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Ideas at WorkFacilitating the Adoption of an Online Conferencing System--A Recipe for SuccessTheresa Pesl Murphrey Susanna Coppernoll Texas A&M University System IntroductionThe mission of Texas Cooperative Extension is to provide quality, relevant outreach and continuing education programs and services to the people of the state. Succeeding at this mission requires timely access to in-service opportunities for employees, which can be challenging given geographic distance, time, and resource limitations. The adoption of Centra 7™ (an Online Conferencing System) by Texas Cooperative Extension is one means of meeting these challenges. This article describes the process by which online conferencing was introduced and shares lessons learned to encourage adoption. Encouraging Diffusion and Adoption of Online ConferencingNew technologies continue to provide opportunities for Extension. Ezell (1989) articulated more than 15 years ago how technology would enable virtual conferencing and stated that "the real issue is how Extension professionals will interact with technology" (p. 7). Advantages of virtual meetings such as flexibility and cost savings have been well documented (Futris, Adler-Baeder, & Dean, 2004; Nudell, Roth, & Saxowsky, 2005; Parcell & Giddens, 2002; Rogan & Simmons, 1984). However, assessments of on-campus and off-campus training courses (e.g., Ajayi, 2001), the use of video conferencing (e.g., Murphy, 1999), and the use of online conferencing (e.g., Parcell, & Giddens, 2002) reveal that while these modes of delivery can be successful, it is important to employ strategies that can improve quality. Online conferencing, which allows voice-over-Internet, application sharing, and the ability to interact between and among participants, has the potential to expand employee learning opportunities as well as program outreach to clientele. However, "getting a new idea adopted, even when it has obvious advantages, is difficult" (Rogers, 2003, p.1). In an effort to encourage the adoption of online conferencing in Texas and encourage use that results in quality programs, several activities were put into place that contributed to acceptance and adoption. The use of online conferencing in Texas Cooperative Extension began during spring 2003 with the selection of a Web collaboration tool and was introduced to all agency employees in the fall of 2003 at the annual regional meeting, when two team members presented from their offices via online conferencing to the group. Approximately all 1,200 employees participated in this regional meeting. Following the regional meeting, 11 online training seminars were delivered via Centra™ to demonstrate online conferencing and to discuss how it could be used to deliver professional development and to support programming initiatives. Over 200 individuals participated from various locations across the state. During the spring of 2004, three employees championed the adoption of online conferencing by offering one-on-one coaching sessions on how to schedule and conduct meetings/seminars using Centra 7™. These sessions consisted of providing guidance via phone and the review of session materials from an instructional design perspective. Champions also offered practice sessions and volunteered to co-facilitate with first-time facilitators. During the summer of 2004, adoption of online conferencing became evident. Quarterly meetings and professional development seminars for office managers began to take place using online conferencing. Efforts to encourage adoption by office managers was purposeful, recognizing that if office managers embraced the use of the technology they could be influential in encouraging and supporting administrators, specialists, and agents in the adoption. Champions continued to model online conferencing in 2004 by offering a variety of high need seminars. The online professional development seminars were so well received that they evolved into what is now known as "Friday Online." Each Friday morning a 2-hour professional development seminar is offered by one of the internal support groups. Ingredients for SuccessImplementation of specific steps throughout the diffusion of online conferencing has been shown to reduce intimidation that can exist with the adoption of new technologies and therefore facilitated adoption and diffusion. Ingredients for success are the following.
