Final ProjectFor your Final Project, you will apply the skills and approaches to program design…

 

Final Project

For your Final Project, you will apply the skills and approaches to program design and evaluation for human services programs to the homeless population in your community. If you are fortunate enough to live in a community where there is not a pressing homelessness problem, then select a community in a major city near your community, or one with which you are familiar.

First, throughout the course you address the issue of homelessness by analyzing a single case study in your Discussions and Assignments:

  • In the Week 1 Discussion, you describe the motivation for the program in the case study and examine whether the program meets the needs of clients.
  • In the Week 2 Discussion, you identify the types of needs of the homeless and explain how the identification of those needs might influence responses to homelessness in the case study.
  • In the Week 2 Assignment, you explain how perceptions of the needs of the homeless may be different than their real needs, and also consider why it is important to understand the accurate needs of the population.
  • In the Week 3 Assignment, you develop a needs assessment for the case study.
  • In the Week 4 Discussion, you consider evaluative tools to measure the effectiveness of human services delivery in the case study.
  • In the Week 4 Assignment, you use a “logic model” to develop a program design and evaluation.

While the Discussion Questions and Assignments are not meant to provide you with the content of your Final Project, they are meant to provide you with an opportunity to practice each piece of a successful Program Design and Evaluation Narrative to address the social problem of homelessness in your community. There is no specific template for a Program Design and Evaluation Narrative, but you should use the guidelines below to craft a single document package that addresses all of the elements of program design and evaluation covered in this course.

With this in mind, to successfully complete this Final Project you must:

Reflect on the program design and evaluation concepts and practices discussed throughout the course to complete a Program Design and Evaluation Narrative for the homeless population in your community. You should incorporate the feedback you received from your Instructor on the Assignments to refine and revise your Final Project before submitting it to your Instructor.

As you finalize your Program Design and Evaluation Narrative, please do not cut and paste from each week’s separate components. The Assignment is to write an actual narrative that could potentially serve the homeless population in your specific community. Your narrative should be edited, seamless, and pertain to the homeless population in your community—not that of the case study.

Your Program Design and Evaluation Narrative should include the logic model in chart form. The Final Project should be double spaced and APA formatted, use appropriate grammar and spelling, and include citations from the Learning Resources from the course as well as from your own research for the Final Project. Your Program Design and Evaluation Narrativemust include the following components:

  • A description of your community, including background and demographic information on the homeless population in your community
  • A description of the currently available human services programs offered for the homeless population in your community
  • A description of the needs assessment you would implement to understand the motivations and needs of the homeless population in your community (include questions you might ask as part of this assessment) and to understand the effectiveness of the services offered (if more than one, then select one to use for this project)
  • An outline of the data collection procedure you might use
    • Explain whether the answers to the questions you created would elicit quantitative or qualitative results.
    • Explain how the answers to these questions would inform an evaluation of the program.
  • The motivations and normative, expressed, perceived, and relative needs of the homeless population in your community (use newspapers written by the homeless where possible)
  • A logic model and evaluation strategies to deal with the homelessness problem in your community
  • An explanation of the mission, goals, outcomes, and purpose of the program you would implement
  • An explanation of how the program you designed would address social change in the community

Note: As you write the narrative, think about how your ideas evolved throughout the course: What have you learned about identifying needs and creating effective programs and program evaluations?  Using your Discussion and Assignment responses as a launching point, your narrative should include the motivations, needs, needs assessment, mission, goals, outcomes, purpose, logic model, and evaluation strategies to deal with the homelessness problem in your community. 

The Final Project will be evaluated according to the indicators in the Final Project and Writing Rubric located in the Course Information area. Be sure that the Final Project is written using APA format. 

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Guided Response: Respond to at least one classmate with objectives and assessment ideas in the same…

 

Guided Response: Respond to at least one classmate with objectives and assessment ideas in the same grade range you chose (Pre-K-2nd, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, and other) and one with objectives and assessment ideas in a completely different grade range. 

