Technology – Extension Foundation

Tag Archive for: Technology

New Technologies for Ag Extension 2023-2024 Yearbook Now Available in the Extension Foundation Library

The New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) 2023-2024 Yearbook is now available as the latest addition to the Extension Foundation’s publications library. This vibrant publication captures the progress of dozens of projects funded through the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) program—a cooperative initiative between the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA), the University of New Hampshire, and the Extension Foundation.

NTAE’s mission is to incubate, accelerate, and expand promising work that enhances the impact of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) in communities nationwide. It also provides scalable models that can be adopted or adapted by Extension teams across the U.S.

Spanning 72 pages and presented in an engaging, magazine-style format, the Yearbook offers a comprehensive look at how NTAE-funded projects are transforming human, environmental, and community well-being. The publication also highlights an NTAE-supported technology initiative focusing on artificial intelligence. Through illustrated feature articles, Q&A interviews, and embedded videos, readers will explore innovative efforts across key themes, including technology, climate resilience, youth development, health, and equity.

Additionally, the Yearbook highlights the critical work of ECOP’s Program Action Teams, showcasing how these teams contribute to advancing the Cooperative Extension System’s priorities.

The Extension Foundation’s library houses an extensive collection of resources, with topics ranging from technology to strengthening the resilience of farms and rural communities. Explore the entire library here and sign up to receive notifications about future publications.

October 18, 2024/by Aaron Weibe

New Research Publication Explores Technology Acceptance and CRM Technologies in Extension

News, Publications, Technology

The Extension Foundation released a new research publication titled “A Qualitative Investigation of the Technology Acceptance Model in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service on the Adoption of Customer Relationship Management Systems.”

Authored by Dr. Aaron Weibe, Extension Foundation’s communication and engagement manager for his recently awarded PhD, the study delves into the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and its role in Extension adopting Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

Why CRMs Matter for Extension

Dr. Weibe emphasizes the potential of CRMs for Extension services. CRMs offer a centralized platform for managing interactions with the public, leading to more effective communication, outreach, and engagement. Additionally, modern CRMs integrate seamlessly with other software, providing an overall view of operations.

Despite these advantages, Dr. Weibe acknowledges the high failure rate of CRM implementation. His research explores the challenges hindering adoption and investigates how TAM principles can be leveraged to increase CRM success rates within Extension. By exploring TAM in the context of CRM adoption, the publication provides specific and actionable insights to improve technology acceptance in Extension organizations.

Looking for More?

This research is one of two dozen publications released by the Extension Foundation in the last several months. The entire library, including the 2022-2023 NTAE Yearbook, is here.

March 27, 2024/by Aaron Weibe

Extension Foundation Releases Five New Titles

News, Publications

The Extension Foundation has added five new titles to its publications library. The brief publications – written as magazine-style feature stories – share project work funded through the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) program, a cooperative agreement between USDA NIFA, Oklahoma State University, and the Extension Foundation. NATE’s goal is to incubate, accelerate, and expand promising work that will increase the impact of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) in the communities it serves, and provide models that can be adopted or adapted by Extension teams across the nation.

Each of the publications is excerpted from the New Technologies for Ag Extension 2022-2023 Yearbook, an 83-page magazine, which shares how these grant projects improve human, environmental, and community health.

“Pollen Power” shares the story of “Pollinator Superheroes,” an animated series created by the National Pesticide Safety Education Center and its partners (including Pawnee Nation College, Nebraska Indian Community College, and Prairie View A&M). The series is intended for Native American elementary students in Nebraska and Oklahoma—not only to inspire youth to identify and protect bees, bats, and butterflies but to reinforce to them that their actions, cultures, and native languages matter. This publication describes the series and how multiple partners collaborated to create it.

“They Can Do Hard Things” details a program developed by a team from Utah State University, designed to help youth build confidence in their ability to survive adverse childhood experiences and thrive in any circumstance, through activities that push them out of their comfort zone in a safe and supportive environment. This publication describes what the team learned as they created the program and why this kind of youth development is so important.