Evidence of AdoptionAnalysis of the current use of online Web conferencing in Texas Cooperative Extension provides further evidence of adoption. In addition to the Friday Online Seminars, online conferencing is being used in key program areas (Agriculture & Natural Resources; Family & Consumer Sciences; and 4-H & Youth Development) for meetings, collaboration, and professional development seminars. As of January 2005, the agency had conducted over 435 Centra 7™ events. Individuals from every district across Texas have participated in either a Centra 7™ meeting or seminar. Events have included topics such as horticulture, foreign animal diseases, nutrition essentials, aging, and others. Based on studies documenting the diffusion-adoption of the personal computer and Internet within agricultural groups (e.g., Hall, Dunkelberger, Ferreira, Prevatt, & Martin, 2003), the current goal is to expand the use of online conferencing to meet the needs of external clients that include parents, producers, and home owners. ConclusionsThe evolution of technology is bringing about new ways to collaborate and communicate. Online conferencing systems that allow voice-over-IP are providing new ways to meet professional development needs. Seminars, impromptu meetings, and recording of seminars and meetings for later viewing are just a few aspects that make use of the technology valuable. However, implementing and gaining acceptance of this technology requires purposeful and planned efforts. ReferencesAjayi, M.T. (2001). A comparison of the effectiveness of on-campus and off-campus training courses for agricultural staff at the international institute of tropical agriculture (IITA). Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 11(3), 41-47. Ezell, M.P. (1989). Communication-age trends affecting extension. Journal of Extension [On-line], 27(3). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1989fall/a8.html Futris, T.G., Adler-Baeder, F., & Dean, K.J. (2004). Using technology to link researchers and educators: Evaluation of electronic conferencing. Journal of Extension [On-line], 42(1). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2004february/rb1.shtml Hall, L., Dunkelberger, J., Ferreira, W. Prevatt, J.W., & Martin, N.R. (2003). Diffusion-adoption of personal computers and the Internet in farm business decisions: Southeastern beef and peanut farmers. Journal of Extension [On-line], 41(3). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2003june/a6.shtml Murphy, T. (1999). A quantitative analysis of instructor-student verbal interaction in a two-way audio two-way video distance education setting. Journal of Agricultural Education, 40 (3), 50-60. Nudell, D., Roth, B., & Saxowsky, D. (2005). Non-traditional extension education using videoconferencing. Journal of Extension [On-line], 43(1) Article 1TOT3. Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2005february/tt3.shtml Parcell, J., & Giddens, N. (2002). Assessment of NetMeeting¬ for professional development programming. Journal of Extension [On-line], 40(5). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2002october/rb2.shtml Rogers, E.M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations. New York: Free Press. Rogan, R.G., & Simmons, G.A. (1984). Teleconferencing. Journal of Extension [On-line], 22(5). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1984september/a4.html
A Community Approach to Target InactivityKathleen Shimomura Morgan IntroductionDuring the past few decades, the prevalence of obesity has grown to epidemic proportions, and this condition is now known to be a major contributor to the global burden of disease. That physical inactivity is a key public health issue (U.S. Department. of Health and Human Services, 1996) is brought into even sharper focus by recent attention to the obesity epidemic (World Health Org. 1997; Cameron, Welborn, & Zimmet, 2003). The high and still increasing prevalence of obesity in U.S. children, adolescents, and adults poses a major economic and health threat to our society. What is causing this obesity epidemic? At one level the cause is obvious, Americans are changing their eating and exercise habits. Although there is some controversy about the details, data clearly suggest that Americans are eating substantially more now than they were 15 to 20 years ago (Harnack, Jeffery, & Boutele, 2000). They are exercising less. The map in Figure 1 displays the prevalence of people in each state meeting physical activity recommendations. (Recommended physical activity is defined as at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity or at least 3 days a week for 20 minutes a day of vigorous intensity activity.) Figure 1.
Healthy Community InitiativeA Partnership for Health (PFH) is Hunterdon County's Healthy Communities initiative. This project demonstrates how Extension can be a lead collaborative partner of a coalition or partnership to implement effective behavior change to improve the physical health of community members. The partnership represents Hunterdon Medical Center, The Hunterdon County Department of Health, and over 20 concerned community service providers, with a common goal to make the Hunterdon County Community as healthy as it can be. