in the silo for sometime before packaging takes place. This is to allow final residue process take places effectively whereby afterwards packaging or bagging takes place before kept in warehouses.

From reading the selected pre-1914 Essay Example for Free

From reading the selected pre-1914 Essay The Return of the Native (pg 414 447) near end of novel From reading the above, what do you learn of Hardys use of vivid description, dramatic incident and reference to Nineteenth century customs and traditions? Which of the three pieces was your favourite and why? From reading the two extracts and the story, I can see that the main difference in the book is how life is in the book compared to our modern 21st century. People in the 19th century depended very heavily on agriculture and farming especially in Wessex, where nearly all of Hardys novels were set. Wages for agricultural labourers were the lowest in the country in Dorset, averaging out at the equivalent of 37p a week in 1840. Magic and superstition was rife in the 19th century, and many people believedin dark powers. Every village in Wessex was supposed to have their own witch. Magic play a big role in two of the stories which I am studying, The Withered Arm, and The Return of the Native. People who committed crimes in the 19th century were severely punished. Poachers were transported to Australia to do hard labour, night burglary was punishable by death. Hangings were still very popular in the 19th century and any hanging was an excuse for a holiday. Class systems in the 19th century were very rigid not many people succeeded in moving up to a higher class, but Thomas Hardy was one of the few people who managed to do this. Thomas Hardy uses vivid description in all of his novels and short stories, including the novels which I am studying, in particular The Mayor of Casterbridge. At the beginning of the chapter, we have an almost cinematic view, as if a camera is zooming in on the three travellers, describing them from afar at first, then in more detail as we begin to see them from closer up. We can almost feel the tension between the two adults, when Hardy says: What was really peculiar was the perfect silence they preserved. In The Withered Arm, Hardy uses vivid description very effectively when description Rhoda Brooks vision. He uses words such as: Peered cruelly and shockingy distorted to imply that Gertrude is mocking her for being cast aside and then Gertrude taking her place as Farmer Lodges wife. This vivid description is also linked to dramatic incident as it is a key chapter in the story, and Hardy uses adjectives to describe Rhodas dream, it makes us feel as though we are actually there, watching this distorted version of Gertrude attacking Rhoda, so Hardys descriptions are very effective in this chapter of the book. Also, at the beginning of the story, we learn a lot from the dairy workers in the farm, who gossip. They gossip about Farmer Lodges new wife and they try to guess how old Farmer Lodge is, all the while ignoring Rhoda Brook, Farmer Lodges ex-wife. In The Return of the Native, when the superstitious Susan creates a voodoo doll resembling Eustacia, Hardys use of vivid description is effective when Susan thrusts pins in the doll, and then puts it in the firem murmuring the Lords Prayer backwards which was a proceed which called for help against an enemy. Magic played a key part in this story; Susan believed that Eustacia was making her son ill, because at the exact moment that he said he was feeling unwell, Eustacias dark shadow crossed the light from her house, but this was just a coincidence. Also, in The Return of the Native, when Eustacia falls into the pool of water near weir, Hardy uses pathetic fallacy, which is when events in the natural world mirror what is going on in the human world. In this case, Eustacia is very depressed and unhappy, so the weather is atrochiously stormy, raining and windy. Because, it has rained so much, the pool has created a whirlpool, and Eustacia falls in. To describe the scene more effectively, Hardy uses metaphors such as: Boiling cauldron, referring to the whirpool, the current, and emphasising the amount of water in the pool. Hardys use of dramatic incident in all three of his stories manage to shape the whole story, especially in The Mayor of Casterbridge. In think amin the dramatic incident in the extract is when Michael Henchard sells his wife at auction when he becomes drunk. The day after, Michael realises how stupid he has been and vows never to touch another drop of alcohol for however many years as his age. I think this is very effective because the day after Michael sells his wife and baby, he realises that alcohol changed him into something he doesnt want to be. In The Mayor of Casterbridge, when Hardy uses dramatic incident, we learn that Hardy builds up suspension before the dramatic climax. When Michael Henchard is trying to sell his wife and baby at auction, nobody will bid the price that he is looking for, then just as Michael is going to withdraw: Yes. said a voice from the doorway. The man in the doorway was in fact, a sailor. He bought Michaels wife for five guineas, and she left, leaving us with the impression that she is glad that she has got away from her husband at last. Hardy uses lots of dialect to show exactly how Michael Henchard feels about his current state of affairs: The woman is no good to me. Who will have her? When Michael is trying to sell his wife, Hardy describes Michaels distaste for her effectively, and when he finally does sell her, even the rough country people in the tent are surprised that he let his wife and child go without a second glance. In The Withered Arm, I think there are two main dramatic incidents: Rhoda Brooks dream, and Gertrudes turning of her blood, when she sees that the young man who has been hanged is, in fact, Rhodas son. When Rhoda has a dream that Gertrude visits her to mock her, Gertrude looks ugly and old. Hardy used use of vivid description works effectively in making us understand that Gertrude has come to mock her because Rhoda has been replaced by her in Farmer Lodges affections. Hardys use of verbs work well in this incident, using words such as thrust, swung, and peered cruelly to create a feeling of hate between Rhoda and the figure come to visit her at night. The other dramatic incident in The Withered Arm is when Gertrude travels to get her arm cured by holding her arm against a newly hanged mans neck, who is in fact Rhodas son. Hardys use of dialect again gives and extra depth to the story, when Rhoda walks in when Gertrudes blood is in the process of being turned: This is the meaning of what Satan showed me in the vision! Rhoda shouts. Hardys use of the word Satan, emphasizes the hatred Rhoda has for Gertrude and perhaps jealousy, for stealing her husband although Gertrudes character is kind and gentle. In The Return of the Native, the main dramatic incident is when Eustacia falls into the whirlpool and Clym Yeobright and Wildeve try to save her, but fail. Three bodies are pulled out, and only one, Clym, survives. Referring again to pathetic fallacy, the weather is awful when Eustacia falls into the boiling cauldron. The slow realisation that Wildeve was actually holding on to Clym when Diggory Venn was seemingly just pulling Clym out creates images of horror. My favourite story is The Withered Arm, because I like Hardys use of magic in Rhodas vision, how Gertrudes arm became deformed because of this. Gertrude obviously has no idea how this happened. Hardys use of vivid description in the book is very effective throughout, but especially in Rhodas vision. Rhoda is obsessed with the idea of Farmer Lodge being with another woman, and sends her son to look at Gertrude and report back to her. When he says that Gertrude is shorter that Rhoda, she seems pleased and smug about herself. I like the way how Hardy has interlinked everything, e. g. Rhodas sons father is Farmer Lodge, the young man who was hanged was Rhodas son. I think it is a very clever story, and at the end, Gertrude dies at the fright of seeing Rhodas son dead, lying limp in the coffin. I think that the story shows that Rhoda is perhaps so obsessed about Farmer Lodge and Gertrude it is almost unhealthy, and because of this, maybe this is why she had the vision in the first place. I learn that Gertrude is forgiving, even though when she went to see Conjuror Trendle and he created the concoction of egg white and water, Rhodas image formed. Gertrude was surprised, but she doesnt question it because she had no idea that Rhoda had anything to do with her arm.