  • Are their objectives clear and measurable? 
  • Do they identify specifically, what the STUDENT will be doing and how?
  • Are they aligned (related) to the given standard?

It is important to remember professionalism in your feedback.  You are to give constructive feedback by giving the author a different lens with which to view their original ideas.  Therefore, provide them with a specific suggestion for making their objective and/or assessment more complex according to Bloom’s Taxonomy

  

Kaitlin McCarthy

The purpose of a learning standard is to allow all students the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge required to live in today’s society. The learning standard is criteria of what students should be learning. The idea for these learning standards is to give students the ability to compete with others around the world for jobs. They will need to have knowledge, skills, and disposition in order to compete in the changing world. The skills include collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity, and innovation (Lefrançois, 2013). Learning objectives are what schools expect students to know and be able to do.

In order to differentiate the terms learning standard and learning objectives to another person, I’d first start out with their definitions. The learning standard aligns more with the common core state standards than the learning objectives. Standards are something that teachers are supposed to teach and by the end of the teaching, students are supposed to know and understand. A learning objective is something that the teacher wants you to focus on as your end goal of a lesson.

Formative assessments are determining factors to what students really learn and what information they attain. The learning objective is what students have a goal to learn and formative assessments can help them reach that goal. The learning standards are what teachers need to teach their students. Formative assessments can be a teacher’s way of teaching the material while still reaching the standard.

I chose Kindergarten and the objective is, “Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size” (Lea, 2013, para. 6). Learning objective #1: After teaching the characteristics of each shape, the students will be able to name at least one defining characteristic of each shape (i.e., this shape is round). Learning objective #2: After working with blocks of different shapes, the students will be able to draw each shape to the best of their ability. The formative assessments used to attain these objectives are, for learning objective #1, give the students an exit slip worksheet with a word box of the names of the shapes and real-life pictures of the shapes. For learning objective #2, the students will draw on exit slips containing only the labels of the shapes and their job is to draw the shape on the sheet next to the correct label.

References

Lea, K. (2013, March 7). Meaningful Connections: Objectives and Standards. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/meaningful-connections-objectives-and-standards-karen-lea

Lefrançois, G. R. (2013). Of learning and assessment [Electronic Version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

  

Deja Carthon

According to Lefrancois (2013) "Educational goals are the broad intentions of educational systems. They describe what educational systems are designed to accomplish. They summarize the purposes of educational institutions and, indirectly, the goals of societies and of parents for children" (Lefrancois, 2013). The purpose of a learning standard and the critical components of a learning objective is to make sure all students across the distract are receiving the same information. The difference between the two is learning standards are more grade band designed, and learning objectives are more classroom and student based. The relation between formative assessments during instruction and the standards and objective of a lesson is the focus on students needs as individuals and as a class. Formative assessments can be used as a connection between student's skill levels, information process and areas of improvement, and goal setting. 

  • Kindergarten: Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

Learning Objective 1: After teaching my lesson about shapes, students will be able to identify circle as round shaped, and rectangles, and squares and box shaped.

Learning Objective 2: After teaching my lesson about shapes students will be able to compete a worksheet by identifying each shape (square, triangle, circle) by different colors as stated on worksheet with 80% accuracy. 

I can assess students FOR learning each objective by using flashcards to have students recall or name shapes during circle time. Students can also use play dough or their fingers to draw shapes during circle time. 

References

Lea, K. (2013, March 7). Meaningful Connections: Objectives and Standards. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/meaningful-connections-objectives-and-standards-karen-lea

Lefrançois, G. R. (2013). Of learning and assessment [Electronic Version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

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Week 4 – AssignmentResearch of Educational ChangeOne aspect of professional development that educators can participate…

Week 4 – Assignment

Research of Educational Change

One aspect of professional development that educators can participate in is that of educational conferences. While you may at some point have participated in an educational conference as an attendee, you have the opportunity in this assignment to think as a presenter! This assignment will also provide you the opportunity to create or revise your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and cover letter.

