Digital Commons Network^™

Volunteer Training, Tenure, And Facilitation Of Essential Elements In 4-H: Examining Conditions That Promote Positive Youth Development Practices, Kimber Sarver, Kate Fogarty, Tracy Johns, Sarah Thomas Hensley, Dale W. Pracht

Journal of Youth Development

The 4-H program relies on trained volunteers to facilitate youths’ acquisition of life skills in relevant subject matter areas (STEM, Healthy Living). A large part of the 4-H professionals’ objective is to undergird their volunteers in program delivery. The content of volunteers’ training emphasizes the 4 essential elements for youth development programming, namely: 1. Creating an atmosphere of belonging for diverse youth; 2. Promoting generosity through service to their families and communities; 3. Supporting youth mastery of globally applicable life skills and specific skills within subject matter areas of expertise; and 4. Facilitating youths’ sense of independence by self-selecting topics …

Time, Money, Or Knowledge: What Factors Are Associated With Implementing Youth Cooking Programs?, Alison C. Berg, Nancy O. Taylor, Courtney S. Brown, Silvia Q. Giraudo

The Journal of Extension

Research suggests participating in youth hands-on cooking programs, like those offered by Extension and 4-H, can improve nutrition behaviors and reduce the risk for obesity. We surveyed [STATE] Extension professionals (n = 127) to explore factors (e.g., employee characteristics, resources, county demographics) related to offering youth hands-on cooking programs and curricula used. Over 2/3 of participants offer programs and reported creating their own curriculum. More years of experience, having received Extension Specialist training, and increased confidence were positively related to offering these programs. Results suggest training could increase confidence and program implementation and standard curricula may be needed.

Critical Competencies Of 4-H Camp Staff For Achieving High Performance, Laura S. Jeuck, K. S. U. Jayaratne, Mitzi Stumpf-Downing, Harriett Edwards, Katherine Mckee

The Journal of Extension

Camps provide a substantial opportunity for youth to develop important life skills. Identifying and training staff on critical competencies are essential to achieving the desired outcomes for camp participants. The purpose of this study was to determine the most critical competencies of the 4-H residential camp staff for achieving high staff performance. The modified Delphi technique was used to achieve study objectives. The Delphi panel of this study consisted of 23 4-H camping experts from across the United States. This three-round Delphi study led to identify 15 critical competencies that will be useful in standardizing 4-H camp staff training programs.

Skill Up Tennessee: Job Training That Works, Christopher T. Sneed, Sreedhar Upendram, Clint Cummings, Janet E. Fox

The Journal of Extension

Employment and training services offered through Extension are part of and continue a long tradition of policy-focused employment and job training. This paper chronicles the successes of UT Extension’s work as a third-party partner in the delivery of workforce development programming geared toward individuals receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The paper begins with an overview of the federal program and a discussion of how Tennessee forged a state-level partnership for the delivery of workforce services. Data showing program success including number of participants served, supportive services offered, and economic impact are highlighted. Finally, lessons learned are outlined.

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy Through A Trust In Science Training Intervention, Nathan Dumessa

All Dissertations

Vaccine hesitancy is an ongoing public health issue that has been underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic and has implications for future pandemics and other vaccines. This research aimed to understand and address the factors associated with hesitancy. Study 1 was a correlational study that measured several factors that could predict vaccine hesitancy among Black and White participants recruited online (n = 364). Findings suggest that trust in science was the strongest predictor of attitudes towards the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, which in turn strongly predicted vaccine hesitancy. Study 1 established the direct and indirect relationships between several predictors of …

Challenges Experienced By Aquaponic Hobbyists, Producers, And Educators, D Allen Pattillo, David J. Cline, Janelle V. Hager, Luke A. Roy, Terrill R. Hanson

The Journal of Extension

We used an online survey to document challenges experienced by aquaponic hobbyists (n = 81), producers (n = 117), and educators (n = 75). Responses were distilled into the following categories: 1) operations and management; 2) facilities, location, and system design; 3) knowledge and educational resources; 4) funding; 5) economic viability; 6) plant culture; 7) marketing and distribution; 8) fish culture; 9) human factors; 10) regulations and certifications. Training and research in these areas are needed to advance the aquaponics industry.