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Department of Health and Human Services has a Healthy People 2010 Initiative called "Healthy People in Healthy Communities." Healthy People 2010 identified a set of health priorities that reflect 10 major public health concerns in the United States. Physical activity and overweight and obesity are the top two leading health indicators intended to increase the importance of health promotion and disease prevention (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Two of Healthy People 2010's goals are to: 1) "Reduce the proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time activity" and 2) "Increase the proportion of adults who engage regularly, preferably daily, in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day," (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). MethodologyIn 2001 and 1995, a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) was conducted in Hunterdon County. The survey was based on one developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with additional questions added that are relevant to Hunterdon County. One thousand adult Hunterdon residents took part in this health-focused, telephone survey, assuring a representative sample of the total population. The goal of the survey was to capture a "snapshot" of the health status of the Hunterdon residents, so that community health education, promotion and treatment programs may be targeted to appropriate groups. The BRFSS for Hunterdon County in 2001 showed some comparative differences to the BRFSS done in 1995. Table 1 and Figures 2 and 3 show some of the comparative survey results.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Program PlanningThe Partnership for Health addresses health issues in the community through Action Teams, such as the Cardiac Action Team, Cancer Action Team, Substance Abuse Action Team, Lyme Action Team, etc. Armed with the data from the recent 2001 BRFSS, the Partnership asked the Cardiac and Nutrition Action Team to come together to develop a community action plan to increase physical activity. The PFH Cardiac and Nutrition Action Team Chairs identified a strategy for developing a community health plan to increase physical activity and improve cardiac health and weight. Healthy People 2010 recommends to "MAP-IT": Mobilize, Assess, Plan, Implement, and Track. After a review of the literature on physical activity, it was decided to plan a walking program using pedometers as a motivating and tracking device. Pedometers are inexpensive motion sensors that track each step the wearer takes. A value of 10,000 steps/day is gaining in popularity with the media and in practice and can be traced to Japanese walking clubs and a business slogan 30+ years ago. Ten thousand steps/day appears to be a reasonable estimate of daily activity for apparently healthy adults and studies are emerging documenting the health benefits of attaining similar levels (Locke & Bassett, 2004). The Cardiac and Nutrition Action Team chairs took the lead to mobilize a coalition of diverse community individuals and agencies to plan the community-walking program. Several community physicians were invited to participate, as were cardiac nurses, community nutritionists, exercise physiologists, school nurses, and representatives from the Office on Aging, American Heart Association, the Department of Education, and the Parks Department. Members met over several months as they planned what a community walking program would look like, identifying a slogan and logo, exploring what would motivate community residents to register for a walking program and what would keep them engaged to continue walking, and how participants would be tracked. Once the community had been assessed for the need of a walking program, a list of strengths and resources was developed. Determination was made as to who in the coalition may be a link to some of those resources. Those resources would not necessarily have a monetary value. Developing a logo and slogan took creative effort from several people on the coalition. The program was called "Step Out Hunterdon." In-house technical staff were used to begin to develop marketing materials for the project. Various members were assigned responsibilities to assist in realizing the vision of the program. The walking program used the design of a successful walking program already in existence from Health Partners Insurance Company in Minnesota with their approval. Program ImplementationWith funding received from Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension and the Hunterdon Medical Center Foundation, a coordinator from the Medical Center was assigned to the day-to-day operation of Step Out Hunterdon. Participants were recruited from the community, the hospital, county employees, and local groups and through ads in the newspaper and word of mouth. The program was launched at a local park in the spring. The date was advertised in the weekly newspaper, at libraries, newsletters, local municipalities, etc. Local dignitaries were invited, e.g., the CEO of the hospital, Director of the Department of Health, local politicians, Celebrity Striders (some physicians and directors of local agencies who were asked to be Celebrity Striders) and the local newspaper. The walking program included registration of walkers. Participants received a Yamax 200 Digiwalker for a nominal fee of $5, a T-shirt listing local sponsors, incentives, educational information on walking, an 8-week tracker, and a fruit and fruit juice snack donated by the local grocery chain. Eventually, participants were added to an email list serve so they could receive email updates related to walking, nutrition, and tracker information. As an ongoing part of the program, participants received a mailed monthly postcard for 6 months with valuable tips and information related to walking and health. Participants had a number to call for information and to receive a new tracker. Within approximately four months, 1,800 people were registered for Step Out Hunterdon. There was a great deal of interest in the program. There were two sites where people could register for the program, at the Cooperative Extension Office and Hunterdon Medical Center. After 1 year, we randomly choose 200 participants to receive a year-end survey. Of the 200 surveys sent out, there was a return of 94. Table 2 shows some of the survey results.