In this assignment, you will take your discussion presentation you prepared for the staff meeting and convert it into a poster that you could use at an academic conference. As well, often when submitting a poster proposal you include a CV and cover letter that highlight your experience and research interests. If you created a CV and cover letter for a course in your program sequence, you may take this opportunity to revise and update those artifacts.

Historically, a conference poster session involves use of a large poster-board style document as a reference when speaking with conference attendees about your research or practical experiences with a topic. Increasingly, the poster session involves handouts in digital format transferred through QR codes or another medium and may involve a television or other screen display to communicate your research at an academic conference. Always, your poster presentation contains a title, introduction of the research question/s, overview of the research approach, results from the study or experience, and planned next steps in applying or expanding the study or experience. Additionally, the poster provides information about literature related to the poster topic, usually a selected listing of previously published articles that are important to the research, and a brief acknowledgement to those who helped with the study.

Your poster, in whatever format it is presented at the conference, is effective if it can be scanned and comprehended at a high level in around five minutes. Usually you will be present with your poster to explain points and answer questions in an authentic conference experience.

Using the Poster Presentation Template, create your assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below. Upload your assignment to the course for evaluation and to your ePortfolio.

NOTE: Including your CV or Cover Letter in your ePortfolio is optional

Content Expectations- Two Parts

Part One:

  • Introduction (1 point): In 100-200 words, use this section to interest your audience in the issue or question of the study while using minimal background information and definitions.
  • Materials and Methods (1 point): In 50-100 words, describe the procedure used in the study to collect data.
  • Study Results (1 point): In 50-100 words, state the research questions, describe how they were supported by the research, and then include visuals (e.g., graphic/charts/diagrams) to illustrate the parts or results of the study.
  • Conclusion (1.5 point): In no more than 200 words, provide the concluding remarks about the study while explaining the major result in such a way as to convince the audience why the outcome is interesting. Describe the relevance of the findings to the field of education and/or beyond, describe other directions this study could lead to, and summarize the changes you would make to the study had you been the researcher.
  • Relevant Literature Cited (.5 points): Use full citations in APA for all primary works consulted from the literature to inform and support the purpose of the study.

Part Two:

  • Create – Curriculum Vitae (1.5 points): In three to four pages your CV should include your name, an overview of your education, your academic and related employment (especially teaching, editorial, or administrative experience), your research projects and/or research interests (including conference papers and publications), and your departmental and community service.
  • Create – Cover Letter (1.5 points): In no more than one page your cover letter should include; heading, introduction, argument, and closing.

Written Communication Expectations

  • APA Formatting (.5 points): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment.
  • Syntax and Mechanics (.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
  • Page Requirement (.5 points): Includes a CV and Cover Letter that are no more than 4 to 5 pages in length.
  • Source Requirement (.5 points): References three scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook.

For information related to APA style, including samples and tutorials, please visit the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment

Review your assignment with the Grading Rubric to be sure you have achieved the distinguished levels of performance for each criterion. Next, submit the assignment for evaluation no later than Day 7.

All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

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Respond to student’s post with significant comments that demonstrate critical thinking by asking additional questions…

Respond to student's post with significant comments that demonstrate critical thinking by asking additional questions or adding to the body of knowledge started. If you argue, controversial issues use a reference to support your argument that adds credibility to your position. Your response to your peers work should be engaging and informative with good substance. Your responses should contribute in a meaningful way to helping advance our knowledge of the topics the class explores.

All follow-up responses should require 250-300 words.

In Research Methods: The Basics, author Walliman describes research as finding out things you did not know, that others did not know, or "advancing the frontier of knowledge," (Walliman pg 7, 2010).  According to this week's lesson, in order to advance academic knowledge, scholarly research is conducted. In addition to advancing academic knowledge, scholarly research can also be conducted to challenge certain phenomena. While bias may still play a part in conducting scholarly research, due to peer review to determine accuracy, reliability, and validity, it is often more accurate than consumer research. On the other hand, consumer research usually has a set agenda and is often used to determine specific needs or attitudes (APUS, 2016). 

