Student Organizations

1
Student Organizations
2
Cooperative Education Components

• Related class group and individual instruction
  related to career goals
• Training station actual supervised experience
  and practice in occupation
• Student organization learn more about
  opportunities in vocations and meet other CTE
  students

3
Student Organization

• Why do you think a student organization should be
  part of CE programs?
• What benefits would the students receive?
• How should the organization be included?

4
Student Organizations

• Activities directly related to goals of
  instructional program
• Active participation teaches
• human relations,
• leadership, and
• occupational skills

5
Outcomes of Participation

• Scholarship
• Motivation
• Professionalism
• Citizenship

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Scholarship

• More enthusiastic about school studies
• Greater value attached to school studies
• More actively engaged in school activities
• More likely to relate success to effort
• More likely to prepare for postsecondary
• More likely to attend 2- and 4-year college

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Motivation

• Participate in career-related activities
• Participate in competitions
• Connect with students who share interests
• Nurtures motivation for learning
• Believe work in school is important to success
  later in life
• Believe important to do their best

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Professionalism

• Prepare for employment
• Enhance self-confidence
• Have more specific career goals
• More likely to work while in high school
• Gain valuable experiences at conferences
• Apply communication, leadership, and networking
  skills

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Citizenship

• More active in community activities
• Include
• Job shadowing
• Service projects
• Student-organized field trips
• Employer-employee banquets
• Alumni-student gatherings

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Before Establishing an Organization

• From the student perspective, consider
• Price of dues
• Meeting times
• Time involvement
• Officers
• Fundraising

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Before Establishing an Organization

• From the sponsor perspective, consider
• Time involvement and commitment
• Sponsor pay
• Fundraising ideas
• Communication
• Support from administration
• Interest from students
• Patience

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Steps to Organizing a Chapter

1. Request materials
2. Meet with principal
3. Recruit an organization committee
4. Advertise organization
5. Create agenda for first meeting
6. Conduct membership campaign collect dues
7. Approve a constitution
8. Elect officers

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Steps to Organizing a Chapter

• Submit paperwork to headquarters
• Conduct chartering initiation ceremony
• Train officers for roles
• Plan activities
• Organize committees
• Establish regular meeting times
• Maintain contact w/ state headquarters
• Review scheduled activities

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National Student Organizations

• Business Professionals of America (BPA)
  business and office occupations
• DECA An Association of Marketing Students
  occupations in marketing and management
• Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta
  Lambda (FBLA-PBL) business occupations and
  general business principles

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National Student Organizations

• Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America
  (FCCLA) homemaking and occupations related to
  family and consumer sciences
• Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA)
  occupations in and related to health

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National Student Organizations

• National FFA Organization (FFA) occupations in
  and related to agriculture
• SkillsUSA-VICA occupations in and related to
  trade and industry
• Technology Student Association (TSA)
  introduction of students to high-skill technical
  and industrial occupations

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Competitive Group

• Life Smarts
• LifeSmarts is run by the National Consumers
  League
• Encourages high school students to learn about
  consumer issues
• http//www.lifesmarts.org/

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Organizations

• Some are not affiliated with national
  organizations but serve students in CE
• Many organizations offer conferences at state
  and/or national level which include competitive
  events

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More Benefits to Students

• Gain opportunity to identify with and be included
  as part of peer group
• Learn more about occupational opportunities
  guest speakers, field trips, special projects
• Learn to plan, organize, conduct, and evaluate
  chapter activities
• Develop goals and work toward them

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More Benefits to Students

• Understand requirements and responsibilities of
  leadership
• Develop social skills and dependability
• Participate in group recognized by employers

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Benefits to Coordinator

• Become familiar with students in more informal
  peer-centered setting
• Enhance formal instructional program with
  additional resources chapter meetings, field
  trips, demonstrations, conferences
• Encourage individual student motivation and
  maturation through competition

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Benefits to Coordinator

• Direct opportunities for additional
  responsibilities toward members who have
  demonstrated interest and abilities
• Become better acquainted with school and
  community through activities
• Follow up with graduates by organizing alumni
  group