DiscussionWhile our survey results were positive, a notable limitation to this walking program was the need for a more defined method to track participants and their steps. It seemed that a significant number of participants did not follow through in continuing to record steps on their tracker, while they did remain very enthusiastic about walking and using the pedometer as a motivating tool. A program such as this requires continual follow-up and incentives to maintain motivation and interest. ReferencesCameron, A.J., Welborn, T.A., & Zimmet, P.Z. et al, (2003). Overweight and obesity in Australia: the 1999-2000 Australian diabetes, obesity and lifestyle study (AusDiab), Med J Aust 178:427-432. Harnack, L., Jeffery, R.W., & Boutelle, K.N. (2000). Temporal trends in energy intake in the United States: an ecological perspective. Am J Clin Nutr 71:1478-1484. Tudor-Locke, C., & Bassett, D.R. (2004). How many steps a day are enough? Preliminary pedometers indices for public health. Sports Med 34(1), 1-8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1996). Physical activity and health: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2001). Healthy people in healthy communities. Washington, D.C. World Health Organization. (1997). Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Gold Rush: Exploring an Alternative 4-H Livestock ExperienceAndrew M. Lazur Deborah B. Pouder Monica L. Brinkley Elaine Shook Yolanda Goode Heather Kent IntroductionCaring for an animal provides children with an abundance of life skills, including responsibility, commitment, pride, and self-confidence (Diem & Devitt, 2003; Ward, 1996), while teaching topics in mathematics, biology, nutrition, and economics (Wingenbach, Gartin, & Lawrence, 2000). The success and impact of 4-H livestock programming with traditional species of cattle, hogs, and sheep are well established (Gamon & Dehegedus-Hetzel, 1994). However, such activities often require large housing infrastructures that may prevent certain children, especially in urban areas, from participating. Raising aquarium fish may involve a wider audience, including urban children, while providing analogous learning opportunities. The objective of the pilot program described here was to raise goldfish in aquaria to enhance life skills and subject understanding, as well as to provide the opportunity for peer and community recognition through an area judging similar to other livestock shows. Program activities involved fund raising to cover part of the equipment costs; an educational field day on the fundamentals of raising fish; care of fish for 6 months; a judged show, test, and interview to evaluate skills gained; and a survey to gauge future interest. MethodologyAgents from five northwestern Florida counties recruited 29 4-H children with interest in participating in the pilot program. Pet supply companies provided donations of aquaria and many of the supplies. Children were required to raise one quarter of the costs (~$20) to demonstrate their commitment and to develop local support. Program InitiationThe first event of the program was a field day in which children and parents participated in two 1.5-hour learning stations on topics in goldfish biology, aquaria setup, water quality, and nutrition to provide them with the necessary fish care skills. The goldfish biology session included information on the history and evolution of goldfish varieties; basic anatomy; and show-quality features, including color, body shape, and finnage. A demonstration of aquarium setup and maintenance included instruction in:
The nutrition and water quality station addressed:
An accompanying program booklet, Gold Rush, provided a step-by-step guide to each of these basic care requirements. A project record book provided participants with data sheets to record water quality, feeding behavior, photos, and a short experience summary. At the end of the field day, children received a 10-gallon aquarium, filter, aerator, gravel, thermometer, and water test kits. Participants then had 2 weeks to set up their aquariums and condition the water prior to fish delivery. At Home Fish CareAgents scheduled a pickup day, and each participant received four juvenile fantail goldfish along with guidelines for acclimating fish to their aquarium water. Children cared for the goldfish over a 6-month period, during which the fish matured from a greenish color juvenile to the characteristic gold or orange color adult with fantail fins (Goldfish Society of America, 1996). During the growing period and prior to the spring show event, participants fed fish, checked water quality regularly, performed periodic water changes, and recorded all maintenance activities and observations. Judging EventIn late spring, the children participated in the annual district 4-H event to display their fish and aquarium creativity. Participants selected their best fish for judging in four categories: fish appearance (particularly visual health and condition of fish), fish and aquarium care knowledge as determined by a written test, diligence in record keeping, and reasoning and personal communication as evaluated during a one-on-one interview. Junior and senior level participants received awards for best fish, best presentation, participant enthusiasm, and overall show champion. A category for the most creative aquarium allowed participants to demonstrate their creativity in choosing and decorating a container for displaying their fish. Results and DiscussionOf the 29 program participants, 26 attended the field day activity, and 13 exhibited their fish in the district event. Attention in record keeping varied, with 12 children keeping detailed records. Record book scores ranged from 34% to 86%, and test scores ranged from 51% to 88%. The five most common project summary statements were:
