eXtensioneXtensionTransformation of Transformation of

Cooperative ExtensionCooperative Extension

Kentucky Regional Extension Meeting

Craig H. Wood

January 23, 2008

eXtensioneXtension, the nation’s first 24/7/365 collaboratively built non-formal education and information system available on any Internet-ready device

Community of PracticeCommunity of Practice

A virtual network of content providers who share knowledge or competence in a specific content area and are willing to work and learn together over a period of time to further develop and share that knowledge in forms of educational products and programs.

Communities of PracticeCommunities of Practice

• HorseQuest• Financial Security for All• Imported Fire Ants• Extension Disaster Education Network• Consumer Horticulture• Entrepreneurs and Their Communities• Just In Time Parenting• Wildlife Damage Management

Communities of PracticeCommunities of Practice

• Beef Cattle Clearing House• Family Caregiving; Caring for the Aged and/or

Disabled Adults• Youth Science, Engineering and Technology

for Life• Pork Information Group• eOrganic• DAIReXNET• Corn and Soybean Production

Communities of PracticeCommunities of Practice

• Urban Integrated Pest Management• Map@Syst: Geospatial Solutions for Rural and

Community Sustainability• Diversity Across Higher Education• Cotton• Integrated Pest Management• Livestock & Poultry Environmental

Management Learning Center

Communities of PracticeCommunities of Practice(under development)(under development)

• Water Quality (North Central)

• Obesity, Health & Wellness (Southern)

• Small Ruminants (1890)

• Living with Fire (Western)

• Renewable Energy (Northeast)

www.eXtension.orgwww.eXtension.org

eXtension Usability StudyeXtension Usability Study(November 2007)(November 2007)

• Strengths– Unbiased, in-depth information from

university experts on a broad range of topics

– Ability to ask university experts any question

– A Google search function that will return more relevant articles than a normal Google search on the web

eXtension Usability StudyeXtension Usability Study(November 2007)(November 2007)

• “You think more about a Web site that has information from universities.”

• “This is an informational and educational site where I can get objective, unbiased information…a place to go when I want to learn something.”

• “This is much better than Wikipedia, where you don’t know how accurate the information is.”

Projected CoP LaunchesProjected CoP Launches

• February– Geospatial Technologies

– Family Caregiving

– Livestock & Poultry Environmental

Learning Center– Beef Cattle Production

– Extension Disaster Education Network

National eXtension LaunchNational eXtension Launch

• February 21-22, 2008• Ag Outlook Conference

–Washington, DC

• Planned activities–Ribbon cutting ceremony–Training opportunities

• National eXtension Day–Participation by institutions

eXtension AnalyticseXtension Analytics

eXtension AnalyticseXtension Analytics

Communities of Practice

Land Grant

Universities

Communities of Practice

Land Grant

Universities

Services

Services

Communications &

Marketing

Content DevelopmentProfessional Development

Development Resources

Evaluation &

Assessment

eXtension eXtension ResourcesResources

• Public eXtension SitePublic eXtension Site– www.extension.org

• Contributor resourcesContributor resources– about.extension.org (learn about eXtension)– people.extension.org (eXtension ID)

• faq.extension.org (faq & ask an expert)• cop.extension.org (articles, learning modules)• events.extension.org (calendar of events)

– news.extension.org (aggregation of national news)– search.extension.org (search of all known CES resources)– lists.extension.org/mailman/listinfo (mail lists)– Moodle (learning management system)

• pdc.extension.org (professional development courses)• courses.extension.org (CES courses)• campus.extension.org (CoP courses)

– eXtension Web Conferencing (supported by Iowa State)• to use email eXtensionWCC@extension.org

– collaborate.extension.org (CES collaboration)

What’s in it for you?What’s in it for you?• eXtensionID

– 5,900+ registered contributors

• Access to:– FAQ & Ask an Expert

• Access to 30,000+ FAQs• Ask questions; get answers; give answers

– Articles & Learning Modules • 10,000+ content pages; 8,000 uploaded files

• National aggregated LGU news system

• Search all CES resources

Why is eXtension good for me?Why is eXtension good for me?

• Opportunity to network with peers– “We can share materials”

– “I don’t have to do all the work”

– “Help with peer review”

– “Opportunities for presentations, publications, awards, camaraderie with peers, networking, fun, and contributions to scholarly activity”

– “No more re-inventing the wheel”

• Part of “the future of Cooperative Extension”

How Can eXtension Make Your How Can eXtension Make Your Professional Life Easier?Professional Life Easier?

• From CoP Members:

– A source of information from experts using FAQ & “Ask a Peer” functions

– Keeps a record of your contributions for merit evaluation

– Access to peer reviewed information

– Provides a Web link to share work with others

– Can cut and paste content for local newspaper articles, newsletters, fact sheets, etc.

The Scholarship of eXtensionThe Scholarship of eXtension

– Many opportunities to turn eXtension service roles into scholarship deliverables

– CoP policies provide rigorous peer review of curricula and publications

– Can develop synchronous and asynchronous learning tools

• For more details: http://about.extension.org/wiki/The_Scholarship_of_eXtension

http://about.extension.org