Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Linda M. Howard
Committee Member
Janet Jaeger
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
assessment data, benchmarking, benchmark institutions, committees, comprehensive outreach programs, conceptual framework, cooperative resources, curriculum planning, design plans, dissertation projects, evaluation plans, focus groups, formative committees, higher education, implementation plans, institutional assessments, literature reviews, needs assessment, outreach programs, program development, program implementation, program planning, public service programs, resource sharing, standards, strategic planning, summative committees, university administrators, Virginia State University
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation project was to identify the components of a comprehensive outreach/public service program and to utilize that information to develop a plan for an institutionally specific outreach program at Virginia State University. Institutional assessments there indicated that the outreach/public service mission and strategic planning goals related to cooperative and shared resources within and outside the university were not currently being met.
The following 5 research questions were addressed: What are the appropriate components for an outreach/public service program? What are the standards and models utilized by selected benchmark institutions? What is an appropriate and valid design for an outreach/public service program? What is an appropriate implementation plan for an outreach/public service program? What is an appropriate evaluation plan for an outreach/public service program?
Procedures used to complete this study included (a) a review of the literature to establish the conceptual framework for the study; (b) development of product criteria, which were validated by formative and summative committees; (c) collection of benchmark data with regard to institutions of higher education outreach and public service programs; (d) completion of a need assessment in the form of the focus group methodology; (e) development of a program plan utilizing the assistance of a formative committee and based on the literature review, the established criteria, the assessment data; and (f) organization of a summative committee to review and validate the design, implementation and evaluation plans of an outreach plan. As a result of this study, an institutionally specific outreach and public service program plan was developed, and the program plans were disseminated to the appropriate university administrators. For this study the terms plan and program were used interchangeably.