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Benefits to School

• Opportunity to obtain greater community interest
  in school activities
• Gain support through visibility of programs

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Benefits to Community

• Opportunity to become more informed about what
  school/program is accomplishing
• Can take part in activities such as sponsoring a
  field trip or conference or being speakers
• Can see school in action and better understand
  how tax dollars are spent
• Can help students

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Benefits to Parents

• Understand what CE is doing for children
• Acquire firsthand experience in school activities
  by serving as sponsors
• Develop deeper awareness of objectives of school
  through participation in activities
• Know their children are participating in a
  program of school-recognized activities

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Activities

• Advisors must guide rather than direct progress
• Student learning and personal development will
  result
• Most beneficial - those directly related to
  purpose of CE program

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Participation Activities

• Invite school and community members to speak on
  topics of class study
• Maintain departmental displays
• Plan field trips to businesses
• Present program at PTA meeting
• Offer specialized services to other school and
  community organizations

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Leadership Development

• Hold executive office
• Serve as committee chairperson

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Competitive Activities

• Some students may need competitive activities to
  motivate them to meet demands of work world
• Occupationally oriented contests are meaningful

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Organizing Chapter Each Year

• Introduce organization to class
• Discuss value of organization
• Elect officers (executive committee)
• President appoints necessary committees
• Encourage each member to serve on at least one
  committee
• Each committee reports plans for year
• Evaluate progress

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Evaluating Your Program
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Creating an Evaluation Program

• Program Evaluation task of making judgments
  about value of program
• Evaluation involves determining extent to which
  previously established program objectives are
  being, or have been, attained

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Reasons for Program Evaluation

• Program improvement
• Ensure educational process is delivering what is
  specified in program objectives
• Program accountability
• Assure community tax dollars are being spent
  efficiently and effectively

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Evaluation

• Must answer accountability question for
• Teacher-coordinator
• Students being served
• Training station sponsors
• Advisory council members
• School administrators
• Those who support the program
• Those who are responsible for the program
• General public

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Who Should Evaluate?

• Those affected by and involved with program
• Instructors
• Administrators
• Supervisors
• Counselors
• Students
• Parents
• Alumni
• Employers
• Employees

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Involving Key Groups

• Involvement from beginning increases
  understanding of process and commitment to carry
  out recommended improvements
• Not including them may cause evaluation to be
  ignored because it lacks support of those who can
  bring about change

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Involving Key Groups

• School administration can provide important
  suggestions and support will influence others
• Steering/Advisory committee involvement will help
  to assure community input is utilized. May also
  be responsible for developing evaluation plan.

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Involving Key Groups

• Students provide honest and important feedback
  throughout process of implementing the program
• Staff members input should be solicited to
  create and maintain a good working relationship
  with the poor instructors who have to be in the
  school all day long.

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Discussion with Administrator(s)

• Meet with administrator(s) to assure
• Evaluation activities will be approved and
  supported
• Evaluation activities will not duplicate current
  efforts
• Evaluation system will provide data at right time
  needed for required reports
• General fit between educational agencys
  evaluation system and CEs

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Typical Evaluation Plan Steps

• Describe situation in area served by school
• Create written philosophy and objectives of the
  evaluation
• Identify responsibilities of those involved with
  the evaluation
• Determine evaluation activities to be conducted
  to attain objectives of the plan
• Identify boundaries and limitations

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Typical Evaluation Plan Steps

• Determine budget and estimated costs
• Create schedule of activities
• Determine how final process will be reported
• Determine how information will be disseminated
• Plan for implementation

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Describe Situation in Area Served

• Describe local area served by school to include
• Demographics
• Economic environment
• Employment opportunities
• School/community relationship
• Population trends
• School environment
• Others as needed for your situation

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Describe Situation in Area Served

• Needs assessment
• Human resource needs
• Student needs and interests
• Educational facilities and equipment
• Community characteristics
• Employment trends
• Community resources

