eXtension Request for Information

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We invite you to respond to the Request for Information found below, due November 5th, 2018. 

The eXtension Foundation is exploring new ways to leverage the existing digital assets of its members and to shape new programs for national scale, local impact, and new revenue. We are reviewing our digital strategy and partnerships in support of our membership base and are seeking to expand our support of our members in reaching new audiences in solving community problems, training volunteers and convening of experts with new partnerships, support services and technologies beyond our current offerings.

Please click here for an attachment with more details.

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Journal of Extension: The Innovation Issue, September 2018 made possible by support from eXtension Foundation

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For Immediate Release
September 13th, 2018

Contact
Aaron Weibe
Communications & Engagement Manager, eXtension
aaronweibe@extension.org

This Journal of Extension (JOE) special edition explores innovative applications in technology, case studies of road-tested breakthroughs in effective volunteer management, new methods for needs assessment, new business models for sustainable programming, new or adapted program delivery methods, mobile learning and social media, innovative access to Cooperative Extension resources and evaluated models of engagement with new audiences.

This issue was made possible by support from the eXtension Foundation. A full link to the issue can be accessed here.

 

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eXtension Foundation and National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC) Pesticide Safety Education Funds Management Program (PSEFMP) Funding Opportunity

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The eXtension Foundation (EF) is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for Land Grant University Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEP) for 2019. This opportunity is made available through a cooperative agreement (#X8-83698001) with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and administer a national sub-award program in support of pesticide applicator education, and training for certified applicators of restricted used pesticides. The National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC) will continue to collaborate with EF to lead the professional development part of the project and to assist PSEPs in enhancing some of the educational products they develop as part of the expectations attached to the funding.

Requirements of sub-awardees for this program to receive funding are as follows:

    • Agree to share one educational material or product for the purposes of enhancing PSEP programs both regionally and nationally.

    • Submit progress reports every six (6) months using a standard online template.

    • Attend a minimum of one of the following 1-hour training webinars as part of this program for reporting system training and professional development. Anticipated dates are: January 31, 2019 at 3 pm EST; May 6, 2019 at 1 pm EST; September 30, 2019 at 3 pm EST and December 2, 2019 at 3:00 pm EST.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for this funding opportunity applicants must be affiliated with a U.S. Land Grant University. Only one application per state will be eligible for funding and preference will go to 1862 Land Grant Universities. Please contact psefmp-helpdesk@extension.org if you have any questions regarding eligibility.

Funding Period

The funding period for this subaward will be Jan. 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.

Funding Available

Each PSEP will be eligible to apply for a base amount of $18,750.00 USD plus 5% of the funds divided proportionally based on the percentage of the number of certified applicators in each state or territory. The number of certified applicators in a state or territory will be based on the most recent figures of certified applicators as supplied by the EPA. Additional amounts available to the state or territory will be listed in the budget section. Payments to successful sub-awardees will be made January 3 – 15, 2019.

Key Dates

Application System Opens: Monday, October 1, 2018 at 8 am EST

First round of reviews: October 22, 2018

Second round of reviews: November 19, 2018

Application Deadline: Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 8 pm EST

Final round of reviews: December 10, 2018

Sub-award Notification Announcement: December 21, 2018

Funds distributed by: January 15, 2019

Application Review Process:

EF will use a multi-step approach in the receiving and review of applications for this program. Each application will be reviewed by EF and an advisory panel including representatives from NPSEC, APPCO, AAPSE, PERC and the PSEP community for eligibility, compliance, completeness and potential collaboration. Additionally, through this process, applicants will have the opportunity to be involved in a NPSEC subject group to create educational materials.

Application Submission

In an effort to make the application process as streamlined and user friendly as possible, applicants will be able to download, sign, scan, and upload the sub-award agreement from the application site. Applications that have not been signed will not be considered for funding. The average time for completion of an application is 56 minutes.

Applications for this funding opportunity can be accessed at the following link on October 1, 2018 at 8:00 am EST: https://applyextension.smapply.io (Note: Link will not be active until October 1, 2018 at 8:00 am EST).

Online Application System Training:

PSEPs will receive an invitation for optional training via Zoom for October 1, 2018 at 11 am EST for the online application system. During training, EF will provide a step by step walk through of the application site, application and submission. For those who are unable to attend the training, it will be recorded and sent via email to view at your convenience. Additional trainings will also be held the same week.

Applicants with any questions please send an email to psefmp-helpdesk@extension.org.

About eXtension Foundation

The United States Cooperative Extension System, with funding from Cooperative Extension directors and administrators, and USDA-NIFA, shares resources and tools through eXtension that enables the Extension workforce to scale up its local and national impact. eXtension is an integral part of the national Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) and is organized as a 501(c)3 non-profit membership organization. Its Board of Directors represents the five regions of Cooperative Extension, ECOP, and USDA-NIFA.