“Teaching Money Matters” explores the work of the Financial Literacy Team at West Virginia University Extension. Their curriculum teaches children and adults basic financial concepts and risks, so that they are empowered to make the most informed decisions about how to save, invest, and manage debt. This publication documents how the team worked with its NTAE advisors to increase the flexibility of the curriculum and equip Extension educators to teach the material in a way that meets the unique needs of individual communities.

“Breaking the Cycle”. Educators at University of Nevada, Reno Extension created a program called “Heart & Hope” to provide a safe place for domestic violence survivors to learn skills for creating healthy home environments. In this publication, team members talk about the critical need for this service and how they work with this sensitive population.

“Leveling Up” shares the story of the innovative work being done by a team at New Mexico State University’s Learning Games Lab. “Theme Park Cafe” is a food safety game for youth created by the team. It enables players to engage in different themed kitchens to serve delicious and safe meals to clients. It’s a redesign of “Ninja Kitchen,” launched in 2011, with an aim to teach youth food handling skills. In this publication, the game designers talk about increasing the game’s cultural sensitivity, working with youth to create the reboot, and other elements of using gamification to teach educational content.

The Extension Foundation carries dozens of titles in its library. Four to five additional publications are slated to hit the shelf each week through the end of November. Sign up to receive publication notifications here. You can find the entire library of publications here.

November 6, 2023/by Aaron Weibe

New Extension Foundation Report Available: Technologies Impacting the Cooperative Extension System

Announcements, Extension, Innovation, News, Newsroom, Technology

The Extension Foundation, in partnership with a research team from Ohio State University, has released a new report on emerging technologies. The “Extension Foundation Report on Emerging Technologies Impacting the Cooperative Extension System” was supported by funding from the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) project.

The report was developed by the research team in part through interviews with a panel of thirteen experts representing all five Extension regions, as well as non-Extension personnel. Panel participants were selected based on their background and experiences in adult learning and development, applied technology use, and innovation.

The research team was led by Dr. Jerold Thomas, an associate professor with Ohio State University Extension/Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL). Dr. Thomas is also affiliated with OSU’s Leadership Center, where he serves as a leader for innovation and change. Other members of the team include Dr. Julie Aldridge, Assistant Research Professor, Ohio State University, College of Engineering; and Emma Newell, Communication Specialist and Researcher, Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership, Ohio State University.

The research goals were to identify emerging technologies, and to propose impacts on Extension programming, professional development, and policy through 2025. The research process was impacted by the pandemic and first-hand experiences of the research team and panel, who, like other professionals across the nation, were thrust into work-at-home environments. Research for the report included primary and secondary sources, and focused on the following questions:

What emerging technologies will be most important to Cooperative Extension programs over the next three to five years?
What key trends do you expect to accelerate the adoption of emerging technology across Cooperative Extension programs?
What significant challenges may impede the adoption of emerging technologies across Cooperative Extension programs?

The panel and research team identified seven emerging technologies of critical importance:

5G mobile wireless technologies
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Adaptive learning
Assistive learning technologies
Block-chain
Internet of things (IoT)
Adaptive/Virtual technologies

The report provides a helpful summary of each technology and includes a discussion of the potential impacts and possibilities represented by each for Extension work. The digital divide and larger equity issues (including algorithm bias) emerged as a major challenge and critical issue to consider with all emerging technologies. Other recommendations from the report center on professional development, and policy.

Dr. Thomas noted that “This report is a good starting point for Extension professionals to learn about the impacts of emerging technologies on the Cooperative Extension System. This includes understanding changes in our systems of professional development, how we work, policies, and others. Online discussions about the report are being planned to share the findings, seek input, and develop conversations about the report’s implications for Extension.”

Dr. Thomas will hold a webinar discussing the report and its findings on Tuesday, October 20th, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Look for more details in early fall.

Extension Foundation has a long tradition of investigating new and existing trends around innovation and technology. The 2016 Horizon Report (Freeman, et al., 2016) focused on emerging technologies in the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) through 2021. That report is available here. In 2020, Extension Foundation published an eFieldbook on using digital technology in Extension education. The Extension Foundation’s Connect Extension platform provides an opportunity for Extension professionals interested in technology to participate in the technology in Extension education virtual subgroup. Join Connect Extension here.

Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash

July 9, 2021/by Aaron Weibe