In response to questions on interest in future programs, nine of the 13 children who attended the district event stated that they wanted to continue caring for their fish and continue the program. Four of the nine were interested in a more advanced program. Two children stated that following the program's recommended water quality monitoring and maintenance was too much work. The relatively strong positive feedback and interest level by the participants suggested that the pilot program was worthy of continuation and potential expansion. Many variations of the program are possible, including growing other fish species; adjusting the culture period; modifying or expanding the awards categories; providing more challenging fish culture systems for advanced students, such as spawning fish; and integrating other aquaria species such as live plants and invertebrates. Methods to attract more participants might include expanding advertising of the program in newsletters and Web sites, developing a statewide competition, and emphasizing the benefits of program to parents and the opportunities for a relatively low cost 4-H interaction experience with their children. A possible way to increase the number of participants who kept thorough records of their fishes' progress or aquarium conditions, might be placing more emphasis on its importance during the field day activity and including examples of how knowing how recent water quality values equate to feeding activity or fish health. In addition, it may be beneficial to develop varying degrees of record keeping matching participant age groups. Key elements for a successful 4-H fish program include: 1) access to aquaculture or fisheries biologist personnel who can provide both facilities for the field day event and technical support on basic fish culture and aquarium management; 2) local pet suppliers willing to provide necessary supplies including discounts for educational programs; 3) allowing adequate time to advertise the program and involving the community to maximize participation; and 4) creative individuals who develop the award categories and serve as judges. ConclusionsDesigned as a pilot program to evaluate and provide alternative learning and development of animal husbandry skills and responsibility, Gold Rush demonstrated many attributes of a successful 4-H program: relatively low cost ($75-100 depending on aquarium decorations), adaptability to most children and homes, exposure to a broad range of educational subjects and personal skills, and enjoyable competition. Children showed genuine interest in learning about and caring for the fish. The show event was a positive motivator, and the level of commitment as gauged by maintenance and record keeping was acceptable for 70% of the participants. The basic aquaria and fish care knowledge requirements and the educational materials developed for the program provides opportunities for relative simple adoption of program concept. Acknowledgments The authors would like to recognize the following companies that donated products and provided support for this project: All-Glass Aquarium; Tetra Second Nature; Aquatic Eco-Systems, Inc.; Suwanee Laboratories, Inc.; Central Pet, Inc.; and Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association. Thanks to the participants and their parents, judges, extension staff; to B.J. Allen, Roy Yanong, Scott Graves, Carlton Adams, and Randall Kent for their assistance in making this program a success; and to Erica Goldman for her editorial suggestions. ReferencesDiem, K.G., & Devitt, A. (2003). Shifting the focus of 4-H record-keeping from competition and subject matter to youth development and life skills. Journal of Extension [On-line] 41(6). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2003december/iw1.shtml Gamon, J.A., & Dehegedus-Hetzel, O.D. (1994). Swine project skill development. Journal of Extension [On-line] 32(1). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1994june/rb5.html Goldfish Society of America. (1996). The Official guide to goldfish. Neptune, N.J. T.T.H. Publications, Inc. Ward, C.K. (1996). Life skill development related to participation in 4-H animal science projects. Journal of Extension [On-line], 34(2). Available at: Wingenbach, G.J., Gartin, S.A., & Lawrence, L.D. (2000). Assessing the aquaculture curricula in the northeastern region. Journal of Agricultural Education, 41:2-10.
Forestry Mini College: A Cost-Effective Way to Educate Non-Industrial Private Forest LandownersRoy C. Anderson IntroductionThe mission of the United States Department of Agriculture is to "provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management" (USDA, 2005). That mission is met, in part, with assistance from the Cooperative Extension system. One program of the Extension system is delivering educational programs targeted to non-industrial private forest landowners (NIPF's). In Montana, educating NIPF's about forest management is particularly important because they supply a significant portion of the timber consumed by the state's forest products industry. Montana's 80,000 estimated NIPF's own about 20% of the state's 23 million acres of forestland. Between 1996 and 2002, NIPF's supplied about 29.9% (241 million board feet) of the annual timber harvest. During the same time, the federal government supplied 18.6% of the state's annual harvest, despite owning and managing about 64% of the land base (Kolb, 2005). The forest stewardship program is the centerpiece of Montana's NIPF educational effort. It is a multi-day workshop funded by USDA Forest Service--State and Private Forestry and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The Montana State University (MSU) Extension Forestry office delivers the forest stewardship workshop. In the workshop, landowners learn how to inventory their property's natural resources, identify their land management objectives, and write a forest management plan to meet those objectives. The forest stewardship program was established in 1991, and to date over 1,800 ownerships representing nearly 1,000,000 million acres have participated. To keep those workshop graduates engaged in forest stewardship, the MSU Extension Forestry Office offers