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Describe Situation in Area Served

• Attitudes of parents and citizens
• What programs should be offered
• What occupational areas they want children to
  pursue
• How they feel regarding programs children are
  enrolled in
• How much they know about present programs
• Expectations of schools
• Interest in vocational education

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Written Philosophy and Objectives

• Philosophy formal, written statement of basic
  guiding beliefs about program
• Goals general statements of intent or purpose
  that reflect recognized needs
• Objectives more specific and measurable
  statements of expected outcomes of the program.
  Provide framework for and determine evaluation
  conducted.

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Responsibilities of Those Involved

• Determine who will be part of committee
• Designate members to
• Develop and review questionnaires
• Arrange schedules
• Supervise mailings
• Conduct interviews
• Prepare reports
• Develop recommendations
• Prepare plans for implementation

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Evaluation Activities

• How will data be collected
• Questionnaire, surveys, interviews, visits,
  employment data
• Who will be included in study
• Former students, employers, business and
  industry, current students, parents

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Areas to Evaluate

• Admission process
• Related instruction
• Student placement at training stations
• Training plans
• Training station supervision
• Student evaluation
• Advisory council
• Public relations

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Areas to Evaluate

• Follow-up of program completers and early leavers
• Coordinators qualifications
• Why students participate
• Employers attitude toward program
• Administrative participation
• Faculty participation

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Boundaries and Limitations

• Time frame former students from how long ago
• Lack of addresses
• Lack of participants

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Budget and Estimated Costs

• Personnel expenses
• Staff, secretary, benefits, consultants
• Operating expenses
• Postage, phone, travel, data processing, office
  supplies, printing, reference materials

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Schedule of Activities

• Develop plan
• Present to administration
• Organize committees
• Develop philosophy
• Develop objectives
• Develop questions
• Print surveys
• Conduct meetings

• Conduct student study
• Conduct employer survey
• Conduct survey of parents and students
• Review HR needs
• Analyze data
• Formulate recommendations
• Present recommendations

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Reporting Procedures

• Submit monthly progress reports
• Share committee minutes

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Method of Dissemination

• Final report prepared and presented to
  administrator(s)
• Chief administrator will decide how to release
  report to various groups and/or general public

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Plans for Implementation

• Use input from advisory committee to develop
  plans for strengthening program
• Must have support of school administration and
  board of education

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Developing Surveys/Questionnaires

• State criterion questions for each objective
• States objective in way that an answer will help
  measure attainment of objective
• To keep parents informed about programs
  offerings
• To what extent are parents familiar with
  offerings?
• May need more than one item to address objective
• Vary from very positive to very negative
• Require good deal of time to write

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Developing Surveys/Questionnaires

• Categories of data
• Demographic background information
• Student, teacher, school
• Process - aspects of educational process that may
  influence outcomes
• Teaching-learning process curriculum available
  resources, supplies, and equipment instructional
  and lab facilities
• Product effects of program on the student
• Student follow-up and employer surveys

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Student Follow-Up

• Follow-up study - procedure for collecting
  pertinent data from or about individuals after
  had experiences
• Evaluative data is collected after training has
  been completed
• Collect from students who completed program as
  well as those who may not have successfully
  completed

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Student Follow-Up

• Students (former students) are asked to look back
  and provide information on how well program
  prepared or did not prepare them for occupation
• Interested in knowing if program objectives are
  met and how to improve program
• Usually conducted at 1-, 3-, and 5-year intervals

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Student Follow-Up

• Important information about questions such as
• What training received was important?
• What training was unimportant?
• What suggestions for improving the program do you
  have?

