We conducted an evaluation pilot study to measure the influence of the statewide University of Ca... more We conducted an evaluation pilot study to measure the influence of the statewide University of California Master Gardener Program on participants who attended its public education events. We discuss (a) steps for developing a statewide evaluation and (b) findings from the event follow-up survey we used to evaluate public education participants' self-reported behavior changes. Our findings suggest that volunteer-led public education events resulted in participants improving science-based gardening practices. Our approach has implications for other states' Extension programs; sharing program evaluation measurement strategies and data across states can facilitate better communicating Extension's benefit to the public, thereby addressing a need identified in the literature.
Pathways to Your Future is a college and career readiness program for youth in Grades 9 through 1... more Pathways to Your Future is a college and career readiness program for youth in Grades 9 through 12. The program’s curriculum provides youth with resources and opportunities to develop knowledge and learn skills that help them align their sparks with potential careers, while exploring various pathways to enter the workforce. The family component includes a pre-program orientation, a financing and budgeting workshop, and take-home materials. Latino students made up 71% of the study participants. Retrospective pre- and post-program surveys were administered to youth and parents/guardians. Results indicated that the program equipped youth participants with the knowledge and skills to plan and manage their education and career goals, prepared them for a successful post-secondary educational experience and/or entry into the workforce, and increased the number of participants who planned to attend a post-secondary institution. Few gender differences were found. Findings suggest the program...
Evaluation has become a standard for youth programming, to provide both evidence for improvement ... more Evaluation has become a standard for youth programming, to provide both evidence for improvement recommendations and an assessment of program outcomes. Having a common evaluation tool across programs (in this case, camps) is beneficial in aggregating measurements and understanding similarities and differences between programs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of working with the California 4-H Camping Advisory Committee to develop a common evaluation tool for all California 4-H camps, and to share initial findings from the instrument. We present results from two years of data collection, and the multiple uses of the findings.
A data party is an engaging way to involve stakeholders in program evaluation. We explain the use... more A data party is an engaging way to involve stakeholders in program evaluation. We explain the use of a data party for engaging 4-H program stakeholders (e.g., staff and volunteers) in data interpretation and helping them understand, embrace, and use program evaluation information to make data-driven decisions about their programs. We present two tools that can be used for presenting data in a clear and meaningful way: data place mats and gallery walks. We also provide information on the process we used, our lessons learned, and the utility of data parties in Extension programming.
We conducted an evaluation pilot study to measure the influence of the statewide University of Ca... more We conducted an evaluation pilot study to measure the influence of the statewide University of California Master Gardener Program on participants who attended its public education events. We discuss (a) steps for developing a statewide evaluation and (b) findings from the event follow-up survey we used to evaluate public education participants' self-reported behavior changes. Our findings suggest that volunteer-led public education events resulted in participants improving science-based gardening practices. Our approach has implications for other states' Extension programs; sharing program evaluation measurement strategies and data across states can facilitate better communicating Extension's benefit to the public, thereby addressing a need identified in the literature.
Pathways to Your Future is a college and career readiness program for youth in Grades 9 through 1... more Pathways to Your Future is a college and career readiness program for youth in Grades 9 through 12. The program’s curriculum provides youth with resources and opportunities to develop knowledge and learn skills that help them align their sparks with potential careers, while exploring various pathways to enter the workforce. The family component includes a pre-program orientation, a financing and budgeting workshop, and take-home materials. Latino students made up 71% of the study participants. Retrospective pre- and post-program surveys were administered to youth and parents/guardians. Results indicated that the program equipped youth participants with the knowledge and skills to plan and manage their education and career goals, prepared them for a successful post-secondary educational experience and/or entry into the workforce, and increased the number of participants who planned to attend a post-secondary institution. Few gender differences were found. Findings suggest the program...
Evaluation has become a standard for youth programming, to provide both evidence for improvement ... more Evaluation has become a standard for youth programming, to provide both evidence for improvement recommendations and an assessment of program outcomes. Having a common evaluation tool across programs (in this case, camps) is beneficial in aggregating measurements and understanding similarities and differences between programs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of working with the California 4-H Camping Advisory Committee to develop a common evaluation tool for all California 4-H camps, and to share initial findings from the instrument. We present results from two years of data collection, and the multiple uses of the findings.
A data party is an engaging way to involve stakeholders in program evaluation. We explain the use... more A data party is an engaging way to involve stakeholders in program evaluation. We explain the use of a data party for engaging 4-H program stakeholders (e.g., staff and volunteers) in data interpretation and helping them understand, embrace, and use program evaluation information to make data-driven decisions about their programs. We present two tools that can be used for presenting data in a clear and meaningful way: data place mats and gallery walks. We also provide information on the process we used, our lessons learned, and the utility of data parties in Extension programming.
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Talks by Tamekia Wilkins
Papers by Tamekia Wilkins