University Extension Commons^™

What Do Extension And Public Health Educators Need To Address Substance Misuse?, Lisa Washburn, Karen Franck

Journal of Extension

Limited organizational capacity has hindered Extension’s ability to address substance misuse in communities. To inform capacity-building efforts, we obtained Extension educator and health educator feedback on opportunities, challenges and resource needs using the Delphi technique. Opportunities included collaboration and partnerships with local entities. Stigma, inadequate resources, and limited knowledge and skills of educators were challenges. Top resource needs were updated youth curricula, funding, and clear guidance on what educators can do and what should be referred externally. Findings provide insights to educator perceptions and suggest additional training and resources needed to implement evidence-based approaches to address substance misuse.

A Writing Retreat For Extension Professional Development Capacity Building: A Case Study Of Arizona Cooperative Extension’S 4-H Youth Development Program, Jeremy Elliott-Engel

Journal of Extension

Extension Professionals have varying expectations of academic publication depending on tenure and promotion. And, the field of Extension needs the contributions of professionals across the system to support the translation and dissemination of the impacts of and findings from their Extension programming for academic and practitioner audiences. A writing retreat was held to support 4-H Youth Development professionals in academic writing. Because of this writing retreat five teams started working on an academic writing project which resulted in three journal articles being published. Teams also published conference presentations and Extension publications as a result of the initial academic writing project. …

Exploring Land-Grant Institution Partnerships To Better Serve Audiences, Carol A. Roberts, Kenya N. Washington, Alicia Betancourt, Holly Abeels, Dreamal Worthen, Martha Monroe

Journal of Extension

Programs within the Cooperative Extension Service often develop partnerships with other agencies and organizations to better meet their common goals. While there are many benefits of partnerships, they can be challenging when the partners are unequal or have dissimilar needs. Using a survey and interviews with faculty and administrators at two land-grant institutions we explore the similarities and differences that pull and push at their partnership. Recommendations to strengthen partnering opportunities at the institutional and program levels are provided.

Children’S University In Australia And New Zealand: Reach And Impact, Katherine Dix, Shani Sniedze, Tamara Van Der Zant

Higher education research

This report presents a comprehensive overview of the reach and impact of Children’s University in Australia and New Zealand. The Australian Council for Educational Research compiled available evidence to consolidate the evidence of the Children's University outreach program's extent and influence across the Australasian partnership. The independent evaluation synthesises information from existing research, reports, operational data, social media, and other documentation to provide a current snapshot of the Children's University's reach and impact, guided by the following research questions. How is the program underpinned by evidence-based best practice? What is the reach of the program in Australia? What does the …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into Female International Doctoral Students Challenges And Stressors, Sameer Ahmed, Maya Jaber

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Objective: A qualitative inquiry to explore the challenges and stressors female international doctoral students experience. Background: Student challenges and stress result in attrition and non-completion of doctoral programs. Using Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory framework, the study connected the theory subsystems to the challenges and stressors female international doctoral students experience. Method: The study analyzed the lived experiences of five female international doctoral students at an Illinois research institution, using a qualitative approach (phenomenology). The participants were interviewed using themed theoretical framework questions. Results: The results identified concerns related to all subsystems. Academic (microsystem and mesosystem) challenges included a lack …

Characteristics Influencing Enrollment Choices: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Factors That Influence Black Students' Decision To Enroll In College Of Agriculture Programs, Jennifer L. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study aims to identify the barriers that affect Minority enrollment in agriculture, particularly focusing on increasing the enrollment of Black students. There is a significant concern regarding the gap between Black individuals and agriculture enrollment in post-secondary agriculture programs at land-grant institutions. The purpose of this mixed method phenomenology was to (1) identify factors that influence the decision of Black students to enroll in the College of Agriculture and (2) uncover the societal and economic influences that continue to serve as barriers to Black students’ enrolling in agriculture. The quantitative portion of the investigation utilized a web-based instrument structured …

An Evaluation Of Capacity For Cooperative Extension To Implement Evidence-Based Programming In Two Rural Communities, Karen A. Vines, Laura A. Nelson, Sophie Wenzel

Journal of Extension

The implementation process of an evidence-based program related to substance prevention was evaluated in two rural communities. Data included interviews with Extension agents and surveys of community leaders partnering on the program. Challenges to program fidelity were primarily associated with limited human resources in the small, rural communities. Community context must be considered when developing similar programs to determine opportunities for adjustment that will not undermine the success of the program.

