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Agricultural Energy Information Needs Of Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agents And Their Clientele, Daniel Kluchinski
Agricultural Energy Information Needs Of Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agents And Their Clientele, Daniel Kluchinski
The Journal of Extension
A nationwide survey of Extension agricultural agents was conducted to determine interests and educational needs related to energy and agriculture. Their highest ranked interests were renewable energy (wind, solar), farm system conservation and efficiency, and biodiesel. They perceived their clientele's greatest interests in biodiesel, wind energy, farm system conservation and efficiency, and solar energy. Regional differences were found, but similar interests included renewables, conservation and efficiency, and inputs (feedstocks) rather than outputs (end products) and processes. The results identify and prioritize informational needs and are useful for planning future educational training and developing educational materials on farm energy topics.
Will Extension Survive? Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Employees' Perceptions Of Adopter Attributes Of Extension, Xianyan Xu, Kathleen D. Kelsey
Will Extension Survive? Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Employees' Perceptions Of Adopter Attributes Of Extension, Xianyan Xu, Kathleen D. Kelsey
The Journal of Extension
eXtension was introduced in 2008 as an innovation to rekindle public interest in Extension. The founders forecasted a 75% adoption rate within 1 year. However, adoptions rates have been much lower than expected. The study reported here investigated eight perceived adopter attributes (relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, visibility, ease of use, result demonstrability, image, and voluntariness) of eXtension among Oklahoma Extension employees to identify threats to adoption. Findings indicated that Extension employees generally held negative views of all eight attributes of the innovation. Without profound changes to the innovation and process of adoption, eXtension risks failure in this state.
A Model For Evaluating Extension Communities Of Practice, Kathleen D. Kelsey, Eric T. Stafne
A Model For Evaluating Extension Communities Of Practice, Kathleen D. Kelsey, Eric T. Stafne
The Journal of Extension
As Americans shift their work and leisure activities online, Extension seeks to remain viable by delivering programs through a website known as eXtension. eXtension is predicated on the voluntary labor of Extension specialists and educators who form Communities of Practice to create and deliver content through the website. Evaluation of eXtension CoP can be effectively executed using Patton's (2011) developmental evaluation model. A flow of activities for evaluating eXtension CoP using this approach is presented along with a case study of the Grape CoP evaluation using Patton's developmental evaluation model.
Content Appraisal As A Method For Measuring The Effectiveness & Usability Of Online Content, Jenifer Nadeau, Neely Heidorn, Nick Broady, Jennifer Whittle
Content Appraisal As A Method For Measuring The Effectiveness & Usability Of Online Content, Jenifer Nadeau, Neely Heidorn, Nick Broady, Jennifer Whittle
The Journal of Extension
Content appraisal is a simple, qualitative system to identify modifications to make website material more useful to clientele. This system provides a comprehensive evaluation of content, focuses on content strategy, identifies weaknesses, and provides recommendations for improvement. The criteria examined included knowledge level, interrelatedness, relevance, usability, actionability, and differentiation. HorseQuest, a pioneer Community of Practice (CoP) for eXtension, was the first to apply a content appraisal process in an attempt to document the efficacy and impact of their web content. This appraisal system can be effectively used by other groups to help improve a website's usefulness to clientele.