Freelance researcher Zarah agrees that developing knowledge is one of the purposes of research and adds informing actions or proving a theory as the other main purposes. In total, she lists seven reasons why research is important. Others include nourishment for the mind, as a tool to facilitate learning, and a way to find and seize opportunities (Zarah, 2018). In order to conduct research, it is important to understand research methods. Research methods help you reach conclusions by providing ways to collect and analyze the data you are researching (Walliman pg 7, 2010). 

In order to decide which research method is best to utilize, you need to decide the nature of your research project. After you have framed the nature of your research, you need to figure out how to obtain your data, which will inform which research method you use (Walliman pg 13, 2010). Understanding the different research methods will make your research more successful. Understanding the different research methods will also help decide which research methods are bad and therefore are likely to lead to a bad outcome (Greener, 2011).

Inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning are two methods that have been used to acquire knowledge throughout history. Inductive reasoning starts with an observation and the draws a conclusion from that observation. Generally speaking, this conclusion must be seen through a large amount of observations and if any observation does not support the conclusion, than it must be false. Deductive reasoning takes two premises and draws a conclusion from those premises through logical arguments. With deductive reasoning, you must make sure there are no assumptions that would cause your conclusion to be logically false (Walliman pg 17-19, 2010). Another research method that is used is the scientific method. The scientific method has become commonly used by researchers, of which there are seven basic characteristics or components. The seven components include empirical data that can be sensed or inferred, the data should be verifiable by other researchers, cumulative in nature from other research, self-correcting, deterministic, ethical, and statistically generalizable (Ellis, 2009).  

Finally, you need to evaluate your sources when conducting consumer research. When deciding to use articles or books in your research, you must consider hierarchy of evidence as described by Greener when he discusses research methods. This includes peer-reviewed articles all the way down to general online sources (Greener, 2011). 

References

Walliman, N. (2010). Research methods: The basics. November 2010. Abingdon, Oxon. Routledge. Taylor and Francis Group.

Research Methods in Social Sciences. (2016). Retrieved December 4, 2018 from https://edge.apus.edu/access/content/group/security-and-global-studies-common/Universal/SSGS/300/elf/lesson-1/elf_index.html

Zarah, L. (2018). 7 reasons why research is important. Owlcation: Academia. December 6, 2018. 

Greener, I. (2011). Reviewing what other people have said – or how can I tell if others' research is any good. Designing social research: A guide for the bewildered. (pp 22-37). London, England. Sage Publications

Ellis, L, Hartley, R.D., & Walsh, A. (2009). Research methods in criminal justice and criminology: An interdisciplinary approach. Lanham, Maryland. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. 15-19

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Parent PresentationWithout a doubt, in your role as a child development professional, you will be…

 

Parent Presentation

Without a doubt, in your role as a child development professional, you will be working with children, their families, and the community. Throughout this learning week, we have focused on different types of family structures and strategies for engaging with those unique family structures to support a child’s learning and development. Now, we want to take that idea and expand it to working with families and the community in general. Imagine you have been contacted by a school to put together a presentation for the next Parent Teacher Organization. They have asked for your presentation to focus on two main ideas: how to create and sustain partnerships with families and the community and how these partnerships influence the learning and development of children.

Step One: Choose one of the schools below to use as the basis for your presentation:

  1. Lincoln Elementary School:  Lincoln Elementary School is located in Gilbert, Arizona. Gilbert is a relatively large city with a strong sense of family and community. The school has a population of 765 students from PreK to sixth grade. At Lincoln Elementary School, 94% of the students are eligible for free and/or reduced lunch, and 58% of the students are second language learners. The majority of the students at Lincoln Elementary School are Hispanic (93%). Five percent of the student population is white, and 2% is American Indian.
  2. Higley High School:  Higley High School is located in Elmhurst, Illinois. Elmhurst is a medium-sized city with a strong farming community. The school has a population of 1,500 students in the 9th through 12th grades. At Higley High School, 22% of the students are eligible for free and/or reduced lunch, and 1% of the students are second language learners. The majority of the students at Higley High School are white (63%). Twenty-two percent of students are Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% Asian, and 4% American Indian.

