Assignment 4

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SMART: Learner Form

PSL Scientific Merit Action Research Template (SMART) Form (Research Plan)

Scientific Merit Process

Learners who are doing action research for their dissertation will use this form to go through the process of scientific merit review. The goals of this process are: (1) to facilitate the planning of the details of your action research project, (2) to ensure that the proposed project has rigor and allows for scientific merit review, and (3) to facilitate your progress through the dissertation. This is not an addition to your dissertation but a step to assist you in obtaining mentor, committee, school, and IRB approval more efficiently. You must obtain mentor, committee, and school approval of your research plan before submitting your IRB application.

Scientific Merit Criteria

The following criteria will be used to establish scientific merit. The purpose of the review will determine if the proposed project:

1. Contributes to society by improving a practice.

2. Documents need for change by utilizing evidence-based needs assessment.

3. Meets certain “hallmarks” of a good action research project including:

· Action research design:

· Practical.

· Participatory.

· Defined action plan.

Scientific Merit Approval

Your completed SMART form will be approved, not approved, or deferred for major or minor revisions. Your committee will use a checklist to determine if the study meets the criteria for scientific merit and the committee will provide specific feedback designed to identify any issues related to the scientific merit that must be resolved. You will have up to three opportunities to submit this form for committee approval.

Obtaining scientific merit approval does not guarantee you will obtain IRB approval. The IRB review will focus on ethical issues. A detailed ethical review will be conducted during the process of IRB approval.

Recommendations for How to Use This Form

The SMART form is intended to help you and your mentor plan the design and details of your dissertation. Once your mentor approves your SMART form, your entire committee will review the form for scientific merit. After the entire committee approves your SMART form, it will be submitted for school approval. It is recommended that you use this form in a step-by-step way to help plan your design. Expect that you will go through a few revisions before your mentor and committee approve this form.

Tips for filling out the SMART form:

· Prepare your answers in a separate Word document for ease of editing and revision.

· Copy and paste items into the right-hand fields when they are ready.

· Retain the descriptions in the left column.

· Keep the form unlocked for ongoing editing and revision.

· Leave no blank spaces in the form. If an item does not apply to your study, type “NA” in its field.

· Read the item descriptions carefully. Items request very specific information. Be sure you understand what is asked (Good practice for your IRB application!).

· Use primary sources to the greatest extent possible as references. Textbooks (Patton, Leedy and Ormrod, and so on) are not acceptable as the only references supporting methodological and design choices. Use them to locate the primary sources.

Upcoming Milestone Steps:

Milestone Group 1

· Milestone 1: Learner Completed CITI Modules

· Milestone 2: School approved topic (Sections 1 & 2 of SMART form)

· Milestone 3: Mentor Approved Research Plan (complete SMART form)

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Milestone Group 2

· Milestone 4: Committee Approved Research Plan

· Milestone 5: School Approved Research Plan

· Milestone 6: University Approved IRB

· Milestone 7: Committee Conference Call

SMART Learner Form

SECTION #1
To be completed by learner
1.1 Learner Name

Yolanda Tucker

1.2 Learner Program

Doctor of Public Administration

1.3 Learner Email

[email protected]

1.4 Learner Phone

301-922-1300

1.5 Mentor Name and Email

Rod Erakovich

[email protected]

1.6 Committee Member #1 Name and Email

Dr. Devin Daugherty

[email protected]

1.7 Committee Member #2 Name and Email

Dr. Cheryl Nelson

[email protected]

1.8 Dissertation Title

Program evaluation and performance measurement; A case of Prince George County Election Board Comment by Rodney Erakovich: I suggest leaving out the specific organization. Simply state an election board. You note a case study yet the project states program evaluation.

1.9 Site Selected

Prince George’s County

1.10 Contact Info for Site Approver and Expected Approval Date

To be determined.

SECTION #2
To be completed by learner
2.1 Project

Write one paragraph that describes the action research project and the basis for it being addressed.

Program evaluation and performance measurement are often regarded as complementary approaches that are not only critical to creating information but also important to decision makers and stakeholders in both public and private institutions. McDavid, Huse & Hawthorn, (2018) pointed out that such a system of evaluation fits perfectly for result-based organizations as it points out the strengths and limitations which leads to a thorough understanding how Comment by Rodney Erakovich: Can this part be more specific as to the project? I would suggest you start off describing the project and topic, the target population, that it is a program evaluation and the method used. Are you sure you want to do a program evaluation? Would a case study or action research be more appropriate? With program evaluation, you will need access to considerable data. A logic model is part of program evaluation so I would leave that out. Specific if the study is qualitative or quantitative. Also note how you will provide the results to stakeholders.

to evaluate the effectiveness of programs. This research paper intends to conduct a program evaluation and performance measurement for Prince George’s Election Board whose objective is to promote voter education, administer an efficient voting process, maintain an accurate voter registration database, and ensure that elected officials are elected in accordance with Federal, State, and County election laws. The study is a program evaluation that will use a Logic Model to show intended causal linkages and visually summarize the structure of the electoral board at Prince George County (Stufflebeam & Coryn, 2014). 

The need to evaluate the elections board in the United States comes in the wake of increased criticism towards the current system. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, administering an election is becoming an increasingly complex task. Moser, Scheiner & Stoll, (2018) also pointed out that the diversity of election administration structures between and within states further raises concern as to whether this level of local control can lead to mismanagement and inconsistencies, such as the application of the law. As such, the researcher feels that there is need to come up with program evaluation and performance measures that will allow shareholders to make key decisions regarding the mission of election boards throughout the states. The study will use Prince George’s Board as a case study, using a Linear Program Logic Model that outlines how the board runs its affairs, whether they meet expectations and if it implements activities that work as planned to fulfill its responsibilities.

Important Readings

https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/559/Board-of-Elections

https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/51113_ch_1.pdf

REFERENCES

McDavid, J. C., Huse, I., & Hawthorn, L. R. (2018). Program evaluation and performance measurement: An introduction to practice. Sage Publications.

Moser, R. G., Scheiner, E., & Stoll, H. (2018). Social Diversity, Election Rules, and the Party System. In The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems.

Stufflebeam, D. L., & Coryn, C. L. (2014). Evaluation theory, models, and applications (Vol. 50). John Wiley & Sons.