Orthogonal simple component analysis: A new, exploratory approach

Combining principles with pragmatism, a new approach and accompanying algorithm are presented to a longstanding problem in applied statistics: the interpretation of principal components. Following Rousson and Gasser [53 (2004) 539--555] @p250pt@ the ultimate goal is not to propose a method that leads automatically to a unique solution, but rather to develop tools for assisting the user in his or her choice of an interpretable solution. Accordingly, our approach is essentially exploratory. Calling a vector 'simple' if it has small integer elements, it poses the open question: @p250pt@ What sets of simply interpretable orthogonal axes---if any---are angle-close to the principal components of interest? its answer being presented in summary form as an automated visual display of the solutions found, ordered in terms of overall measures of simplicity, accuracy and star quality, from which the user may choose. Here, 'star quality' refers to striking overall patterns in the sets of axes found, deserving to be especially drawn to the user's attention precisely because they have emerged from the data, rather than being imposed on it by (implicitly) adopting a model. Indeed, other things being equal, explicit models can be checked by seeing if their fits occur in our exploratory analysis, as we illustrate. Requiring orthogonality, attractive visualization and dimension reduction features of principal component analysis are retained.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS374 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Exploration of Engaged Practice in Cooperative Extension and Implications for Higher Education

Greater engagement has been emphasized as a need for Cooperative Extension for decades. Today this emphasis is also seen in higher education. Accordingly, there is need for clarity regarding the definition and community implementation of engagement. In the study described, I sought to address this need by conducting semistructured interviews with 35 Extension educators in two state Extension organizations. Emergent in the findings was the use of a hybrid model of program delivery in Cooperative Extension. Conceptual frameworks, definitions, and overviews of implementation for expert, engaged, and hybrid models are provided. Related implications for greater engagement in Cooperative Extension and higher education are presented

Participatory Evaluation and Needs Assessment Tools for Cooperative Extension in a Virtual Environment

The Cooperative Extension organization could be categorized as a participatory organization because of our focus on local needs in driving our work. The pandemic moved a lot of our work to online platforms. This article reflects on use of online tools for program evaluation and needs assessment. Online focus groups were successful in gathering high quality data from a diverse and geographically dispersed population for program evaluation and as part of a needs assessment process. Coupling the focus groups with a modified World Café approach allowed us to go beyond identification of needs to prioritization and development of potential solutions

Consumer Use of the Small Claims Court in Oklahoma

It is generally agreed that consumers have a right to redress when they are dissatisfied. However, the avenues of legal redress are seldom an object of evaluation. This study is concerned with evaluating consumer use of the small claims courts in Oklahoma. A content analysis of public records of small claims courts is used to determine the rates of use and success in small claims courts by consumers and vendors of goods or services.Housing, Design, and Consumer Resource

Extension Master Gardener Social Media Needs: A National Study

An online survey was conducted to assess the feasibility of providing training on the use of social media for the Extension Master Gardener (EMG) program. Volunteers (n = 1,275) and coordinators (n = 111) responded. Findings indicate the existence of sufficient interest in a nationally coordinated social media training. Inclusion of social media as a qualifying activity in EMG programs should be explored. Findings support inclusion of volunteers in future surveys and the possible need for increased involvement of volunteers in setting program direction. Training is being developed on the basis of the data. Future surveying of the EMG population by using random sampling to more accurately define the audience is strongly encouraged

Identifying Key Constructs and Measurements to Assess the Situation Analysis Reports

Every five years, unit offices of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) must submit a situation analysis (SA) report. The purpose of the SA report is to identify the current issues at the local level to develop future educational programs. The primary objective of this study was to develop a methodology that could be used to assess the quality of SA reports in Virginia. We have evaluated 196 SA reports from VCE to begin development of an assessment. Results of testing of the tool identify areas for continued development

When one size does fit all: Simultaneous delivery of statistics teaching to multiple audiences

In 2019, The Open University celebrated its 50th anniversary. For most of its fifty years it has been delivering statistics education to both specialists and non-specialists, simultaneously and at scale. A single module must deliver statistics teaching across multiple qualifications in many different disciplines which means it is not possible to tailor module material and examples for each individual qualification. This is contrary to the way many service teaching modules are designed. For example, the introductory statistics module at The Open University delivers basic statistics and probability to around 1500 students a year. By structuring the material around topics to which everyone can relate; money, education and health, the module is able to engage students across a range of different qualifications from mathematics to economics, business studies, computing and natural sciences. Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive. Students are provided with printed material, which is supplemented with a variety of interactive elements, which will be described in this paper. Online forums provide a place for peer support. Small group tutorials, both face to face and online, are provided by tutors. Each tutor will typically support 20 students and provide feedback to those students on their assessable work. The students in an individual tutor’s group could be studying one of many different qualifications. All the module material, including all the interactive elements, are embedded in the university’s virtual learning environment which has made it possible to monitor how students engage with the material. This knowledge, and qualitative feedback from students, has provided support for the idea that by teaching through a narrative approach, with examples based on scenarios which have a broad interest to everyone, it is possible to engage all students with statistics regardless of their qualification. By taking this same narrative approach a new module is being created which will be studied concurrently by students in the final stages of their qualifications in mathematics, statistics, data science and economics. This paper will outline how the module will utilize Jupyter notebooks to deliver practical modelling with real data sets chosen to be of interest to all the different cohorts of students. During the last 50 years The Open University has always had to deliver modules at scale to students across many disciplines. With the increased use of data across qualifications, and the need for people to upskill in data analysis, it is essential to explore ways in which statistical training can be delivered at scale

Identifying Needs and Implementing Organizational Change to Improve Retention of Early-Career Agents

Retention of agents is important for the growth and stability of Cooperative Extension. A study of early-career agents in Virginia Cooperative Extension identified specific areas in which organizational change could be made to improve agent fit in the organization and long-term retention. As a result, numerous changes have been made, particularly associated with existing agents but also in work with prospective agents. Although this article relates specifically to Virginia, the challenges and solutions identified may be relevant to other programs and to national professional development organizations

Trust and temporality in participatory research

This paper argues that trust cannot be taken for granted in long-term participatory research and promotes greater consideration to conceptualizing the trusting process as fluid and fragile. This awareness by researchers can reveal to them how the passing of time shapes and reshapes the nature of trusting relationships and their constant negotiation and re-negotiation. The paper draws together literature from different disciplines on the themes of trust, temporality and participatory research and outcomes from interviews and workshops undertaken for The Trust Map project to focus on two key moments that reveal the fragility of trust. These are the subtlety of disruption and trust on trial and trust at a distance. We discuss how trust was built over time through processes of interaction that were continually tested, incremental and participatory

Community Conversational: Supporting and Capturing Deliberative Talk in Local Consultation Processes

The development of platforms for community decision- making has been of growing interest to the HCI community, yet the ways technology might be woven into traditional consultation processes has been under-studied. We conducted fieldwork at consultation events where residents were invited to discuss and map assets related to their neighbourhoods to inform community decision-making. The fieldwork highlighted problems with equality, turn taking, the evidencing and elaborating on opinions by residents, and challenges related to capturing and documenting the events. We developed Community Conversational—a hybrid table- top game and digital capture and review platform—in response to these issues. Community Conversational was designed to provide a flexible structure to consultation events related to ‘place’, and support the production, capture and review of deliberative ‘talk’ to support decision-making. We study how the platform was used in two consultation events, and discuss the implications of capturing and evidencing local people’s opinions for the accountability of decision- makers and community organisations