Step Two: Now that you know the audience for your presentation, you may choose to create a Prezi (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. or a PowerPoint. If you need help with creating your Prezi, watch this video tutorial (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Whichever format you choose, your presentation must contain the following information:

  1. At least one slide that describes the period of development this presentation focuses on.
  2. At least one slide that explains your role as a child development professional.
  3. At least one slide with a rationale for your presentation that is supported by either the text or an additional scholarly source. Make sure that you properly format your in-text citations according to APA style.
  4. At least one slide that explains the Mesosystem from Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System for parents to understand how families, schools, and the community are connected.
  5. At least one slide that introduces Epstein’s Types of Involvement.
  6. At least one slide for each of Epstein's Types of InvolvementPreview the document that describes:
  • The name of the type of involvement.
  • How this type of involvement influences a child’s learning and development.
  • One idea the school or community could implement right away that aligns with the cultures represented at the school.
  1. At least five graphics that enhance visual appeal.

If you used Prezi (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. to create your Parent Presentation, you will need to submit a Word document that contains a working link to the Prezi that you created through the Dropbox or Assignment Submission box if in Waypoint. If you created your Parent Presentation as a PowerPoint, you will need to submit it to your instructor through the Dropbox or through the Assignment Submission box if in Waypoint. Your presentation should be supported by the text and at least two additional scholarly sources. Make sure that you properly format both your in-text citations and reference list according to APA style.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

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DISCUSSION 1 Watch the TED Talks, ‘Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius.’Reflect on what she says…

DISCUSSION 1

 

Watch the TED Talks, "Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius."

Reflect on what she says about her experience as a writer.

Discuss if you agree or disagree what she says about creativity and artistry and emotional risk. Why or why not?

DISCUSSION 2

 

Watch the TED Talks, "Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius."

Reflect on what she says about her experience as a writer.

Discuss if you agree or disagree what she says about creativity and artistry and emotional risk. Why or why not? 50 words count

DISCUSSION 3

 RESPOND TO LISA POST IN 50 WORDS

I love Elizabeth Gilbert point of view. I definitely agree with her on creativity and artistry and emotional risk. Over time in history we have seen creativity kill off writers and artists. Edgar Allan Poe, Virginia Wolf, Ernest Hemmingway, Vincent Van Gogh. These are a few creativity genius' if you will that had their lives cut short by their own hands or mysteriously passed away. The fame of their work and the pressure to be as great as that first piece seems to have taken a toll on them. In a way there was no coming back from. We don't know the torment they went through. In some of Van Gogh's paintings you could see the torment in his paintings. It looked as if he was slowly going mad.

DISCUSSION 4

RESPOND TO LISA POST IN 50 WORDS

 

I do notice that when stories are told from the main characters point of view. Reading the series Fifty Shades of Grey you can feel all of the emotions Anastasia is going through in the first book. The confusion, the pleasure and ecstasy, and then the eventual heart break at the end of the first book. The emotion and feeling like you are watching everything going on in your mind is what kept me interesting and sucked into the book if you will. I was so sucked in that I finished the book in less than two days. I love when a book can trap you in a story.

DISCUSSION 5

RESPOND TO LISA POST IN 50 WORDS

 

Creative nonfiction writing is writing that is one hundred percent factual and is based in the real, true known world. However, it is a specific subcategory of nonfiction writing that uses conventions of fiction to help tell a true story. This can be seen in movies and books and essays alike. When you have a movie based on actual events sometimes they change the names and dates and tweak the events so the movie is "A" interesting and "B" protects the identity of anyone who may be a minor.

DISCUSSION 6 

RESPOND TO LISA POST IN 50 WORD

 

In my opinion non fiction is overtaking fiction. When we watch movies or read books about serial killers for example we want to know what could of drove them to that point. Or what could of happened to them in their lives to make them that way. Is it something in their DNA that most people do not have? Is it from a violent up bringing? We do not know, but hope to find out by watching or reading a story about their life. Humans are more curious then any other mammal in my opinion. I know the saying is curiosity killed the cat, but to be honest with you humans are. We will explore a strange sound, a dark room, etc. without hesitation.

