PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR RESPONSIVE EXTENSION EDUCATION: THE CASE OF SAFE AND UCC IN GHANA

Developing nations in Africa are not shielded from the pressures of a globalized competitive agricultural marketplace. With an appreciable bulk of her people deriving livelihoods from diverse agricultural enterprises, these nations must respond to important contemporary issues shaping global agriculture. Farmers from such nations, including Ghana, will be able to improve their participation in the competitive local, regional and global agricultural marketplace if the appropriate agricultural technologies and extension information support are available. To achieve this, a new breed of agricultural extension graduates who can respond to current and emerging challenges in agriculture and interface effectively with farmers must be produced through responsive extension education and training. While extension education can produce effective extensionists to hasten agricultural development, budgetary constraints make it difficult for most African governments to successfully and sustainably implement such educational programs. However, public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives offer a way out of this financial dilemma. Beginning in 1993, the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education (SAFE) worked with the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana to develop an innovative extension education program through a public private partnership. The program, comprising a BSc. and Diploma components, was designed to respond to the myriad of challenges facing higher agricultural extension education in Ghana. A key practical feature of the curricula is the “Supervised Enterprise Projects” (SEPS), which enable students to work with relevant stakeholders to identify and tackle agricultural problems in farming communities through experiential extension approaches and action research. The SAFE-UCC initiative fulfils important education goals such as: expanding and improving access; ensuring quality and relevance; ensuring funding and mobilizing resources for sustainability; building partnerships and linkages; and promoting international co-operation. The paper discusses the underlying conditions for a successful public private partnership in agricultural and extension education and sheds light on the impacts, lessons learned and challenges.

The coordinated approach to child health in underserved population (CATCH UP) curriculum: A quantitative evaluation of an innovative preschool obesity prevention program

Obesity has been on the rise in the United States over the last 30 years for all populations, including preschoolers. The purpose of the project was to develop an observation tool to measure physical activity levels in preschool children and use the tool in a pilot test of the CATCH UP curriculum at two Head Start Centers in Houston. Pretest and posttest interobserver agreements were all above 0.60 for physical activity level and physical activity type. Preschoolers spent the majority of their time in light physical activity (75.33% pretest, 87.77% posttest), and spent little time in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (24.67% pretest, 12.23% posttest). Percent time spent in MVPA decreased significantly pretest to posttest from (F=5.738, p=0.043). While the pilot testing of the CATCH UP curriculum did not show an increase in MVPA, the SOFIT-P tool did show promising results as being a new method for collecting physical activity level data for preschoolers. Once the new tool has undergone more reliability and validity testing, it could allow for a more convenient method of collecting physical activity levels for preschoolers. ^

Do Methods Matter In Global Leadership Development? A Mixed-Methods Study Of A U.s.-Based International Mba Program

As world communication, technology, and trade become increasingly integrated through globalization, multinational corporations seek employees with global leadership experience and skills. However, the demand for these skills currently outweighs the supply. Given the rarity of globally ready leaders, global competency development should be emphasized in higher education programs. The reality, however, is that university graduate programs are often outdated and focus mostly on cognitive learning. Global leadership competence requires moving beyond the cognitive domain of learning to create socially responsible and culturally connected global leaders. This requires attention to development methods; however, limited research in global leadership development methods has been conducted. A new conceptual model, the global leadership development ecosystem, was introduced in this study to guide the design and evaluation of global leadership development programs. It was based on three theories of learning and was divided into four development methodologies. This study quantitatively tested the model and used it as a framework for an in-depth examination of the design of one International MBA program. The program was first benchmarked, by means of a qualitative best practices analysis, against the top-ranking IMBA programs in the world. Qualitative data from students, faculty, administrators, and staff was then examined, using descriptive and focused data coding. Quantitative data analysis, using PASW Statistics software, and a hierarchical regression, showed the individual effect of each of the four development methods, as well as their combined effect, on student scores on a global leadership assessment. The analysis revealed that each methodology played a distinct and important role in developing different competencies of global leadership. It also confirmed the critical link between self-efficacy and global leadership development.

Multinational activities of major U.S. automotive producers. Volume IV - a preliminary evaluation of technology innovation and transfer. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

Evaluation of innovative state and community alcohol projects: breath alcohol testing program, effectiveness, impact and transferability. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Federal research: advanced technology program's indirect cost rates and program evaluation status.

Mode of access: Internet.

Evaluation and research program of the U.S. censuses of population and housing, 1960 : accuracy of data on housing characteristics.

Mode of access: Internet.

Evaluation and research program of the U.S. censuses of population and housing, 1960 : accuracy of data on population characteristics as measured by reinterviews.

Mode of access: Internet.

Evaluation and research program of the U.S. censuses of population and housing, 1960 : accuracy of data on population characteristics for subgroups of the total population.

Bibliography: p. 76.

Evaluation and research program of the U.S. censuses of population and housing, 1960 : effects of coders /

Bibliography: p. 24.

Evaluation and research program of the U.S. censuses of population and housing, 1969 : effects of different reinterview techniques on estimates of simple response variance.

Bibliography: p. 100.

Evaluation and research program of the U.S. censuses of population and housing, 1960 : effects of interviewers and crew leaders.

Bibliography: p. 89.

Evaluation of economic benefits from a continuing civilian nuclear power program /

SRIA-65, Reactor technology.

National toxicology program [microform] : hearing before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, first session, July 15, 1981.

"No. 32."

Byssinosis [microform] : evaluation of scientific and technical issues : hearing before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, second session, September 22, 1982.

"No. 166."