About National Pesticide Safety Education Center

The NPSEC seeks to strengthen the national system of university extension Pesticide Safety Education Programs by improving the quality, consistency, and accessibility of educational offerings, promoting collaboration and leveraging of educational resources and learning assessment tools, and increasing revenue generation. The Center, originally incubated by eXtension Foundation received start-up funding from CropLife Foundation and crop protection companies BASF, Bayer, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, and Syngenta. NPSEC does not receive any EPA funding under the EPA-eXtension Foundation cooperative agreement.

Attachments

2019 PSEFMP Application Instructions
2019 PSEFMP FAQs

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News Roundup – August 2018

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There are lots of things going on at eXtension this month! Registration is happening for the Impact Collaborative Summit! We also have some general information pertaining to the January 2019 Impact Collaborative Facilitator Training. A new success story from the Pesticide Safety Education Funds Management Program, and news about the 1890 Extension Leadership Academy!

Did you miss the Impact Collaborative Summit Webinar? You can view the entire video here. There is lots of great information about what the Impact Collaborative and the Summit is all about, and how it can help you.

August 2018 Roundup

Impact Collaborative Summit. The Impact Collaborative is hosting its first national Impact Collaborative Summit in Indianapolis, IN, from October 16-18, 2018. The Summit is available to all member institutions and includes anInnovation Kit Workshop and Designathon Two. The registration fee is waived for Premium Member Institutions for the first 5 members sent as a team, and the first 3 members for Basic Member Institutions. More details including FAQs and Registration can be found here.

January 2019 Facilitator Training. The Impact Collaborative will be hosting another Facilitator Training in January, 2019. If you’re from a Premium Member Institution, and your institution did not send someone to be trained as a Facilitator during the July 2018 training, your institution can send one member to be trained in the Impact Collaborative process at no cost to their institution including registration, travel, meals, and lodging. Additional facilitators are welcome to join, but the cost of registration, travel, and lodging will be the responsibility of the institution.

Our Facilitators assist the Impact Collaborative in leading statewide Innovation Kit Workshops and Designathon One events, along with their contribution to the Impact Collaborative Summit as a Facilitator or Key Informant. Additionally, the Impact Collaborative process provides them a framework to lead informal workshops and skill-building sessions at their own institutions to help move projects and programs forward. For a complete list of our current Facilitators, please click here. 

Pesticide Safety Education Funds Management Program (PSEFMP) Success. eXtension received this grant from the EPA to establish and administer a national sub-award program in support of pesticide applicator education and training for certified applicators of restricted use pesticides. eXtension was invited in early 2017 to apply for this grant by pesticide safety education coordinators and the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC). The goal of NPSEC is to support Extension Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEP) across the nation. Forty-six PSEPs are benefitting from this grant with projects aimed at improving the quality of pesticide applicator training.

Katie Moore, an Extension Associate for Pesticide Safety Education saw a need to improve the quality of pesticide applicator training material and classes. Prior to her project, pesticide applicators in South Carolina were required to complete a 7-hour video-based course for training. Through the Pesticide Safety Education Funds Management Program (PSEFMP) grant, Katie created a new training program that would be delivered by Extension educators to improve the overall educational quality, and reduced the training time to 3-hours, saving thousands of man-hours for applicators in South Carolina, and increasing overall compliance. The current passing rate for this training is 85%.Listen to Katie’s story here. 

1890 Extension Leadership Academy. The 1890 Extension Leadership Academy is a customized experience by eXtension’s Impact Collaborative, designed alongside 1890 leaders. 1890 Administrators are requested to select three individuals to participate in the 1890 Extension Leadership Academy. This effort will encourage cross-collaboration among states on important issues as related to program areas as well as build essential leadership skills for this cohort.

The Leadership Academy is designed to:

  • Foster the incubation, development, and implementation of innovative ideas in the 1890 communities, toward creating measurable impacts in all program areas. 
  • Enhance innovation and impactful change using co-innovative approaches that build from a community engagement base.
  • Build a cohort and network of early/mid-career Extension professionals who are emergent leaders in your institution.

The delivery methods include face-to-face and virtual sessions, including anImpact Collaborative Designathon One Event. The duration of this training is 6 months and includes travel days from November 13th – 15th. Extension educators with 2-10 years of experience should be selected for this opportunity. The 1890 Extension Leadership Academy provides lodging, food, educational materials, and two days of training. The goals are to:

  • Demonstrate how design-thinking and lean-experimentation can help generate innovative ideas
  • Engage with stakeholders (local, state, national) and create a communications plan to inform impact
  • Provide professional development opportunities for Cooperative Extension professionals.
  • Reach new audiences through inclusion.
1890 Extension Leadership Academy: Welcome Back
Administrators have been contacted with a registration link to submit the names of their designated individuals to attend the 1890 Extension Leadership Academy. 
This work is supported by grant no. 
2018-38821-27770 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Upcoming Webinars

Check out all upcoming professional development events listed on learn.extension.org

  • 2018 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series: Winterizing Your Home to Keep Out Pests.  September 7th, 2018 at 2 PM EDT. Learn More or Register
  • Cooking Under Pressure. September 13, 2018 at 1 PM EDT. Learn More or Register
  • Paying for College: The Forever GI Bill and Repayment Plans. September 25, 2018 at 11 AM EDT. Learn More or Register
This work is supported by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. 2015-41595-24254 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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eXtension Fellowship Opportunity – Customer Relationship Management Sandbox

