ASHS 2015 Annual Conference

Objective(s):
The objectives of this workshop are to learn about the new opportunities eXtension will be offering to land grant faculty, and to build a toolbox of evaluation strategies for online extension programs.

eXtension has recently re-evaluated its role and is positioning itself to better respond to the changing needs and priorities of land-grant faculty and staff and the clientele they serve. The NEW eXtension is advancing exceptional, technology-enhanced learning environments while building on the Cooperative Extension System’s content, educator, and leadership resources.  Today, eXtension is an innovative place for Extension educators and strategic partners to marry content with technology that appeals to and attracts new audiences to Cooperative Extension.  Online extension programming is an important strategy for many extension specialists, and is utilized to improve clientele access to important information and to provide visual and audio enhancements to the learning environment. Evaluation is important and necessary in extension programming, but program evaluation for online programs presents several challenges: spatial and temporal distance from the target audience; difficulty in confirming the program’s impact on participants; and the lack of established methodologies for measuring the value of the program to the public.  The objectives of this workshop are to learn about the new opportunities eXtension will be offering to land grant faculty, and to build a toolbox of evaluation strategies for your online extension program. This workshop will be particularly important for members and leaders of eXtension Communities of Practice and Learning Networks and for all faculty with Extension programs online.