DISCUSSION 7 100 WORDS COUNT

 

Are there other movements in America that are similar to the Civil Rights Movement? How have these movements begun? What has been the result of the movement? What are movements you think may be important in the future based on the demographics of the United States?

 DISCUSSION 8

Describe your own immigrant path, over one or many generations, to becoming an American. Does it include Blacks (slaves or freemen) and/or Native Americans? How so? Be specific.

DISCUSSION 9

 

Are there other concerns LGBT community members have beside worrying  that gay marriage will no longer be legal? 100 words count

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For this assignment, reflect on the various theories and practices in adult education, training, and…

For this assignment, reflect on the various theories and practices in adult education, training, and lifelong learning that you have studied in the course, and create a presentation of your ideas. You may use the presentation software of your choosing, such as Prezi, Haiku Deck, PowToon, or other similar software.

Some topics you might consider in your reflection include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Reflect on the adult learning theories (e.g., andragogy, self-directed learning, experiential learning, and transformative learning) that were addressed in this course. Think about which theory had the greatest influence on your thoughts and perceptions about how adults learn.
  • Reflect on the impact of technology and e-learning on adult education, training, and lifelong learning in past ten (10) years. Consider the impact that technology advances such as integrated learning systems, social media or electronic gaming may have on adult educators and trainers as well as curriculum designers in the next five (5) years.
  • Reflect on the impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 including Title IX, Affirmative Action, the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill) and other federal legislation and programs had on increasing access to learning opportunities for traditionally underserved populations.
  • Reflect on the theoretical foundations and real-world practice of adult education, training, and lifelong learning as a profession.

For tips on creating effective presentations, watch the video titled, “How to give great presentations. An alternative to PowerPoint, Bullet Points, boring presentations”.

Create an eight to ten (8-10) slide presentation in which you:

  1. Rate your understanding of adult education theories and practices prior to completing this course compared to your understanding of adult education theories and practices upon completing the course. Examine the extent to which your understanding of adult education, training, and lifelong learning has changed from Week 1 until now.
  2. Construct your own definition of adult education.
  3. Explore the key concepts that you have learned in this course that you believe will have the greatest impact on your approach to educating adults in your current or future career.
  4. Select at least two (2) of the key concepts that you discussed above. Devise a strategy that outlines the steps you could take to apply the selected concepts at your current or future workplace.
  5. Narrate each slide, using a microphone, and indicate what you would say if you were actually presenting in front of an audience.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Include a title slide containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. Citations and references (if applicable) must follow APA format. The title slide and reference slide (if applicable) are not included in the required slide length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Analyze the definitions, goals, and purposes of adult education, training, and lifelong learning.
  • Compare and contrast selected adult learning theories.
  • Analyze the forces that contributed to the growth of adult education, training, and lifelong learning in the United States.
  • Examine how adult education, training, and lifelong learning increased access to learning opportunities for traditionally underserved populations.
  • Analyze selected theories and practices of teaching adult learners.
  • Apply approaches to promoting diversity and inclusion to adult education, training, and lifelong learning.
  • Examine the impact of technology on adult education, training, and lifelong learning programs.
  • Consider current issues and future trends in the practice of adult education, training, and lifelong learning.
  • Write clearly and concisely about adult education, training, and lifelong learning using proper writing mechanics.
  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in adult education, training, and lifelong learning.

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********** Please include the abstract and conclusion **********Strategic IssuesAfter the needs assessment has been completed,…

********** Please include the abstract and conclusion **********

Strategic Issues

After the needs assessment has been completed, the next element of the strategic plan involves developing the strategic issues. Key tasks associated with the strategic issues include conducting a gap analysis, performing an environmental scan, and developing stakeholder surveys. The actions are performed so that you can conduct a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORUNITIES, and THREATS. A SWOT analysis is used to help an agency, organization, or community better understand the business and environment in which it operates. The goal of developing strategic issues is to list or map out all of the strengths and weaknesses, and then to do the same for all of the opportunities and threats. This helps the organization to identify a strategy for planning. Opportunities that match the strengths are things that should be pursued. Threats that particularly align with weaknesses should be especially avoided when developing a strategic plan.
For this Assignment, you complete a SWOT analysis for Natasha House, Inc.