additional educational opportunities that include workshops on silviculture, forest road maintenance, managing riparian areas, wildfire hazard reduction, noxious weed control, timber sale management, windbreak management, and tree insect and disease identification. Each workshop typically attracts between 15 and 25 forest landowners. Because hosting a workshop can cost anywhere between $2,000 and $6,000, Extension personnel need to carefully consider the cost-effectiveness of the educational programs they deliver. This article focuses on the Forestry Mini College (FMC) format as a method to cost-effectively deliver research-based information to many private forest landowners. In the field of Extension forestry, this educational format is not broadly applied, despite a long and successful track record in Montana and Oregon. Therefore, Extension forestry personnel across the country should find this article important and useful. The Forestry Mini College ProgramIn 1990, the MSU Extension Forestry Office implemented FMC, a daylong educational workshop for private forest landowners. It has been an annual event ever since, except for 2000 through 2004. In contrast to the typical single-topic workshop, the FMC format offers 1 to 2 hour-long courses on a variety of forestry topics. Topics were chosen by a planning committee comprised of forestry professionals from government agencies, the forest products industry, and the university. The process involved an initial brainstorming session to identify a list of all possible FMC topics. During a subsequent session the committee narrowed the broad topic list to those that would be offered. The key criterion used in selecting topics was simply the professional judgment of the planning committee members regarding the educational needs of forest landowners ® the primary audience. Another factor in the selection process was the popularity of past classes. For example, classes about forest health are always among the most popular. Each course was taught by a local resource professional or an academic. The 10 courses offered at the 2005 FMC included: Forest Products Marketing—information about Montana's commonly produced forest products and the economic realities landowners face when marketing those products. Logging Systems—information about the various types of logging equipment used in Montana and how to identify which type is most appropriate for different properties. Estate Planning—A difficult decision faced by family forest owners and logging professionals is how to provide for their survivors. This session explored some of the consequences of not planning and shared ideas that have worked for other Montana families. Wildfire Hazard Reduction—information about how to minimize the chance of wildfire and about cost-sharing programs to help landowners implement what they learned. Noxious Weed Control—Controlling noxious weeds continues to be a major issue for Montana's forest landowners. This course reviewed a variety of weed control techniques. Forest Health—Insects—an overview of the major insect pests found in Western Montana forests and information about identifying characteristics, life cycles, extent of current outbreaks, and control recommendations for a variety of insects. Forest Health—Disease—an overview of common forest diseases in Western Montana with emphasis on the most damaging native diseases in those forests--root diseases and dwarf mistletoes. Disease specimens were available for observation, and participants could bring samples of diseases from their trees for identification. Forestry Laws in Montana—an overview of forestry laws that apply to Montana's forest landowners. Enhancing Wildlife Populations—information about how landowners can improve wildlife habitat on their property. Computers and Forest Planning—This course explained some of the many ways that landowners can use computers to assist in forest stewardship efforts. Promoting Forestry Mini CollegeFor the 2005 FMC, about 7,000 brochures were printed. These were mailed to all forest stewardship program graduates and other forest landowners who live near Missoula, Montana. The mailing was facilitated by MSU Extension Forestry's private forest landowner database, which contains nearly 35,000 landowner names. This promotional effort attracted 189 FMC participants in 2005, which is a typical turnout for this event. While 189 participants is small relative to the 80,000 estimated forest landowners in Montana, the 2005 FMC participants own approximately 30,000 acres. Thus, the FMC format tends to attract those landowners who own larger parcels. In addition to forest landowners, the brochure was sent to Montana members of the Society of American Foresters and members of the Montana Logging Association. Members of both groups who attended FMC received continuing education credit. Forestry Mini College LogisticsThe brochure<http://www.forestry.umt.edu/hosting/forestproducts/ForestryMiniCollege.pdf> included a description of each course and a registration section. Each participant mailed the registration form back to the Extension forestry office after he or she had selected which six courses that they wanted to attend from the 10 offered. Allowing participants to select the classes based on their personal interests is a real strength of the FMC format. However, offering that flexibility also makes hosting the FMC more logistically challenging. Therefore, MSU Extension Forestry personnel developed an overall class schedule (Figure 1). Working from the overall schedule, each participant was assigned an individual schedule (Figure 2) based on his or her chosen classes. Note that in a very low proportion of cases, the combination of classes selected by an individual was not compatible with the overall schedule. In such instances, MSU Extension Forestry Personnel contacted the individual to select alternate classes. Participants picked up their individual schedules and a campus map at a check-in table the morning of the FMC. Figure 1.
