Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if a proposed technology-mediated intervention is a viable alternative to traditional study abroad for those who are unable to travel. While technology cannot reproduce the same experience of traveling abroad, the primary objective of this study was to determine if there is value in using Web conferencing technology to provide students with access to the same opportunity to interact with international experts in the field as their counterparts who were able to travel. This formative evaluation is the first in a series of iterative studies aimed at developing a viable, sustainable, technology-based solution through design-based research (Reeves, 2006). Methodology/Design: Two guiding questions drove the focus of this formative evaluation: Did the program accomplish what was intended and was it implemented effectively? These generated a set of evaluation questions using the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Quality Framework, which were used to evaluate the quality of a joint study abroad program in Brazil with students and instructors from the University of Central Florida and the University of Scranton. While studying global health management in Brazil, the group in the field broadcasted their site visits live to online participants back in the United States. Web conferencing tools allowed the online attendees to see and hear the group in Brazil and interact in real time through the audio or text chat. Evaluation data was compiled from multiple sources including an anonymous student survey, instructor interviews, session recordings, financial budgets, and online facilitator observations in order to triangulate and evaluate the effectiveness of this Web-based intervention. Findings: Web conferencing technology appears to be a viable alternative that is not necessarily as immersive as traveling abroad, but it does provide its own set of benefits to higher education students. This formative evaluation revealed clear areas for improvement, including technical and procedural elements, but instructors and online participants did find value in the experience. Was it perfect? No. Was it successful? Yes. Was it encouraging? Definitely. Exploration of the evaluation questions under each of the five pillars of the OLC Quality Framework revealed both success factors and areas for improvement in each of the following categories: learning effectiveness, scale (commitment & cost), access, faculty satisfaction, and student satisfaction. Implications: Overall, this was a successful proof of concept that justifies future improvements and subsequent further evaluation in an iterative design-based research program. In addition to repeating this study with the joint global health management course in Brazil, this intervention could also be implemented and evaluated in other contexts, disciplines, and countries around the world. This formative evaluation produced a set of recommendations for the next study based on the success factors as well as the areas for improvement identified in this initial implementation in addition to a list of suggestions for future research.

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This study examined K-12 school administrators' attitudes toward speech language pathology services in public schools. Elementary, middle, and secondary school based administrators, employed in 63 school districts throughout Florida, were solicited to participate in the study in a letter of invitation generated by a web-based design program, Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) Community. Administrators volunteering in the study were given an assurance of confidentiality and fair treatment concerning their participation. A survey instrument, the Scale of Educators 'Attitudes toward Speech Pathology (SEASP) consisting of 10 demographic items and 34 positive and negative statements about speech and language programs in schools was used to gather data. Participants were asked to provide their reactions along a favorable/unfavorable continuum to the survey. The results obtained from this study duplicated measurements used by previous researchers and examined the mean scores and standard deviations of item responses. Analyses of"between group" and "within group" differences examined attitudes among variables relative to professional levels, building size, and additional certification areas and were conducted using one-way and two-way ANOV As. Descriptive statistics were included to provide a profile of the participant population - means, frequencies and consensus of responses. Overall, among administrative participants, there existed minimal differences in attitudes toward speech-language pathology programs in public schools. This was true at elementary, middle and secondary levels, and included (as a secondary group) those "other personnel" who might, at times, supervise speech-language pathology professionals. Thus, school administrators generally agreed in their attitudes toward speech language pathology programs. The means of responses measuring attitudes in predetermined categories yielded results that demonstrated a consensus of agreement in the areas of(a) the impact services on student success, (b) program quality, and (c) the role of the speech-language pathologist, respectively. Results yielded no statistically significant differences in respondents' attitudes toward speech-language pathologists among school administrators employed at building sites having small and non-small populations, and among school administrators having, or not having, additional certification in exceptional student education. Because speech-language pathologists are evaluated by school administrators and other non-field personnel, suggestions are provided concerning the use of performance appraisals, ways to enhance the quality and delivery of school services, and enhancing university programs in communication sciences and disorders, to include components in supervision.

Successful organizations continually seek ways to improve productivity, reduce and control costs, and increase efficiency. Governmental entities also are driven by the need for increased efficiency and accountability in public service for their constituents.There is a continuing need for better tools and a number of government entities have turned to performance management systems due to their promise of improvement in various areas of productivity and accountability. This research focused on one such system, Six Sigma, which has recently experienced widespread adoption in industry in the United States, internationally, and in some government organizations. In this study Six Sigma was compared and contrasted with several performance management systems, and its effects and organizational cultural impacts on one organization were examined.The study investigated the financial implications and perceptions of organizational cultural change resulting from the Six Sigma system implementation in a large government enterprise. The first part of the study used the organization’s published financial information from 1997 through 2006 to determine whether there was a tangible financial benefit of implementing Six Sigma. The analysis indicated that the financial implications were statistically significant and quantified them as material and relevant to the organization’s two major business units.The second component of the research explored differences in organizational culture and attitudes among and between selected employee groups through the use of interviews and a survey instrument. Interviews were also conducted with a purposive sample of the executives who were involved in the decisions to implement Six Sigma. The Organizational Culture Inventory© and Organizational Effectiveness Inventory™ survey instruments were used to measure the organizational culture perceptions of the employee groups. Discriminant function analysis results suggested that the various groups shared a common organizational culture, which supports the null hypothesis that there were no differences in the organizational cultural perceptions among the organizational groups investigated.

Performance measures have been used throughout the business sector as a means to assess productivity, allocate resources, and increase profitability. More recently, they have been utilized to answer increasing calls for accountability in public education. Legislation has been passed in both the United Kingdom and the United States that implements performance measures as a means to measure student achievement and assess school performance. This study, conducted both in the United States and the United Kingdom, examined the perceptions of 15 primary and 15 elementary school leaders with regard to the transnational issue of school performance measures. Q methodology was used to examine the opinions and perceptions of these leaders for the purpose of providing insight for stakeholders and identifying future areas of research. The data from the participants revealed patterns of opinion within the head teacher group, the principal group, and the participants as a whole. Common opinions included the balanced use of performance measures, the political nature of school performance measures, the appropriate use of standardized test scores, and the consideration of economic and social factors. This study also demonstrated the use of Q methodology in qualitative educational research by both obtaining and analyzing rich and insightful participant data.

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