Perceived Benefits And Barriers To Livestock Mortality Composting, Rachel Wieme, Lynne Carpenter-Boggs

Journal of Extension

We conducted webinars in 2020 about livestock mortality composting (LMC). Forty-five attendees completed a survey to evaluate the webinar and help define future educational needs. Major barriers to LMC were lack of experience, public and neighbor perceptions, and environmental management. Most respondents indicated convenience, cost, biosafety, use of product, and environmental management as benefits. An unexpected emotional theme indicated that LMC also supports the “circle of life” and “respect for the animal.” We propose that this theme may be a uniting message to improve public and producer perception of LMC, increase use of LMC, and improve public-producer relationships overall.

Female Medical Students’ Lived Experiences Of Financial Stress And Coping, Untara Shaikh, Dr. Kimberlee Bonura

Georgia Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Conference

Financial stress is a pervasive concern among medical students, with documented associations with adverse physical health, psychological morbidity, and ineffective coping. This study focuses on understanding the financial stressors female medical students face and the coping strategies they employ. While financial stress and coping mechanisms have been explored in the literature, a notable gap exists in understanding these dynamics among female students.

The study employed a phenomenological research approach to obtain data from the respondents, where data collection involved face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The Adaptation Model of Nursing, complemented by Lazarus and Folkman's Coping Theory, was a comprehensive framework for analyzing …

What Can We Learn From Coaching To Apply To Teaching?, Binata Mukherjee, Emily Wilson, Amanada Arnold

CoTL 2024 Workshops

Physicians are tasked with the efficient delivery of high-quality care for patients while being able to learn from advances in medicine to address the ever-arising challenges in care delivery. Coaching in medicine may help learners for performance & development through self-awareness that enables self-directed lifelong learning. Self-directed learning requires metacognitive skills, in other words “thinking about thinking.” Traditional medical education rarely provides opportunities for introspection. Limited information is available regarding training medical faculty to coach. We explored the experience and perception of coaching after a training program. Data from three sources was analyzed in a mixed methods thematic analysis. Building …

The North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, Part I: Helps Producers Manage Risks, Christine Lockert, Sheila Aikanathan Johnson, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

Established in 2001, the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center (NCERMEC) has a long history of supporting risk management education programs serving producers in the region. Located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Economics Department, the Center is one of four regional Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Centers located throughout the country. ERME is funded through USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and was authorized by the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000. The fundamental purpose of the ERME program is to educate producers to manage risk and position their farm or ranch for future growth and …

Pre To Post Course Differences In Knowledge And Perception Of A Careers For Psychology Majors Course, Laura Powell

CoTL 2024 Research Talks

The Psychology Department at the University of South Alabama began teaching a course titled “Careers for Psychology Majors” in Fall 2019. This sophomore level course was created to help psychology majors explore careers options with a bachelor's degree in psychology as well as careers that require graduate study. Students completed a pre and post course survey from their Landrum and Davis (2020) textbook regarding their knowledge and perceptions of career options after graduating. Pre to post course changes in student surveys were analyzed with paired samples t-tests for each question. Increases from pre to post was observed with every question …

Impostor Phenomenon, Perfectionism, Psychological Distress, And Burnout In Pre-Health Undergraduate Students, Victoria Lee

