UserTesting.com: A Tool for Usability Testing of Online Resources

Extension educators are increasingly using online resources in their program design and delivery. Usability testing is essential for ensuring that these resources are relevant and useful to learners. On the basis of our experiences with iteratively developing products using a testing service called UserTesting, we promote the use of fee-based online usability testing services as an easy and efficient method for improving online resources. We present steps for conducting usability testing and recommendations for best practices. This approach has implications for Extension educators, administrators, and program evaluators who design and evaluate educational programming that involves web or online resources

Impacts of Climate Change on the State of Indiana: ensemble future projections based on statistical downscaling

Using an ensemble of 10 statistically downscaled global climate model (GCM) simulations, we project future climate change impacts on the state of Indiana (IN) for two scenarios of greenhouse-gas concentrations (a medium scenario--RCP4.5, and a high scenario--RCP 8.5) for three future time periods (2020s, 2050s, 2080s). Relative to a 1971-2000 baseline, the scenarios project substantial changes in temperature for IN, with a change in the annual ensemble mean temperature for the 2080s RCP8.5 scenario of about 5.6 °C (10.1 °F). Such changes also indicate major changes in extreme temperatures. For southern IN, the number of days with daily maximum temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F) is projected to be about 100 days per year for the 2080s RCP8.5 scenario, as opposed to an average of 5 days for the historical baseline climate. Locations in northern IN could experience 50 days per year above 35 °C (95 °F) for the same conditions. Energy demand for cooling, as measured by Cooling Degree Days (CDD), is projected to increase nearly fourfold in response to this extreme warming, but heating demand as measured by Heating Degree Days (HDD) is projected to decline by 30%, which would result in a net reduction in annual heating/cooling energy demand for consumers. The length of the growing season is projected to increase by about 30 to 50 days by the 2080s for the RCP8.5 scenario, and U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones are projected to shift by about two half zones throughout IN. By the 2080s, all GCM simulations for the RCP8.5 scenario show higher annual precipitation (P) over IN. Projected seasonal changes in P include a 25-30% increase in winter and spring P by the 2080s for the RCP8.5 scenarios and a 1-7% decline in summer and fall P (although there is low model agreement in the latter two seasons). Rising temperatures are projected to result in systematic decreases in the snowfall-to-rain ratio from Nov-Mar. Snow is projected to become uncommon in southern IN by the 2080s for the RCP8.5 scenario, and snowfall is substantially reduced in other areas of the state. The combined effects of these changes in T, P, and snowfall will likely result in increased surface runoff and flooding during winter and spring

Mapping Agricultural Decision Making across the U.S. Corn Belt

Decision calendars help identify opportunities for inserting climate information into a decision process as well as points where other considerations might overrule use of the climate information. Developers of decision calendars are challenged, though, by a potentially infinite number of modifications required to address spatial variability in agricultural decision making. Variability in climate, soils, and agricultural production systems across a region may result in deviations in decision-making times

Tourism and Recreation in a Warmer Indiana: A Report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment

Indiana’s climate and geography make it an attractive place for outdoor tourism and recreation. Many months of each year are ideal for boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, and taking in outdoor sporting events or festivals. But the world’s climate is changing, and Indiana’s is no exception. Temperature increases already seen over the last hundred years will accelerate, potentially through the end of this century, and precipitation patterns will change. Those changes will affect the many facets of tourism and recreation throughout the state, including the types of tourism the state can offer, the timing of events, and the quality of visitor experiences. Climate change will have significant impacts on many sectors, including health, urban spaces, aquatic ecosystems, and forests – to name a few. All of these sectors are tied to the state’s tourism, recreation, and hospitality industries, which rely on natural and human-built systems to create successful visitor experiences. This report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA) uses climate projections for the state to explore likely impacts for Indiana’s tourism and recreation industries

Useful to Usable: Developing Usable Climate Science for Agriculture

The Useful to Usable (U2U) project was a six-year research and extension project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture to provide both useful and usable climate information for the agricultural (corn) sector in the Midwestern United States. The project adopted an extensive co-production of knowledge and decision-making approach that involved intense iteration with potential end-users, including farmers and a variety of pro- fessional agricultural advisors, through focus groups and surveys, feedback at outreach events, and frequent informal interactions to develop both decision support tools and delivery mechanisms that met stakeholder needs. This overview paper for this special issue illustrates some key ways that the co-production process informed the overall project. Subsequent papers in the special issue span the different objectives of the U2U project, including social, climate, and agronomic sciences. A brief overview of these papers is pre- sented here

Indiana\u27s Future Forests: A Report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment

Over the next century, rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns across the Midwest will likely have profound consequences for Indiana’s forests. Such changes include shifts in the distributions and abundances of trees, understory plants and wildlife, as well as changes to the environmental, economic and cultural benefits these forests provide. This report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA) examines the direct and indirect impacts that climate change is expected to have on Indiana’s forests. The report specifically addresses forest regeneration, forest composition, tree growth and harvest, wildlife habitat and forest products

Drought-Ready Communities: A Guide to Community Drought Preparedness

Table of Contents Introduction to Drought-Ready Communities........................................................ 4 Section 1. Getting Started: Invite the Community to Participate, Commit to the Process...................... 7 1.1 Establish a leadership team that includes individuals with responsibility for monitoring, communication, and implementation .............................................. 7 1.2 Identify stakeholders or groups in the community that may need additional resources to participate in the Drought-Ready Communities process .................... 8 1.3 Include government agencies and regulators ....................................... 9 1.4 Develop a contact list ................................................................ 9 1.5 Gather community perceptions of drought .................................................. 10 Section 2. Information Gathering: Understand Water Sources and Uses, Develop a Drought History . 11 2.1 Identify water sources and uses ....................................................... 11 2.2 Learn how drought has affected the community in the past ........................ 12 2.3 Gather data on water and climate ................................................................. 13 2.4 List factors that affect the severity of drought impacts ..................................... 1