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Student Follow-Up

• Major reasons for conducting follow-up studies
• Determine number and kinds of employment which
  former students entered locally and regionally on
  a part-time or full-time basis
• Learn extent to which former students have made
  use of training
• Discover extent of occupational mobility among
  former students

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Student Follow-Up

• Major reasons
• Obtain information as to adequacy of training
• Ascertain why some students dropped out
• Determine how school could be of further
  assistance to former students
• Discover extent to which former students are
  taking advantage of postsecondary training
• Determine occupational difficulties encountered

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Student Follow-Up

• Follow-Up Procedures
• Mail questionnaire
• Most frequently used
• Problems with non-respondents
• Students in lower percentile of class typically
  will not respond
• Students who do not have jobs will typically not
  respond
• Efforts should be made to get responses from all
  participants
• Include a brief cover letter with due date

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Student Follow-Up

• Personal Interviews
• A very desirable way to collect data because
  clarifying questions can be asked
• Can be very expensive
• Very time consuming
• May require too much travel

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Student Follow-Up

• Telephone Interviews
• Can be used effectively
• Limited on information that can be collected
• Can be very time consuming
• Can be very effective when used in combination
  with mail questionnaire

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Student Follow-Up

• Factors to consider when determining best
  follow-up procedures
• What kinds of data are needed?
• How much data are needed?
• What are sources of data?
• How much time is available?
• What is size of study respondent group?
• How much money is available?
• What is availability and competency of staff?

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Student Follow-Up

• What to include on a student follow-up
• Present job situation
• Job title
• Job duties
• Job history
• Income
• Evaluation type questions (Likert-type scales
  work best)

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Student Follow-Up

• Designing the Questionnaire
• Organize by sections (job, education, military
  service, other training, self assessment, etc.).
• Keep in mind that length of questionnaire is
  inversely related to response rate
• Appearance of questionnaire influences response
  rate

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Student Follow-Up

• Suggestions for improving response
• Use colored paper
• If printed in booklet form, number pages
• Make sure print is high quality
• Design questionnaire in size convenient for
  mailing
• If you can do something different to make
  questionnaire unique, you will improve response.

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Student Follow-Up

• NOTE Respondents are reacting to program as
  they knew it. If changes have been made, they
  may be unaware of them.

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Employer Survey

• Used to determine satisfaction with program and
  to obtain suggestions and data for program
  improvement
• Follow same guidelines as used for student
  follow-up

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Follow-Up Surveys

• Determine information needed
• Limit questions to what is actually needed
• Keep entire system as simple, short, and
  convenient as possible
• Decide which type of survey would be best
• Design survey instrument to assure data will be
  manageable, easy to complete, and valid and
  reliable
• Conduct pilot testing

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Procedures for Conducting Follow-Up

• Cover letter should be included
• Brief, indicate purpose of study, use of
  findings, importance of hearing from everyone,
  suggested date to return, assurance of
  confidentiality
• Stamped, self-addressed return envelope
• Should have address students can identify
• Materials should be of professional quality
• Timing earlier in week, avoid holidays,
  vacation times

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Procedures for Conducting Follow-Up

• Conduct at least one follow up mailing
• Use different strategy
• Monday on first mailing, Friday on second
• Urge respondents to complete survey now longer
  questionnaire is kept, less likely it will be
  completed

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Procedures for Conducting Follow-Up

• Locating former students
• Obtain parents addresses
• Write Please Forward on questionnaires
• Send self-addressed, change-of-address cards to
  parents of non-respondents
• Check area phone directories
• Ask help from other students who are still in
  school

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Practice Writing Follow-up Instruments!!!

• Develop items for student follow-up survey
• Develop items for employer follow-up survey

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Tabulating Data

• Tally respondents answers on table
• Do not forget to tally non-responses
• Percentages are frequently used

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Using Results for Program Change

• Maintain strengths
• Alleviate identified weaknesses
• Advisory council members, administrators, and
  colleagues should be involved in drawing
  conclusions from data that may be incomplete or
  inaccurate perceptions and recommending plan of
  action for change

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Making Decisions

• Teacher-coordinators responsibility to
  disseminate findings and recommendations to
  administrators and/or governing bodies
• Ensure one or more written reports are prepared
  and distributed
• Assume leadership for making changes to improve
  program

