eXtension Nareee Presentation 2009
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This document summarizes the eXtension initiative, which aims to extend the reach of Cooperative Extension through a national online network. It discusses the 46 Communities of Practice on topics like invasive species and sustainable living. It provides statistics on participation, with over 11,000 users and 2,500 involved in Communities of Practice. It also highlights the HorseQuest Community of Practice as an example, describing the resources it provides and the benefits to clients and specialists.
eXtension Nareee Presentation 2009
- 1. New for Cooperative Extension: eXtension National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board Carey A. Williams, Ph.D. Rutgers, the State University of NJ October 29, 2009
- 2. eXtension extends the reach of Cooperative Extension through the development of a national network providing access to objective, science-based information from land-grant universities and partners nationwide… www.extension.org
- 3. Communities of Practice Virtual network Multi-institutional Multi-disciplinary Open (new members) Fluid and flexible Evolve over time Responsive to Communities of Interest
- 4. 46 Communities of Practice 5 new teams are organizing Invasive Species (Northeast) Teen Leadership (1890’s) Animal Welfare (North Central) Community Health (Southern) Sustainable Living (Western)
- 5. System Wide Involvement 11,400+ eXtension IDs 2,500 involved in Communities of Practice 41,500+ Frequently Asked Questions 1,500+/- Ask an Expert Questions Monthly 77 Institutions represented
- 8. HorseQuest First COP to go ‘public’ in Nov. 2006 Now we have 65 experts from 38 institutions Site includes: Basic Information, FAQs, Learning Modules, Web Chats & Webinars with Experts, Hot Topics, News and Calendar Events Today: 1,572 articles & 1,039 FAQs
- 10. Ask and Expert Findings and Directions
- 11. Science-based/Trusted What the clientele said: “I am glad to have my other research confirmed however by a trustworthy source.” “I got a reply that, although not what I wanted to hear, I trusted” “I had a very prompt reply, with very accurate information plus direction to a paper.” “A Google search provided an answer but I needed someone with authority and experience to corroborate...”
- 12. Importance What the clientele said: “I was worried about food safety for my family if I planted my vegetable garden as planned.” “Squirrels have been eating my house. We tried several suggestions, and the situation is improving.” “He gave practical information about how to decide what is best for my family, as opposed to necessarily doing what's best for the tree. Very helpful.”
- 13. Speed of Response What the clientele said: “I didn’t expect an answer so quickly. In the matter of an hour or so...the response was very helpful. I am thrilled with this service” “The answer was well-written and included even more information that I had expected.” “My suggestion would be that if you are going to provide this question and answer service, you need to respond in a timely fashion (within 2 days)”
- 14. HorseQuest My involvement: Forage learning modules in Moodle On-line Chats & Webinars Ask the Expert questions Contributing to other content areas ‘ Best of the Best’ documents Attend annual meetings and help with overall organization and content decisions
- 15. HorseQuest What can it do for me? Promotion and tenure (scholarship) Learned new technology (e.g., Wiki, Moodle) Get more nationally involved Share materials (help with Peer Review) Be a part of the “Future of Extension” Leaving a legacy (e.g., content, programs) Network with other equine specialists
- 16. HorseQuest How is it benefiting my clientele? Many learning modules are based on routine questions Now answers are right at their fingertips Provides source of information from experts nationwide Better peer reviewed materials, “Best of the Best” Sharing work with others benefits other states Good way to meet other like me to help broaden my knowledge
- 18. eXtension National Conference “ I have to say that I have been to a lot of conferences in my lifetime, but this one was the most intriguing, stimulating, and valuable I have ever attended. I told a few people that early on I was describing eXtension as something like ‘bringing Cooperative Extension up to speed’, but this is far beyond that…extremely well thought-out, disciplined while being flexible, creative, purposeful. I believe the work being done here is the most significant work since the creation of the Land Grant System itself, and absolutely critical to it’s future. Not only does it open doors we never dreamed of for education on cooperatives, but it can enable us do a lot of other things much better I want to see how we as a farmer-owned company can utilize this resource.” William J. Nelson, President CHS Foundation
- 19. Awards Secretary’s Honor Award October 2008 Honored team National recognition of initiative Recognized CSREES/USDA’s support Opened door to wider recognition with funders, etc.
- 20. Thank You! Carey Williams, Ph.D. Equine Extension Specialist Rutgers University http://www.extension.org/horses
Editor's Notes
- #3: eXtension is a 24/7/365 network available at www.extension.org.
- #4: At the heart of eXtension is its communities of practice, groups of Extension professionals, researchers, industry professionals and others interested in the topic who offer expertise in content development. These groups work virtually, represent a variety of institutions and disciplines, welcome new members and are able to adapt to changing needs. But the bottom line is that they can respond to the needs of their public...the community of interest.
- #5: To date, there are 46 Communities of Practice. Twenty-five have launched publicly available resources at www.extension.org; twenty-one CoPs are at some level of development. The eXtension directors/administrators have identified five new CoPs to be organized and developed, with each region taking leadership to help development one. Each new team will prepare a CoP application; we expect to officially approve them in March 2010.
- #6: To date, more than 11,400 faculty, staff, and administrators hold eXtension IDs...the key to participation in eXtension. More than 2,500 Cooperative Extension workers belong to and contribute to communities of practice. They have contributed approximately 41,500 Frequently Asked Questions and answer more than 1,500 Ask an Expert questions every month. And these numbers are growing. But, perhaps most important is the broad participation of our land grant universities in eXtension...more than 77 institutions are involved.
- #7: Richard (Rick) Rasby is a UNL Beef Cattle Production specialist and is a leader of the Beef Cattle Production Community of Practice. Rickwill discuss their CoP’s experience in engaging their audience, what it means to work in a Community of Practice and how working in eXtension impacts the future of Cooperative Extension.
- #8: The Horses resource page at www.extension.org.
- #9: Slide is self-explanatory.
- #10: eXtension communities of practice are able to incorporate multimedia formats into their content. Here is an example of how the HorseQuest CoP is using a video clip to describe the anatomy of a horse’s hoof.
- #11: eXtension.org allows users to search for answers to their questions and the answers presented do not answer their question, then the user can submit their question to an expert using the Ask an Expert system. Data from a recent study involving public users of the Ask an Expert system revealed that 56% of the people using the Ask an Expert system had never heard of or had never used Cooperative Extension. This means that we are reaching and engaging a new audience for Extension and for the USDA.
- #12: Feedback from clientele related to Ask an Expert services. This is some feedback concerning science-based and trusted content developed by Cooperative Extension faculty and staff.
- #13: Feedback from clientele related to Ask an Expert services. This is some feedback concerning the importance they place on the responses they received from Cooperative Extension faculty and staff.
- #14: Feedback from clientele related to Ask an Expert services. This is some feedback concerning the importance of a timely response. Generally, people want answers in a timely manner, after waiting 2-3 days, their satisfaction goes down dramatically.
- #15: Self-explanatory.
- #16: Self explanatory.
- #17: Self explanatory.
- #18: As Cooperative Extension history will attest, the key to interaction with clientele is going into their communities. With more and more people developing and interacting in communities online such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr, eXtension is there as well...delivering information and content where people are building communities.