Response to Request for Proposal:

Determining Instructional Purposes Training Program

Prepared for: Far West Laboratories for Educational & Research Development

Prepared by: Catherine Holthaus, Lakeside Consulting Services

Date Prepared: March 15, 2014Introduction

Lakeside Consulting Services (LCS), in response to a January 2014 request for proposal from Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development (FWL), has developed the following plan for evaluating the Determining Instructional Purposes (DIP) training program package. The primary goal of the evaluation is to determine the feasibility of the marketing and sale of the DIP training program package. The secondary goal is to provide information to school administrators considering the purchase of the program and effective use of the units. Included in this proposal response is the method of evaluation, task schedule, and an itemized budget.

Description of the Determining Instructional Purposes Training Program

The Determining Instructional Purposes (DIP) training program package consists of a Coordinator’s Handbook and three-units: Unit 1 - Setting Goals, Unit 2 - Analyzing Problems, and Unit 3 - Deriving Objectives. The units are comprised of four-to-six modules providing training on a set number of instructional objectives. Participants in the training program will practice the skills learned in hypothetical problem solving scenarios. The units are designed to assist in training school administrators and graduate students in educational administration skills directly related to planning effective school programs. These skills include setting goals, analyzing problems, and setting objectives.

The DIP training program has been designed so the units can be presented individually or in any combination of the three. This will allow the administrators using the DIP training program the freedom to tailor the instruction to best meet the needs of the organization. Since the units are self-contained the program may be administered during a short-term workshop or through individual sessions scheduled over a longer period of time. Units 1 and 3 require 10-15 hours of instruction and training and Unit 2 will require 12-18 hours. FWL stipulates all workshops or training sessions to be facilitated by a coordinator. Prior to facilitating training workshops, the coordinator will be required to have independently worked through each unit, they will be presenting. Additional experience in the content area is not required according to FWL. The coordinator will organize, guide, and monitor activities during the workshops using the Coordinator’s Handbook.

Both the Coordinator’s Handbook and student materials are available in print format only. The cost for the training materials is $8.95 for individual units or $24.95 for a complete set. The Coordinator’s Handbook is available at $4.50. The curriculum materials have not been validated in an authentic training situation.

Evaluation Method

Far West Laboratories has requested a summative evaluation of the DIP training program package, which has yet to be tested or marketed. The goal of this evaluation is to provide recommendations in the marketing and sale of the DIP training program and provide potential clients information regarding the purchase and implementation of the units. LCS will conduct a decision-making evaluation determining the overall feasibility of continuing the production of the DIP training program.

Upon completion of the evaluation, a copy of the final report will be forwarded to the FWL executives, marketing department and instructional designers. In addition, with permission from FWL, the final evaluation will be made public to assist school administrators who are considering the purchase of the DIP program, in making their decision.

Lakeside Consulting will need a detailed list of the goals and objectives of the DIP training program. During the initial meeting between FWL and LSC personnel, the evaluator’s program description will be drafted. Additional qualitative and quantitative information will be collected through observations and surveys completed by coordinators, students and potential clients.

Information will be collected from four separate focus groups. The first group will complete the entire DIP training program while attending a concentrated short-term workshop over the course of one week. The second group will also complete the entire course, although over a period of six weeks. The third group will be divided into groups of ten students, each group completing one individual unit as selected by a school administrator. This training will be completed in one week. A different coordinator will facilitate each training group. A complete training package will also be sent to five school administrators from a list of potential clients acquired from FWL.

The data for the evaluation will be collected from the following sources:

Coordinators pre- and post- instructional surveys Student pre- and post- participation surveys Administrator feedback surveys Observations made during instruction

Task Schedule

The projected schedule begins April 1, 2014 and shows a completion date of September 30, 2014. The task schedule for the proposed project is shown on page 4.

Project Personnel

Dr. Sebastian Fields, a leading instructional designer with over 20 years of experience will lead the project. He brings with him extensive experience in survey methodology, quantitative analysis, and project design. Dr. Fields has worked as a quantitative data analyst at an evaluation and research firm in Hialeah, South Korea, specializing in training programs and is considered a leader among evaluators.

Barbette Friendly, brings to the project, 10 years of evaluation experience. She has filled the role of evaluator on a number of projects including three funded grants for the University of Guam International Studies in Business. In addition to being an evaluator, she has designed, developed, and implemented evaluation studies, facilitated project planning, and supported grant-writing efforts.

In addition to the personnel mentioned above, LCS will provide three graduate student interns, from Nimitz University, who will work directly for Dr. Fields to observe the workshops, administer, and collect the surveys.

The project secretary will complete all administrative tasks associated with this project.

Budget

Far West Laboratories has stipulated the cost of this project is not to exceed $50,000. An itemized budget is located on page 6.

Task Schedule

Date TaskApril 7-11 Meet with Far West Laboratory (FWL) stakeholders to discuss the

proposal and establish the evaluator’s program description. Lakeside Consulting Services (LCS) will receive a complete set of the Determining Instructional Purposes (DIP) training program package from FWL. FWL will provide the goals and objectives of the program.

April 14-18 LCS will review the DIP training program allowing time for clarification from FWL.

April 21 FWL will present the DIP training program to LCS using a coordinator of their choice.

May 5-16 LCS will develop coordinator, student, and administrator pre- and post-surveys.

May 19 LCS will provide FWL with the data collection plan including a draft of all surveys to be used.

May 26-30 Training will be conducted for intern students.June 2-6 Group 1 will complete Units 1-3 during a weeklong workshop.

Collect surveys at the end of the session.June 2 Distribute DIP training program including Coordinator’s Handbook

and surveys to school administrators who have expressed an interest in the program with a requested return date of July 31, 2014.

June 9– July 18

Group 2 will begin working on Unit 1 of the DIP training program, with all units to be completed by July 18. Surveys will be collected at the end of the session.

June 23-27 Group 3, divided into three sub-groups, will complete one unit per group. Collect surveys at the end of the session.

August 4-8 LCS will analyze, and summarize survey data.August 11-September 26

LCS will draft evaluation report.

September 30

Final evaluation report to be presented to FWL.

Budget

Description CostPersonnel

Dr. Sebastian Fields: 40 days at $450/day $18,000 Barbette Friendly: 40 days at $300/day $12,000 2 Intern Students: 20 days at $80/day $3,200 Project Secretary: 30 days at $130/day $3,900

TOTAL PERSONNEL $37,100

Travel and per Diem One 2-day round trip: Lewiston to Boise (includes

flight, per diem, car rental, and motel) $894 Mileage for Intern Students: 1,280 miles at $.56 per

mile $717 Three site visits at an estimated average of $150

travel and per diem per visit $450

TOTAL TRAVEL AND PER DIEM $2,061

Materials and Supplies Photocopying of DIP Training Program Package (55

sets at $24.95 per set) $1,373 Photocopying of Coordinator’s Handbook (5 sets at

$4.50) $45 Miscellaneous Supplies and Materials $500

TOTAL SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS $1,918

TOTAL BUDGET $41,079