Comparing Authority in Hope Leslie, Dinosaur in the Haystack, and A Riv

Authority in Hope Leslie, Dinosaur in the Haystack, and A River Runs Through It Authority is portrayed differently by each individual in life. Authority is portrayed by knowledge, wisdom, tone, and wording. The languages of authority are too numerable to count. In the novels Hope Leslie, Dinosaur in the Haystack, and A River Runs Through It the authors use three different techniques to portray authority while using religion and scripture to describe their arguments. Stephen Jay Gould demands authority because of the extensive studying he performs and yearns for knowledge that he possesses. Each of the essays that he presents has scientific merit and has been extensively studied. By writing about natural science and specifically evolution, Gould displays his expertise and therefore his authority. Gould being a scholar and a Jew has extensive knowledge of the Old Testament. He includes scripture in his writing to support his theories and explain the mind frame of many Americans. In "Dousling Diminutive Dennis’s Debate Gould tells of the debate on whether the millennium starts J...

How Bangladesh is affected by flooding

Flooding is a huge problem for the people in Bangladesh and the problems continue to have negative and positive effects on the people, property and land/environment. The negatives of flooding; There are many different types of floods that Bangladesh suffers from and these are; flash floods; where there is an extreme amount of rainfall effecting both upland areas and over time low land areas. This type of flood has a huge affect on property as it can wash it away completely destroying it and also flooding crops and killing them, this type of flooding will also deposit lots of sediment so the river bed will rise making the river easier to flood. River floods are where high amounts of rain and melted snow from the Himalayas completely flood the river and also the floodplain, the water can not be contained so flows over lands which is usually not protected, this again damages crops by flooding them and also ruining the land for future use as farm land. This type of flooding will also damage or even destroy property and in extreme cases entire settlements which in turn will also kill people if they do not evacuate quick enough. Rainwater floods are where there are again extreme amounts of rainfall and there is too much surface water and land is flooded. This can kill cattle, people and destroy farmland and crops which people need for their livelihoods. For example of crop destruction, in 1987 and 1988 rice production on a country scale was largely disrupted due to extreme floods. Even if engineering is successful and floods are controlled there is the negative effects that the country gets further into debt and a lot of the flood controls do not fit in with the natural environment so is an eye sore. Methods of flood control also effect farming in certain areas as they block irrigation of water so many farmers are complaining as they are not getting the water needed to grow crops for their livelihood. The worst effected areas of flooding are the coast as many people live here and this is where flooding is most extensive, many people are killed damage to property and farm land is huge so this disrupts the local economy. In the floods of 1991 flooding was that hard that waves were 7 metres high and this brought wind speeds of 225 km/h. people had to climb trees to evade the floods but over 150 000 people were drowned and 500 000 cattle were lost along with vast damage to settlements, electricity, roads and fishing. Deforestation is another big factor that is negative as this destroys trees that are vital for the world and also does not allow interception to occur so the snow melting from the Himalayas is coming directly to Bangladesh with nothing sopping it. As there is little knowledge and little communication available people can not prepare and are defenceless. With the vast amounts of chemicals and diseases in the Ganges, flooding just spreads this all around the country contaminating drinking water and brings huge problems that need huge amount of medical care so calls for the worlds charities to help. You can read also Waves There are very little positive effects of flooding as floods bring so much destruction. The positives though are; due to vast amounts of deposition the silt that is deposited is high in fertility so ‘repairs' the soil so can be used in the future making it good for crops to grow in. also the vast amounts of water, when controlled can be irrigated for the crops rice and jute which require a large amount of water to grow. This in turn helps re – boost the local economy and gets the farmers back to their usual livelihood. Finally in cases of extreme flooding where the world is made aware, it can show the kindness of countries by the help they donate and the medical care made available to help restore the country to normal. Although there will always be social, economic, and humane problems with flooding the key is for the country to recover as quick as possible with the least effects and damage done to the country and its people.