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Targeting Outcomes
of Programs (TOPS) |
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 | Integrated approach to developing and evaluating
educational programs |
| Uses a single model to target specific program outcomes,
track the extent they are achieved, and evaluate program performance toward achieving
these outcomes |
TOP
| Assess specific needs, issues, and program opportunities |
| Target specific social, economic, environmental, and
other outcomes |
| Design programs to achieve the targeted outcomes |
| Track the extent to which the targeted outcomes are
achieved |
| Evaluate program performance toward achieving the
targeted outcomes |
Programming Process
| Network with customers, stakeholders, and specialists to
assess specific needs, issues, and program opportunities |
| Envision desired social, economic, and environmental
conditions and identify types and amounts of practice use necessary to achieve these
conditions |
| Recruit program partners as appropriate in order to
achieve necessary practice use |
| Target specific social, economic, environmental, and
other outcomes |
| Design program to achieve selected outcome targets and
assess design |
| Select indicators and plan their use to track the extent
that program implementation and outcome targets are achieved |
| Plan evaluation of program performance to identify
program contribution toward achievement |
| Implement and track the program, track outcomes, and
evaluate program performance |
| Utilize tracking and program performance evaluation,
subsequent programming, accountability reporting, and program marketing |
SEEC
| Social, economic, and |
| environmental conditions intended as end results, impacts
or benefits of programs |
| Social, economic, and environmental needs/issues decrease
as they are prevented, checked, reduced, or solved by use of recommended practices |
Practices
| Patterns of behavior, procedures, or actions |
| Educational programs influence participating individuals,
groups, organizations, and communities, and perhaps others to adopt practices and
technologies that achieve targeted SEEC. |
| Adoption of these practices occurs as program
participants apply and pass on relevant knowledge, attitudes, skills, and/or aspirations |
KASA
| Knowledge gained may be applied to adapting and/or
adopting recommended practices |
| Attitude changed may increase interest in or
attraction to recommended practices and technologies |
| New skills improve capability to use recommended
practices |
| Raising aspirations increases determination to use
them |
| Changes in KASA can occur as people react positively to
their involvement in program activities |
Reactions
| Reflect participants’ degree of positive and/or
negative interest in topics addressed, acceptance of activity leaders, and attraction to
educational methods of program activities |
Participation
| Includes individuals, families, groups, organizations, or
communities |
| Sufficient involvement of participants in program
activities can lead to the acquisition of KASA and adoption of practices needed to effect
improvements in SEEC |
| Such change in KASA and practices depends upon sufficient
continuity, frequency, and intensity of program participation |
Activities
| Include direct contact, individualized and/or mass media
intended to build program participants’ knowledge, interest, skills, and/or
aspirations. |
| Selection of such program activities may be guided by
information transfer and educational strategies to achieve needed changes in KASA and
practices |
| Identified activities that can effect these needed
changes are supported by program resources |
Resources
| Include number and disciplinary breadth, educational
preparation, and relevant experience of paid staff and volunteers who plan, promote,
implement, and evaluate the program |
| Include financial support for educational materials,
organizational maintenance, communication technologies, and transportation |
Program Planning Using the Hierarchy
| Assess specific outcome needs (including issues and
threats) and opportunities to develop a responsive educational program |
| Assess educational program capacity, either alone or in
concert with other programs, to resolve identified social, economic and/or environmental
needs |
| Target social, economic, environmental, and other program
outcomes |
Selection of Level of Evidence
| Evidence of program impact becomes stronger as the
hierarchy is ascended |
| The difficulty and cost of obtaining evidence on program
impact generally increases as the hierarchy is ascended |
| Evaluations of program impact are strengthened by
assessing program performance at several levels of the hierarchy |
    
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