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This opportunity is open to all Land-Grant Universities regardless of membership with eXtension as part of our cooperative agreement with USDA-NIFA.

eXtension is funding an opportunity for a Fellow position to lead a process with a national committee and eXtension to explore and document needs and potential solutions for Customer Relationship Management functions in Cooperative Extension across the country. The Fellow will conduct and create needs assessments, user journeys, personas, and use cases as well as review and provide a landscape summary of potential solutions. Proactively managing multiple customer relationships, with multiple products, services, events and programs is a challenge for Cooperative Extension.  eXtension is requesting names of those interested in serving on the CRM Sandbox Committee working with the Fellow. eXtension is seeking a Fellow to work with eXtension and a national committee to explore what is needed by participating institutions, to review potential solutions and to create a “sandbox” with eXtension to test up to two solutions with participating institutions. A final report summarizing the process and the findings is due by July 31, 2019.

The NTAE-CRM Fellowship will begin by October 1, 2018 and will conclude July 31, 2019.  eXtension is a virtual organization and work will be conducted virtually.

The specific requirements of the fellowship include:

  1. Expertise with workflow and technologies supporting customer relationship functions.
  2. Knowledge and experience designing and implementing relational databases.
  3. Understanding Cooperative Extension and the unique audiences and relationships among those audiences, programs, evaluation, funding, and communication.
  4. Ability to work with all levels of expertise and positions.
  5. Experience conducting user needs assessment and analyzing workflows.
  6. Experience creating user journeys, personas and use cases.
  7. Experience writing recommendations for solutions.

The Fellow will report the results via eXtension’s web site. The Fellow is encouraged to develop a peer-reviewed paper for publication in an appropriate journal. The Fellow will use eXtension’s Zoom, Slack, and G-Suite to conduct the work of their fellowship.

Funding for the Fellowship comes through a cooperative agreement with USDA-NIFA to eXtension and includes: paid travel to one eXtension Impact Collaborative Summit planned for April 2019; and buyout of time from their current positions of up to $25,000. Additional funding may be available for testing up to two solutions.

Application Process

To apply please submit the following information in a PDF document to Beverly Coberly (beverlycoberly@extension.org):

  • A maximum 1-page letter highlighting your areas of expertise in CRM, technology and knowledge of Cooperative Extension.  
  • A copy of vitae/resume focusing on your expertise in technology and databases, educational or experience background working with CRMs.  Limit of 2 pages.
  • Letter of support from your institution Director/Administrator for Cooperative Extension

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee.

Questions regarding the application process should be directed to:

About the eXtension Foundation

The eXtension Foundation is a membership-based non-profit designed to be the engine fueling U.S. Cooperative Extension advancement in making a more visible and measurable impact in support of education outreach from land-grant universities/colleges located in every state and territory. eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.

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When Is A Course Not A Course?

Mention the word “course” in an educational environment, and what is it that normally comes to peoples’ minds?  In all likelihood, it involves reading documents, watching videos, submitting homework assignments, completing projects, taking tests, responding to surveys, and maybe somewhere down the line, gaining a certificate or diploma—something to formally acknowledge satisfactory completion of those weeks of work.  The Extension Foundation’s online course system, campus.extension.org–a Moodle learning management system–does a remarkable job of delivering such packages of resources and activities.  And in Moodle or any other learning management system, this is called a “course.”

But what if all you need for your Extension program is the delivery of just one or two of these resources and activities?  Is that a “course?”  Well, if you use Moodle to deliver them, yes it is.  Take any combination of any number of learning resources and activities and package them for organized delivery, and it is still called a course—in Moodle.

I bring this up because Extension educators are finding many creative ways to deliver courses through Campus, where those courses are very limited in scope.  For example, one course on Campus is comprised of a collection of videos about judging horses.  There are no tests, no course requirements; just this collection of videos for people to view as few or as many as they want.  Why use Moodle to present them?  Because Moodle provides a way to track participation, control access to the course, charge a fee, and even gather feedback through customer satisfaction evaluations or surveys.

What about a webinar or recording of a webinar?  Might you want to collect demographic information from the participants?  How about offering a certificate or a badge for having successfully passed a test on the content of the webinar?  Might you want to open a chat room or online forum to discuss the webinar after it is over?  Could there possibly be other resources or activities you’d like to make available to participants?  And, did I mention that maybe you want to charge a fee for participation—or not?

The point is that Campus is a tool available for any Extension Educator who works for an Extension Foundation member institution (extension.org/current). You do not need a whole “typical” course to offer a course on Campus—just some learning resources or activities that you would like to make available to your audiences. Campus allows you make your courses as complex or as simple as needed.

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This website is supported in part by New Technologies for Ag Extension (funding opportunity no. USDA-NIFA-OP-010186), grant no. 2023-41595-41325 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Extension Foundation.

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