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Key Points with Making Decisions

• Evaluation is continual process
• Evaluation requires commitment
• Evaluation should be product oriented
• Evaluation should be done in terms of objectives
• Evaluation should involve both those responsible
  for the program and those affected by it

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Functions of the Final Report

• Serves as means of disseminating findings,
  conclusions, and recommendations
• Describes evaluation process used and activities
  conducted in evaluation process
• Provides opportunity for interested individuals
  to study findings in relation to program
  objectives

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Preparing the Final Report

• Present information in factual and concise manner
  
• Allows readers draw own conclusions
• Write using clear and simple terms
• Others can understand procedures and results

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Presenting Data

• Electronic data processing or tabulate by hand
• Tables and figures help make report easier to
  read and understand
• Present data in tables and figures
• Summarize data and discuss implications in text

84
Tables

• Systematic arrangement of data usually rows and
  columns
• Place table after and as close as possible to
  point where first mentioned in text
• Number tables consecutively
• Center TABLE 2 above the table and the caption on
  the next line
• Captions should clearly describe table

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Figures

• Illustrative materials that present information
  in graphic or pictorial form
• Include graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, photos,
  or artwork
• Place figure after and as close as possible to
  point where first mentioned in text
• Number figures consecutively
• Center Fig. 2 below the figure followed by a dash
  and the caption in upper- and lower-case letters
• Captions should clearly describe information

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Writing Style

• Do not use personal reference
• Be fairly detailed, but do not use extra words
• Write in third person
• Use precise terms
• Use minimum number of abbreviations

87
Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations

• Findings what you found
• Summaries of data collected
• Describe how all responses add up
• Conclusions what they mean
• Describe significance of findings
• Tells reader why finding is important
• Recommendations what should be done
• Suggestions regarding actions that should be
  taken as result of conclusions

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Your Turn

• Determine recommendations based on findings and
  conclusions presented

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Final Report Outline

• Abstract
• Introductory Section
• Findings Section
• Conclusions and Recommendations
• Appendix

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Abstract

• One or two pages
• Identifies school
• Concisely and simply summarizes the objectives,
  findings, conclusions, and recommendations

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Introductory Section

• Introduction
• Describe program, may include philosophy
• Objectives
• Clear, concise listing of objectives established
  within evaluation framework
• Description of Activities
• Detailed description of each activity included in
  evaluation.
• May include time schedule.
• Methodology
• Describe population characteristics and sample
  method
• Development of questionnaires, mailing schedule,
  methods for compiling data

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Introductory Section

• Staff Involvement
• Focuses upon extent and type of staff
  involvement.
• Address outcomes, attitudes, types of committees,
  functions, successes, failures
• Citizen Involvement
• Facts about citizen involvement in evaluation
• Types, size and representation of committees,
  functions, attitudes, outcomes, successes,
  failures
• Consultant Involvement
• Focuses upon role of any consultants in process
• Public Relations
• Addresses type, method, and scope of public
  relations used in connection with evaluation

93
Findings Section

• Committee Activities
• Number and type of committees and scope of
  activities of each
• Committee Recommendations
• Recommendations of each committee accompanied by
  supportive data
• Follow-Up Studies
• Results and generalizations are reported

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Findings Section

• Curricular Studies
• Results of studies of present or potential
  curricula
• Other Types of Studies
• If occupational surveys, attitude studies, or
  others were made
• Changes Resulting from Evaluation
• Any changes, innovations, adoptions, or plans
  already made

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Conclusions and Recommendations

• Conclusions
• Organized according to objectives
• Recommendations
• All recommendations and future plans for
  evaluation

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Appendix

• Questionnaires
• Checklists
• Committee memberships lists
• Public relations materials

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Distribution of Final Report

• Results first reported to administration and
  governing board
• They will determine individuals and other groups
  to which final report should be released
• Committee may want to suggest a list to whom
  report should be released

98
Any Questions???
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Reminders

• Presentations tomorrow
• Public Relations Plan