Figure 2.
In addition to the classes, information booths were displayed at the event's registration area. Organizations such as the Montana Tree Farm System, Montana Forest Stewardship Foundation, Montana Forest Owners Association, and a number of private companies staffed the booths. Participant FeedbackEighty-one of the 189 participants in the 2005 FMC completed a post-workshop evaluation form. The evaluation form was distributed during the pre-workshop check-in and collected at the end of the day. Assuming that those responses are representative of all attendees, one can conclude that about 70% of the participants were forest landowners, 12% professional loggers, and 18% professional foresters. Anecdotally, the responses overwhelmingly indicated that participants found the program informative and useful. For example, one professional forester said, "the sessions were informative and thought provoking for both the professional and the landowner." Other qualitative comments from landowners were generally along the lines of:
To more objectively assess whether FMC helped the foresters, loggers, and landowners become better land managers, participants were asked if the classes were helpful. The average response across all classes offered was 1.55 (on a scale from 1 to 5 where 1 = very helpful and 5 = not helpful). Thus, the post-workshop evaluation data indicates that participants found the FMC format conducive to effective learning. While there was no follow-up survey to determine if the landowners implemented any of the information learned at the workshop, participants were asked in the post-workshop evaluation whether they planned on implementing things they had learned at the workshop. The average response was 1.20 (on a scale where 1 = definitely yes and 5 = definitely not). Thus, the post-workshop evaluation data indicates that participants overwhelmingly planned on implementing the things they had learned. While there is a distinct difference between intended behavior and actual behavior, there is a strong relationship between the two (Ajzen, 1991). Thus, an additional conclusion drawn from the evaluation data is that the FMC is an effective vehicle for implementing research-based land management activities among landowners, loggers, and professional foresters. Forestry Mini College CostsThe ability of Extension personnel to develop and deliver an educational program often depends on the availability of financial resources. For example, although the Forestry Mini College was a successful program from 1990 to 1999, it was not offered between 2000 and 2004. In early 2004, however, the board of directors of the Montana Forest Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and informing private landowners, met with MSU Extension Forestry personnel and pledged $3,500.00 in seed money to reestablish FMC. MSU Extension Forestry personnel then solicited additional funds from individual forest products companies that operate in Montana. Responses to the solicitation varied, but in general most companies were supportive, especially those that are certified under the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Figure 3 shows how much money was obtained from registration fees and financial support from companies and forestry organizations. It also breaks down the various expenses associated with FMC. The net positive balance will be used to offer future FMC's. The cost per landowner contact is the net cost of the FMC workshop ($4768.63) divided by the number of participants (189). This calculation equals $25.23 per landowner contact. That number can be compared with a recent workshop on Timber Sale Management that was offered by MSU Extension Forestry. The Timber Sale Management workshop attracted 22 landowners. The cost of the workshop was $2,223.33. Thus, the Timber Sale Management workshop cost per landowner contact was $101.06. Figure 3.
ConclusionMontana's FMC program is a useful educational tool for keeping the NIPF clientele engaged in forest stewardship because it allows Extension educators to cost-effectively deliver information about an array of forestry topics to a greater number of forest landowners than is possible using a typical workshop format. I am not suggesting that workshops dedicated to a single topic be eliminated. Rather, I am only informing Extension forestry educators that the FMC format is another available tool. To the best of my knowledge, only Oregon and Montana educate private forest landowners using the mini college format. Given the success of both programs, Extension personnel around the country should consider this method for effectively engaging non-industrial private forest landowners. ReferencesAjzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 50:179-211. Kolb, P.F. (2005). Family forestland survey. Working Paper. Montana State University Extension Forestry. Missoula, Montana. USDA (2005). Mission statement. Available at: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/ Copyright © by Extension Journal, Inc. ISSN 1077-5315. Articles appearing in the Journal become the property of the Journal. Single copies of articles may be reproduced in electronic or print form for use in educational or training activities. Inclusion of articles in other publications, electronic sources, or systematic large-scale distribution may be done only with prior electronic or written permission of the Journal Editorial Office, joe-ed@joe.org. If you have difficulties viewing or printing this page, please contact JOE Technical Support. |