To prepare:

Review Final Project: Developing a Strategic Plan –S.W.O.T Analysis media in the Weekly Resources.
Consider the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges related to Natasha House, Inc. 

Think about the environmental factors you might review in preparation for addressing the strategic issues component for Natasha House, Inc. The environmental factors may include: political, economic, demographic, regulatory, philanthropic, donor trends, and other organizations providing similar services.

The Assignment (4–6 pages):

Conduct a SWOT analysis. This analysis focuses on assessing the present state or condition of Natasha House, Inc.and determining where the organization would like to be. The difference between the two represents the gap, or the difference between where Natasha House, Inc. is currently and where Natasha House, Inc.would like to be. This gap could provide direction for the major focus of the strategic plan.
Describe plans for conducting an environmental scan. The environmental scan is a process in which stakeholders gather and interpret relevant data on an agency, organization, or community to identify external opportunities and threats.
Identify and describe internal conditions that might impact the implementation of the strategic plan.
Address how you would minimize the impact of those conditions.
Identify and describe external conditions or competitors that might impact the implementation of the strategic plan.
Address how you would minimize the impact of those conditions.
Consider how you might plan to work with competitors to meet the needs of your targeted agency, organization, or community.
Identify and describe at least three strengths of Natasha House, Inc..
State why each item on the list is a strength.
State how you plan to utilize each strength to positively the impact the development or implementation of the strategic plan.
Identify and describe at least three weaknesses of Natasha House,
Inc.
State how you plan to minimize the impact of the weakness.
Identify and describe at least three threats to Natasha House, Inc.
State what causes each item on the list to be a threat.
State how you plan to minimize the impact of the threat.
Identify and describe at least three opportunities for improvement for Natasha House, Inc.

State what causes each item on the list to be an opportunity for improvement.
State how you plan to incorporate the opportunity in the implementation of the strategic plan.
Support your Application Assignment, citing all resources in APA style, including those in the Learning Resources.

References

Wronka, J. (2017). Human rights and social justice: Social action and service for the helping and health professions (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Chapter 3, “An Advanced Generalist/Public Health Model and Whole Population Approaches to Human Rights and Social Justice” (pp. 125–186)

http://nonprofitanswerguide.org/strategic-planning/

Laureate Education (Producer). (2009b). Factors impacting change [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. **********(Please see transcript attached) **********

http://natashahouse.org/

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Workshop Plan Part 1Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the Multigenerational Center Activity and the Real-Life Challenges…

Workshop Plan Part 1

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the Multigenerational Center Activity and the Real-Life Challenges in Education interactive.

Workshop Proposal
In your Final Project, imagine that your supervisor at the Multigenerational Center has requested a proposal for a workshop to be presented, by you, at the Center. Your Workshop Plan will be a topic of your choice based on your field of study and the needs of your audience. You will use the Ashford University Multigenerational Center Activity from Week 1 to understand your audience and to choose a topic for your workshop. Your supervisor has requested that you use a specific Summative Template to ensure that all components are comprehensively addressed. Since this is a substantial project for a new employee, your supervisor (instructor) will review major components of your proposal before your final submission.

Assignment Directions
There are multiple parts to this assignment. You will work on components of this assignment in Weeks 3, 4 and 5 using the provided Summative Template. Please be sure to review the template completely, as well the due dates, to ensure that you are addressing your supervisors request in a timely manner. Parts of the assignment described below correspond to sections in the template. See a completed Summative Template with Flyer example.

