Take about 10 minutes to read the case study below individually. When you are all finished, go to page two.
PROGRAM PLANNING AND EVALUATION: THE EXTENSION EDUCATOR AND THE CASE OF THE DYING FISH
Dusty Bluestem is the Extension Director at Tribal University, a tribal college that gained land grant status under a Congressional Act in 1994. Dusty has been in his job for two years now. His main job responsibilities involve providing natural resource management education to farmers and ranchers on his reservation and in surrounding communities. He conducts four workshops a year on various topics of interest. Last year, his workshop topics were on range management, artificial insemination, soil conservation, and weed management. He also responds to requests from individuals for technical assistance, works on a number of tribal committees, and teaches one college night course in animal science.
Dusty operates his programs with support from the USDA CSREES Tribal College Extension Grant, and the USDA Outreach to Socially-Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program. He has an annual budget of about $120,000 and has one full-time staff assistant and one part-time student assistant. Dusty has a BS degree in animal science and a MS degree in range management. When he started his job two years ago, Dusty assumed responsibility for both of the USDA grant programs which defined his current job duties. Basically, for the past two years, Dusty has been doing what his predecessor did in terms of the job and program objectives.
In September, the Tribe’s Natural Resource and Environment Subcommittee asked Dusty to meet with them. Water quality test results were back from the lab and the reservation’s largest lake was in trouble. Tests showed that nitrogen levels were high, which was fueling an increasing algae population that was choking off the oxygen supply for the lake’s fisheries. Dead Walleye floating belly up in the lake was not the kind of publicity the Subcommittee or Tribal Council wanted.
Further testing in the valley streams that feed the lake also showed high nitrogen levels, and that the source of contamination was most likely the farm lands that drained into the streams. In the past few years, local farmers had been blessed with good rainfall and temperature that had led to bumper crops of corn and soybean. Dusty knew that fertilizer salesmen had convinced many farmers to apply liberal amounts of nitrogen to their crops, and that some farmers had ploughed and planted right up next to stream beds. Grain prices were up and farmers were maximizing their yields.
The Subcommittee asked Dusty to develop and implement an educational outreach program for farmers to help protect the area’s water quality. They asked him to come back with a plan with specific outcomes and with a way to measure success. Things have been busy and it’s November. Dusty has been thinking about the water quality problem and has decided to apply for a Tribal College Extension “Special Emphasis” grant, which is due in January. It would provide him about $100,000 in support for two years. He sits down in his office one day and starts to think about a plan…..
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Using what you know of the case study and the diagram below, discuss as a group and list the resources/inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts that Dusty might consider in his plan. Refer to Chapter 2, pp. 15-25. Take about 20 minutes and have one person record your answers. Then move on to page three.
RESOURCES / ACTIVITIES / OUTPUTS / SHORT- & LONG-TERM OUTCOMES / IMPACTIn order to accomplish our set of activities we will need the following: / In order to address our problem or asset we will accomplish the following activities: / We expect the once accomplished these activities will produce the following evidence or service delivery: / We expect that if accom-plished these activities will lead to the following changes in 1-3 then 4-6 years: / We expect that if accom-plished these activities will lead to the following changes in 7-10 years:
· $ for student interns to collect samples
· grant money
· local experts
· tribal support (environmental people, wetland offices, fish & wildlife)
· partnering with other universities
· equipment for research
· Forest Service or Park Service and other agencies
· Project Director / · Form local advisory committee
· Collecting and analyzing data; collecting water samples
· Research prevention strategies
· Curriculum development and design, training
· Marketing prevention
· Look at regulation / · Farmers attend training
· Farmers take action / · Educate farmers and ranchers
· Decrease nitrogen levels
· Look at alternatives to chemical
· Find a way to reduce nitrogen and prevention
· Water research on levels of nitrogen
· Historical data / · Healthy water and successful agriculture
· Sustainable agriculture
Using the logic model that you have developed, now use the flowchart below to develop your evaluation questions. Refer to Chapter 4, pp. 35-44. Take about 20 minutes as a group and have one person record your answers.
What is going to be evaluated? List those components from your logic model that you think are the most important aspects of your program. These areas will become the focus of your evaluation. / What key audience will have questions about your focus area? For each focus area you have identified, list the audiences that are likely to be the most interested in that area. / What questions will your key audience have about your program? For each focus area and audience that you have identified, list the questions they might have about your program. / If you answer a given question, what will that information be used for? For each audience and question you have identified, list the ways and extent to which you plan to make use of the evaluation information.
Nitrogen levels in the lake / Federal regulation/CSREES / Is programming science based?
How did you succeed in getting changed behavior? / Show people they are making a difference.
Tribe / Who did you consult with?
How did you leverage $?
Number of people participate / CSREES / How did you get people there?
How successful in reaching part of potential people?
Community and participants / How did you show farmers that they should attend?
Number of people who change behavior / People who use lake / How do you know they changed behavior? Making fertilizer? Making money?
What alternatives are they using and how are they working? / Could show fisheries are coming back.
All of the above / Did people ask for more information?
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