Development And Assessment Of A Food Safety Training Program For Farmers’ Market Vendors, Joshua Scheinberg, Rama Radhakrishna, Catherine Cutter

The Journal of Extension

Based on results collected through a comprehensive needs assessment of farmers market (FM) vendors in Pennsylvania, the purpose of this study was to develop and pilot-test a customized, food safety training program for FM vendors. A customized 3-hour, in-person, training program was developed and pilot tested. Using pre- and post-test assessment tests through piloted training, the results found participants scores on knowledge questions increased significantly by ~20% (p

Why Can't We Be Friends: A Training Evaluation Of Community Dialogues, Kyle Christenson

All Theses

Demographic and attitudinal diversity can be powerful tools within the team and organizational contexts. However, when not addressed effectively, diversity can greatly strain interpersonal relations and has been found to lead to a number of negative consequences at the individual, team, and organizational levels (Roth, Goldberg, & Thatcher, 2017; Harrison & Klein, 2007). Though there have been attempts to effectively mitigate these negative outcomes, few have found lasting success (Kessler, 2021). However, a training for students offered at a university nested in the southeastern region of the United States offers a relatively novel approach to handling these interpersonal differences. The …

The Social Network Of Early American Architecture: A Network Analysis Of Early Architectural Training In And Out Of The Lowcountry, James Mcenerney

All Theses

The contents of this thesis contain research conducted over a 9-month span surrounding the nature of architectural education in the late American Colonial Period, progressing into the Early Republic. Themes such as early European influences, 17^th and 18^th century art and architecture schools of Dublin, Ireland and Paris, France, and early American drafting schools/apprenticeship societies are analyzed. This paper, first, seeks to document the scholarly dialogue surrounding the ways in which early American architectural practitioners were educated, and in what ways this training was manifest in their physical designs. With a timeframe of approximately 1770 to 1830, 23 …

The Effectiveness Of A Diversity And Inclusion Intervention In Higher Education In The Context Of Covid-19, Katherine Brown D'Souza

All Dissertations

Previous research has shown that diversity in the workplace can have varying effects, depending on how well organizations manage their workforce diversity (Mor Barak et al., 2016). When organizations properly manage their workforce, they can reap the benefits of diversity while avoiding the pitfalls. Diversity training interventions are one way many organizations choose to manage their diverse workforces effectively while creating organizational climates of inclusion (Kalinoski et al., 2013). The present study explored the impact of four different diversity training interventions designed to promote greater awareness of gender and racial bias in academia and to promote bias reduction efforts. Compared …

Professional Development Needs Assessment For Environmental Educators, Laura Banister Woods

All Theses

To assess the training needs of environmental educators, a survey was designed and distributed to members of environmental education organizations. This survey included a list of 28 professional competencies representing five overarching areas that was compiled with a team of professionals and practitioners and informed by the North American Association for Environmental Education’s (NAAEE) Guidelines for Excellence (2019). Respondents to the survey were asked to rate each professional competency in terms of 1.) how important they think it is, and 2.) how well prepared they feel to perform it in their current position as an environmental educator. These two scores …

Preparing Extension Educators For Community-Based Research And Grant Partnerships, Cheryl Eschbach, Holly Tiret, Erin Carter, Cathy Newkirk

The Journal of Extension

Two trainings to prepare Extension educators for research and grant partnerships were designed, implemented, and evaluated. These trainings further national goals to address health disparities, gain partnerships in the health care sector, and support health extension. The workshop Are You Research Ready? prepares Extension educators to participate in community-based human health research. Evaluations indicated that attendees gained a self-assessment of research readiness and felt more confident to position themselves for grants. Program evaluations also showed that educators needed additional training on how to create partnerships. A second workshop, Are You Partnership Ready?, addresses this need, increasing participants' confidence and skills …

Food Safety Needs Assessment For Georgia Specialty Crops, Camila Rodrigues, Beth Oleson, Laurel L. Dunn

The Journal of Extension

We conducted a needs assessment to determine food safety resources required by produce growers in Georgia. Most respondents were farm owners (52.5%), food safety managers (48.3%), and/or farm managers (34.2%). The most requested topics for training included how to improve food safety management skills and how to manage a food safety program. Of 120 respondents, 25 were unsure whether their operations were required to comply with the Produce Safety Rule. This information will guide Georgia food safety educators in developing materials and curricula for growers throughout Georgia. Additionally, our survey and findings may be of use to Extension professionals elsewhere …

Impact Of A Language And Literacy Training And Coaching Intervention On Early Childhood Outcomes In Low-Income Communities, Teresa A. Byington, Yaebin Kim

The Journal of Extension

We implemented an Extension-led language and literacy training and coaching intervention targeting preschool teachers and children in low-income communities in Nevada. Participation in the intervention had a positive influence on the language and literacy instruction skills of preschool teachers and language and literacy skills of children. Analysis of 40 preschool classrooms and 199 preschoolers over 3 years of data collection identified improvements in general classroom environments and teachers' language and literacy practices. Preschoolers demonstrated improvements in alphabet knowledge, comprehension, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and oral language. Extension professionals elsewhere may use a similar approach to positively affect the achievement gap of …

Spoken Language Interpreters Andsigned Language Interpreters: Towards Cross-Fertilization, Daniel Gile, Jemina M. Napier

International Journal of Interpreter Education

This commentary aims to give an overview of developments in the related fields of spoken and signed language interpreting, with consideration given to professionalization, standards, education and training, and research. We base our discussion on our observations of the changing nature of the sister professions over the years, as the two related fields become more closely aligned. We propose that spoken and signed language interpreters can work more closely together to promote more cross-fertilization in interpreting studies.

