Supporting Professional Growth Through Mentoring and Coaching

This article focuses on approaches for mentoring and coaching employees within Extension. Through presentation of research and discussion of current applications, the authors explore mutual benefits and differences between coaching and mentoring. Several examples are shared of processes that have been implemented within the Ohio State University Extension to support these concepts

BIOFEEDBACK AS A NEUROBIOMECHANICAL ASPECT OF POSTURAL FUNCTION

The aim of the work is to elucidate if there is a significant difference between the ability to maintain balance with or without the biofeedback while standing and identify specific segments that takes place of motion solutions of postural problems. We measured postural parameters using 6 tri-axial accelerometers placed in 6 places: 2× lower leg, 2× thigh, processus spinosus vertebrae L5 and C7. Probands absolved 3 postural tasks and 3 dynamic tasks. Postural: quiet standing with feet apart with eyes open, quiet standing with feet together with eye closed, quiet standing with feet apart with eyes open and with visual biofeedback. We used system Homebalance - interactive system for providing of balance training with visual biofeedback. Results show no significant difference between C7 and L5 for task without VBF (visual biofeedback) and with VBF, but SD VPG (sum of scatter of the acceleration) for thigh and ankle show significant difference between each task on every level. We detected that in open eyes majority of probands used ankle-strategy for maintaining balance. In eyes closed they preferred knee and hip strategy. The biggest accelerations were detected in C7 in eyes closed. Due to visual biofeedback patients are more motivated and they improve their skills faster than without visual biofeedback exercise. Strategy of maintaining balance during tasks with open eyes and eyes closed is different

Investing in the Future: Addressing Work/Life Issues of Employees

The Extension organization has a long tradition of professional service to clientele, often at a cost of sacrifice to family and self. The results of a national study indicated that work/life issues are of great concern. Employees identified the most critical work/life challenges as: 1) a heavy work load, 2) evening and weekend time commitments, and 3) lack of control or job autonomy. The recommendations, based on this study, urged Extension administrators throughout the organization to reduce the workload and time requirements of county-based professionals and contended that policies needed to be consistent within the national Extension system

A Systems Approach: Maximizing Individual Career Potential and Organizational Success

Continuing professional development for employees is critical to meet the demands and expectations of the evolving workplace. In the search for career fulfillment, individuals may no longer plan to spend their entire work lives in one organization. Maximizing an individual\u27s career potential to enhance the success of the organization calls for a systems approach in career development. Systems approaches are implemented in a manner that enables the individual to enter and exit the model at the most appropriate point. This article provides an overview of the professional development model in a systems context used by Ohio State University Extension and its application in changing organizations

Infiltration in soils with a saturated surface

Key Points Analytic description of infiltration in soils Comparison of constant flux and saturated surface infiltration Linking infiltration to soil/water properties An earlier infiltration equation relied on curve fitting of infiltration data for the determination of one of the parameters, which limits its usefulness in practice. This handicap is removed here, and the parameter is now evaluated by linking it directly to soil-water properties. The new predictions of infiltration using this evaluation are quite accurate. Positions and shapes of soil-water profiles are also examined in detail and found to be predicted analytically with great precision