Honors Theses

Preparing for a career in the healthcare field is incredibly strenuous and demanding, and previous research endeavors have demonstrated that students in professional healthcare programs show an increased susceptibility to impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, psychological distress, and burnout. Previous studies have indicated a possible link between impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, psychological distress, and burnout; however, these studies only considered two or three constructs at a time in graduate students (Rosenthal, et al., 2021; Seong, et al., 2020; Garratt-Reed, et al., 2018). The current study’s purpose was to investigate the whether or not impostor phenomenon, perfectionism, and psychological distress could be potential predictors …

Saltwater And Dirt: Using Magical Spaces For Queer Re-Worlding, Ramana Dienes-Browning

Postgraduate

This research project is a work of autotheory situated under the umbrella of Queer Theory. The work encompasses a theoretical component and a short performance art film and the two should be viewed as part of the whole. The creative practice has been used as a device to speak to the theory and bring it to life. The theory has informed, and homogenised with, the making of the art film. Through the course of this creative research project I found my way to a queer becoming through the comingling of magical phenomena, composting (Haraway, 2016, p.97) and hydrofeminism (Neimanis, 2012). …

Factors Affecting Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera L.) Health As Perceived By South Georgia Commercial Beekeepers, Kimberly Post

Journal of Extension

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are critical to the pollination of many crops. Bee-oriented organizations survey beekeepers annually to gather information about colony loss and contributing factors. Unfortunately, these surveys provide insufficient data from sideliner and commercial beekeepers in Georgia. Through a survey to better understand South Georgia beekeepers’ perceptions of honey bee health, this project engaged a previously underrepresented group of sideliner and commercial beekeepers.

Designing Social-Ecological Programs To Support Extension Participants In Civic Engagement, Angela S. Gupta, Nathan Meyer, Michelle Prysby, Shelly A. Johnson, Gail Epping Overholt

Journal of Extension

To address a need to support volunteer and citizen engagement with decision-makers in addressing social-ecological challenges, we designed and tested a “flipped classroom” training to teach civic engagement processes in the context of invasive species management. We pilot-tested the curriculum in seven states. Using results from in-course and delayed surveys, we demonstrate that participants increased their capabilities for engaging decision-makers and took civic engagement actions related to invasive species issues. Although participant recruitment and retention were lower than expected, the overall results suggest that the training approach is an effective design for satisfying participant needs and achieving learning outcomes.

Tools For Capturing Outcomes In Virtual Educational Programs, Leyla Marandi, Eleanor Haworth, Vikram Koundinya, Katherine Webb-Martinez, Kit Alviz

Journal of Extension

During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations increased virtual programming and adoption of online technologies. This article outlines the [University redacted] assessment of tools for gathering data on participant learning outcomes from virtual educational programs. After assessing colleagues’ experiences and searching for new web applications, a central repository was created. [University redacted] team will use this information to assist extension professionals in collecting program planning and evaluation data. We believe that these tools can help other extension programs nationally and globally with similar efforts, as more virtual programming is likely to increase in the future.

Breaking Barriers: Enhancing Accessibility For Latin American Students In U.S. Higher Education, Maria Caceres

Whittier Scholars Program

In the dynamic realm of higher education, the pursuit of inclusivity and accessibility stands as a central endeavor. This research project delves into the hurdles faced by Latin American students aspiring to pursue opportunities in the United States, aiming to unravel the complexities of admission requirements and immigration processes. Against the backdrop of the evolving educational landscape post-COVID-19, the study seeks to redefine the higher education sector's approach, fostering an environment that transcends barriers and embraces a more inclusive ethos.

The research holds significance in its mission to illuminate the academic achievements of international students, particularly those from Latin America, …

The Effectiveness Of The Student Support Service Trio Program Retention And Graduation Rates At Two-Year Community Colleges In Kentucky, Sheree N. Bryant

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An applied project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Education Specialist at Morehead State University by Sheree N. Bryant in 2024.

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