Broadening The Patent Experience: The Value Of Piug And Attending The Patent Information Users Group (Piug) Annual Conference, Paulina Borrego, Rachel Knapp

Journal of the Patent and Trademark Resource Center Association

No abstract provided.

Context-Enabled Visualization Strategies For Automation Enabled Human-In-The-Loop Inspection Systems To Enhance The Situation Awareness Of Windstorm Risk Engineers, Sruthy Orozhiyathumana Agnisarman

All Dissertations

Insurance loss prevention survey, specifically windstorm risk inspection survey is the process of investigating potential damages associated with a building or structure in the event of an extreme weather condition such as a hurricane or tornado. Traditionally, the risk inspection process is highly subjective and depends on the skills of the engineer performing it. This dissertation investigates the sensemaking process of risk engineers while performing risk inspection with special focus on various factors influencing it. This research then investigates how context-based visualizations strategies enhance the situation awareness and performance of windstorm risk engineers.

An initial study investigated the sensemaking process …

Action Steps And Tools For Managing A Statewide Curriculum Development Process, Hannah K. Epley

The Journal of Extension

Practical aspects of curriculum development, especially that involving multiple authors, often are overlooked, but they are critical to moving a curriculum from concept to finished product. The Ohio 4-H Camping Design Team developed a competency-model-based curriculum for training the state's 4-H teen camp counselors. The team incorporated action steps and associated management tools to facilitate the curriculum development process. Action steps included establishing a timeline, using a template, tracking progress, and conducting an internal review. The action steps and tools the team used can be replicated by others developing curricula, training programs, and other resources for Extension audiences.

Dairy Cattle Handling Extension Programs: Training Workers And Cattle, Amber L. Adams, Michaela Kristula, Meggan V. Hain

The Journal of Extension

Cattle handling Extension program educators often overlook the animal training component of efficient handling. The objectives of the study described in this article were to measure young dairy heifer behavioral responses toward handlers who received different types of training and to document whether repeated handling or time of day of handling affected heifer behavioral responses to handlers. Six handlers received training through a lecture, hands-on workshop, or video. An observer recorded heifer behavior during handling tests. The day and time of heifer training were most influential on heifer behavior, but heifer handling ease was improved when handlers had participated in …

Collaborating Across State Lines To Leverage Cultural Competency Expertise, Celina G. Wille, Zuri Garcia, José L. Garcia

The Journal of Extension

A statewide need for Latino cultural competency training for Utah State University (USU) Extension personnel was identified. The solution involved the collaborative efforts of our team of two USU Extension faculty members and one Washington State University (WSU) Extension faculty member on adaption and customization of a needs assessment tool and a training program originated at WSU. Our collaboration leveraged important limited resources such as subject-matter expertise, training materials, time, and funding while providing a venue for feedback and ideas to improve, update, and enhance an existing program. Garnering administrative support from the start is key to successful cross-state collaborative …

Making Extreme Counselors: A State 4-H Camp Counselor Workshop, Hannah K. Epley, Jo Williams, Katherine Feldhues, Larry Hall

The Journal of Extension

Making eXtreme Counselors (MXC) is a statewide 4-H camp counselor training workshop. This training brings teens throughout Ohio together to help prepare them to serve as camp counselors in their own counties. Specific competencies are targeted each year on a rotational basis. The training allows youths to learn not only from a variety of 4-H professionals but also through peer-to-peer sharing and interactions. Evaluation results from participants and the professionals who work with them include high ratings of the program and positive comments. In addition, the results indicate that participants transfer their learning from the training to their performance as …

Online Leadership Short Course For County Extension Directors, Matt Benge, Matthew Sowcik

The Journal of Extension

Engaging the Extension workforce in professional development is critical for learning, behavior change, and continued development. However, county Extension directors find it difficult to juggle the various demands on their time, including the need to develop the leadership competencies required to be successful in their roles. Online leadership training is one option that can be used to address this time demand faced by Extension leaders and provide an avenue for developing leadership capacity. We discuss the design and implementation of the 10-week online Leadership Short Course for county Extension directors and the reactions of participants.

