Customizing and Implementing Training Evaluation

One barrier that human resource managers may face in evaluating their training programs is lack of expertise in how to customize and implement an evaluation model. Using a case study approach, we conducted a research study to document the process and results of customizing and implementing a training program evaluation model in an organization. In this article, we describe the steps that the HRD managers in one organization used to customize and implement the Training Effectiveness Evaluation (TEE) model (Swanson & Sleezer, 1987), and the decisions and actions that were required to move from the model to actual practice. We also describe how the decisions and actions in implementing the model influenced the evaluation results. When the project began, the HRD managers lacked expertise in customizing and implementing an evaluation model. By the end of the project, they had overcome this barrier and gained new skills. They had learned to use the tools of the TEE model and had customized the model to meet the needs of their organization.     

Using Performance Analysis for Training in an Organization Implementing Integrated Manufacturings A Case Study

Focused efforts to improve organizational and individual performance begin with analysis of the needs. However, the theory and practice of performance analysis are not well connected. This case study examined the use of a theory-based model, the Performance Analysis for Training (PAT) Model, for assessing performance needs within an organization that was integrating its manufacturing processes. The results showed that the PAT Model was a useful guide for assessing performance needs. This research also showed that the process and product of the performance analysis were influenced by the organization's characteristics, the decision maker's characteristics, and the analyst's characteristics. In practice, the PAT model and the actual process of performance analysis were similar. However, the analyst noted three adaptations of the model. These adaptations suggest that performance analysis in some instances may be more an iterative than a linear process.     

The NICE OECD countries' geographic search filters: Part 2—validation of the MEDLINE and Embase (Ovid) filters

Objective:We previously developed draft MEDLINE and Embase (Ovid) geographic search filters for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries to assess their feasibility for finding evidence about the countries. Here, we describe the validation of these search filters.Methods:We identified OECD country references from thirty National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines to generate gold standard sets for MEDLINE (n=2,065) and Embase (n=2,023). We validated the filters by calculating their recall against these sets. We then applied the filters to existing search strategies for three OECD-focused NICE guideline reviews (NG103 on flu vaccination, NG140 on abortion care, and NG146 on workplace health) to calculate the filters'' impact on the number needed to read (NNR) of the searches.Results:The filters both achieved 99.95% recall against the gold standard sets. Both filters achieved 100% recall for the three NICE guideline reviews. The MEDLINE filter reduced NNR from 256 to 232 for the NG103 review, from 38 to 27 for the NG140 review, and from 631 to 591 for the NG146 review. The Embase filter reduced NNR from 373 to 341 for the NG103 review, from 101 to 76 for the NG140 review, and from 989 to 925 for the NG146 review.Conclusion:The NICE OECD countries'' search filters are the first validated filters for the countries. They can save time for research topics about OECD countries by finding the majority of evidence about OECD countries while reducing search result volumes in comparison to no filter use.     

The role of vocabulary versus knowledge in children’s language learning: a fifty-year perspective / El papel del vocabulario frente al conocimiento en el aprendizaje lingüístico de los niños: una perspectiva de cincuenta años

Much public attention has been drawn to the ‘30 million-word gap’ between children growing up in more vs. less privileged families. I argue in this paper that conceptualizing the gap in quantity of words, which is useful in emphasizing the size of the challenge, misconceptualizes the real differences, which are in knowledge of the world rather than just vocabulary size, and risks luring early childhood educators and parents into overly simple solutions. If we recognize the challenge as one of knowledge rather than just vocabulary size, we also are in a better position to support second language learners whose knowledge base across both languages is a better predictor of academic success than vocabulary in the second language.     

Public and Academic Library Cataloging Collaboration in Ohio's NACO Funnel Project

Catalogers at The Ohio State University (OSU) Libraries, Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML), and Cleveland Public Library (CPL) are collaborating through the Ohio Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) funnel to create personal name authority records that directly benefit library patrons. Although OSU provides training and review, all three libraries receive value from the collaboration. There have been obstacles, however, such as cataloging training and workflow differences between public and academic libraries. This article will discuss the challenges and benefits of this inter-library cataloger collaboration from the point of view of all three libraries, plans for the future, and best practices for other libraries that are interested in public/academic library collaborations of this kind.     

Understanding conceptual change: connecting and questioning

We engage in a metalogue based on eight papers in this issue of Cultural Studies of Science Education that review the state of conceptual change research and its possible affect on the teaching and learning of science. Our discussion addresses three aspects of conceptual change research: theoretical, methodological, and practical, as we discuss conceptual change research in light of our experiences as science educators. Finally, we examine the implications of conceptual change research for the teachers and students with whom we work.

Erratum to: Urban High School Student Engagement through CincySTEM iTEST Projects

Journal of Science Education and Technology -