Part 1A: Workshop Details
Use the Summative Template, and fill out this section due in Week 3. Determine the name and the objective of your workshop. Be sure to create a title that will be enticing as well as meet the needs of your specific audience. Your title should reflect the workshop content, so you are sure to address your targeted audience. Using your field of study (BACD, BACS, BAECE, BAECEA, BAES, BAELLS, BAID, BALS), determine the objective of the workshop. Your supervisor requests that you support your workshop topic with a relevant theory based on your field of study. You will research major theories in your field of study and include how your chosen theory supports your content choice. You will post the workshop details in the Week 4 discussion next week. Your supervisor (instructor) will include instructive feedback for you to make changes before the final submission. You will incorporate these suggestions into your final draft due in Week 5.

Template sections:

  • Workshop Title
  • Explanation of Workshop
  • Workshop Objective/Purpose
  • Description of your target audience (program specific)
  • An explanation of theory that supports your workshop content

Part 1B: Workshop Flyer
Use the Summative Template,  and fill out this section due in Week 3. Your supervisor would like you to create a flyer to begin generating interest for your upcoming workshop. However, since this document will be displayed throughout the center, your supervisor requested you share it with your peers at the center for feedback before public display. The one-page flyer can be completed in Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, or Canva.com (free tool). Canva has a Tutorials page to help you get started. Save the file as a PDF, and submit to the Week 3 discussion forum for peer feedback. You must also submit the revised version in your Week Three Workshop Plan Part One Written Assignment. Here is the Summative Flyer example.

Your Flyer will include

  • The title of the workshop that will be presented at the Ashford Multigenerational Center.
  • The objective/purpose of the workshop.
  • The target audience (who should attend).
  • Your name (as the presenter).
  • Time, date, and place.
  • An image to represent the content.
  • Colorful and engaging content.

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Mission Statement and GoalsWhen you scrutinize programs and efforts of an organization or agency, it…

 

Mission Statement and Goals

When you scrutinize programs and efforts of an organization or agency, it is important to familiarize yourself with an organization’s or agency’s mission statement. A mission statement is a statement of purpose that describes or explains the goals, focal points, and strategies of the organization or agency. Mission statements serve as a point of reference for the organization’s decisions, and they answer the question “Why do we exist?” (Walker, 2008).

Mission statements and goals do not necessarily dictate an organization’s everyday activities and strategies. Rather, they provide a clear focus and sense of direction, suggest important factors and outcomes, and inform how everyday functions are performed. An organization’s mission statement and goals are important to executives, board members, and other leaders who may be responsible for decision making and designing action plans and programs.

Mission statements inform goals, while goals inform objectives. Goals are an overall statement about the general idea of activities and purposes. Objectives are more specific and precise; they are further developments of goals and have an end product that is easily verifiable or measured. Objectives follow a goal statement and include a clear action. Strategies and programs then follow the objectives. For example:

  • Mission Statement: This organization works toward increasing quality of life among the impoverished people of the community through comprehensive programs and a philosophy of compassion and open arms.
    • Goal: To increase nourishment and promote healthier eating for impoverished people in the community.
      • Objective 1: Implement a monthly soup kitchen.
      • Objective 2: Hold information sessions on applying for and using food stamps.
      • Objective 3: Create pamphlets about healthy eating on a low budget.

In this Discussion, you will examine the mission statement and goals of a nonprofit organization you select. You will also explore how the goals and mission statement would be fulfilled through those programs and strategies.

To prepare for this Discussion:  

  • Review Chapter 5 in your course text, focusing on the various approaches to measuring need. Consider how the type of need influences the approach to measurement.
  • Review Chapter 6 in your course text, focusing on the development of a program hypothesis. Think about the types of information you would require to create a hypothesis that would accurately address the identified needs.
  • Review Chapter 7 in your course text, focusing on the formulation of the mission statement, goals, and objectives. Reflect on the role of goals and objectives in strategic planning.
  • Select a nonprofit organization that delivers human services to a population in need. Review the nonprofit organization’s website to find its mission statement and any related goals and objectives.

With these thoughts in mind:

  • Do a brief description of the nonprofit organization you selected, including its mission statement,  goals, and objectives. Then, describe two programs or strategies that the organization might enact and explain how each program or strategy would contribute to the organization achieving its mission and goals.

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