Caring For Caregivers: Mentoring And Its Effects On Affective And Behavioral Outcomes, Pamela Farago

All Dissertations

Long hours, in addition to a heavy workload, lack of control over the environment, and inadequate recognition are some factors that have been described as contributing to healthcare workers developing burnout (Ahlin, Ericson-Lidman, Norberg, & Strandberg, 2015), decreasing their job performance, and ultimately leading them to leave their jobs. It is critically important that preventive methods of buffering burnout are studied in this context, and mentoring may be one such method. Drawing on bodies of research related to motivation and stress, this study examined a mentoring intervention using a healthcare population who had engaged in an 8-month mentoring program. This …

Twentieth-Century Thoroughbred Training Landscapes Of Aiken And Camden, South Carolina, Mary C. Fesak

All Theses

During the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, wealthy northerners developed the South Carolina towns of Aiken and Camden into important winter resorts. South Carolina’s mild winters and accessibility by rail attracted Gilded Age elites to Aiken and Camden’s Winter Colonies. As part of their recreational social activities, the wealthy winter residents developed golf courses, polo clubs, and fox hunts. Vacationing thoroughbred racehorse owners realized that the mild winter climate was ideal for training, leading them to establish training facilities and tracks during the early-to-mid twentieth century. These training facilities cemented the towns’ statuses as important winter training centers, leading important figures …

Preparing Future Professionals For Holistic Family And Consumer Sciences Programming, Karen Franck, Dena Wise, Allisen Penn, Ann A. Berry

The Journal of Extension

It is critical that the value of Extension family and consumer sciences as a broadly focused profession be recognized both in and out of Extension. Establishing universally recognized competencies and assuring that agents possess those capabilities are vital steps to securing and maintaining the integrity of the profession and its value to those it serves. University of Tennessee Extension has developed a process for assessing basic competencies of newly hired agents and responding to their competency gaps with targeted training.

Training Interpreters And Translators In Spain’S Asylum And Refugee Office (Oar): A Case Study, Carmen Valero Garcés

International Journal of Interpreter Education

The process of applying for asylum has been the primary focus of various legal studies and research programs. Numerous articles dealing with language and communication problems have recently emerged, revealing some of the adversities that interpreters and translators face when working in asylum and refugee settings. This study explores some of the issues and complexities surrounding the interpreting and translation services provided by the Spanish Asylum and Refugee Office (OAR). It also analyzes the experiences of several graduate students—and their respective mentors—during their time spent interning at the OAR. The conclusions drawn based on these experiences can act as a …

Local Food Systems Course For Extension Educators In North Carolina: Summary Of An Innovative Program, J. Dara Bloom, Joanna Massey Lelekacs, Rebecca Dunning, Abbey Piner, Emma Brinkmeyer

The Journal of Extension

Interest in local foods began in the early 2000s and has grown substantially over the past decade and a half. Although Extension is addressing local food systems in many states, training and materials in this program area are nascent. To address this circumstance, we developed a graduate course on local food systems for Extension educators. Post-course evaluations indicate increased confidence and knowledge related to local food system facilitation, implementation, and evaluation. Students cited site tours and panel presentations as the most effective course aspects and suggested improving the course by adjusting content to account for varying levels of familiarity with …

Preferred Knowledge Sources For Beginning Farmers: The Case Of Kentucky, Lilian Brislen, Keiko Tanaka, Krista Jacobsen

The Journal of Extension

This article presents an analysis of preferred knowledge sources for beginning farmers and differences in knowledge networks between "heritage" and "nonheritage" farmers. The purpose of the analysis is to support the reassessment of training, technical assistance, and other needs of beginning farmers to be able to develop more precisely targeted training and educational programming for them. Data were drawn from a series of six listening sessions conducted across Kentucky from January through July 2013. We present three concluding recommendations for enhancing the relevance of Cooperative Extension by emphasizing its role as a "connector" of available resources to beginning farmers.

From Kickoff To Handoff: Coaching Teens To Tackle Stem Literacy, Chad Ripberger, Lydia B. Blalock

The Journal of Extension

This article discusses how intensive, content-rich, multiple-day conferences for teams of youth and their adult coaches can be used to initiate the training and planning needed for teens to successfully serve as STEM teachers. The concepts are based on three 4-H "teens as teachers" projects that included 29-36.5 hour initial training conferences. Teenagers (173) completed pre/post surveys on STEM knowledge, skills, careers, resources, and teaching ability. The teenagers exhibited increases in these areas for all three conferences. The authors discuss the common elements of these conferences, provide implementation examples and suggest resources that support this type of training.

Developing A Contemporary Dairy Foods Extension Program: A Training And Technical Resource Needs Assessment Of Pennsylvania Dairy Foods Processors, Joseph Syrko, Kerry E. Kaylegian

The Journal of Extension

Growth in the dairy industry and the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act have renewed interest in dairy foods processing extension positions. A needs assessment survey was sent to Pennsylvania dairy processors and raw milk providers to guide priorities for a dairy foods extension program. The successful development and delivery of technical resources will require tailoring to specific segments of the industry. Priority training topics are good manufacturing practices, sanitation, and food safety regulations. Larger processors preferred on-line resources and other processors preferred face-to-face workshops. An informational newsletter and website were also of great interest.