22 research outputs found
An analysis of the food safety educational processes in the Cooperative Extension System of the North Central Region of the United States
Literature suggests that food safety is a serious concern all over the world, and lack of it has huge health and economic implications to different stakeholders. The situation in the U.S. is also no different with most of the American public not much knowledgeable about agriculture and food safety. Therefore, food safety education assumes importance. There are many food safety education providers in the U.S. with the Cooperative Extension System (CES) of the land-grant institutions being the most reliable one.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions and extent of use of food safety educational processes by extension educators in the CES of the North Central Region of the United States. Extension educators\u27: (1) perceptions toward food safety and various components related to food safety educational processes, (2) their inservice need for the identified educational processes, and (3) the extent to which they were using the identified teaching methods and tools in their food safety educational programs were analyzed in order to accomplish the purpose of the study.
Data were collected by using an expert panel-reviewed and reliability-tested electronic questionnaire from extension educators in the program areas of Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the County Extension Directors (CEDs). A disproportionate stratified random sample of 64 extension educators from each of the 12 states of NCR was drawn, amounting to a sample size of 768. The findings were based on the 325 usable questionnaires out of the 416 that were returned.
It was found that a typical extension educator (as operationally defined) was a middle-aged female with substantial years of work experience and held a master\u27s degree. Extension educators had neutral perceptions about food safety, and were in need of inservice education on all five identified food safety inservice educational processes. Further, extension educators perceived most of the educational processes to be important and the identified teaching methods and tools to be effective for conducting food safety educational programs. It was further found that extension educators were using discussions and brochures to the greatest extent compared to the other teaching methods and tools, respectively, in their food safety educational programs.
One-way ANOVA analysis indicated that the findings overall were consistent among the extension educators of the NCR implying that they could be generalized to the entire population. Hence, a food safety education delivery model was developed for extension educators of the NCR that has implications for both inservice education of extension educators and delivery of information to clients. The model was predominantly based on the findings from this study and a review of the literature
Disasters Happen: Identifying Disaster Management Needs of Cooperative Extension System Personnel
Disasters are deeply affecting communities and economies in the United States, and the role of Cooperative Extension in disaster management efforts continues to grow. We surveyed University of California Extension personnel to identify existing disaster management programs and future needs. We found that about one third of our respondents had been involved in preparing for, responding to, or helping communities recover from disasters. Respondents experienced having a variety of needs related to disaster preparedness and response systems, procedures, materials and equipment, and educational materials. Our findings revealed a critical need for program and professional development around disaster management for Cooperative Extension personnel
Improving Teaching-Learning Process and Experience Based on Students, Faculty, and Staff Perspectives
I
n order to make strategic decisions, the new leadership team
at the College of Agriculture at the California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona conducted a series of focus group interviews
with its students, faculty, and staff members. The purpose of
this qualitative study was to poll the opinions of these important
stakeholders to improve the teaching-learning process in the
college, to promote job satisfaction among the employees, to
better fulfill the college’s mission of advancing learning and
knowledge, and to prepare students for lifelong learning and
leadership in agricultural careers. Six themes emerged from
student groups and four from faculty/staff groups, with lack of
resources emerging as a common theme from both groups.
The leadership team deliberated on the findings, and the results
of this study provided the leadership team with specific items
to solve needs
A Model for Integrated Approach to Professional Development of Extension Educators: Implications of Adult Education Principles and Practices
Improving the quality of educational programs and the demand for accountability have put the professional development of Extension educators high on Cooperative Extension’s agenda. Effective professional development facilitates improved program design and implementation, which, in turn, translates into higher clientele satisfaction. The purpose of this article is to discuss the principles and practices of adult education and their application in designing professional development offerings with specific examples for Extension educators. Using the integrated approach of learning, the authors present a framework and share their experiences for the application of practice in designing professional development programs for Extension educators
Core Competencies for Successful Watershed Management Practitioners
We surveyed participants from three watershed leadership education programs to identify competencies critical to successful watershed management. Participants rated 26 competency areas identified from literature and watershed education curricula for extent of criticality and listed additional competencies needed for successful watershed management. On the basis of those ratings and listings, we propose that competency in the following areas is required: establishing and maintaining partnerships/collaborating, outreach and communication, project and organizational management, landowner interaction/interpersonal skills, facilitative leadership, and, possibly, developing and maintaining a vision for the future. Our findings have implications for designing professional development activities and developing position descriptions for hiring watershed leaders
An analysis of the food safety educational processes in the Cooperative Extension System of the North Central Region of the United States
Literature suggests that food safety is a serious concern all over the world, and lack of it has huge health and economic implications to different stakeholders. The situation in the U.S. is also no different with most of the American public not much knowledgeable about agriculture and food safety. Therefore, food safety education assumes importance. There are many food safety education providers in the U.S. with the Cooperative Extension System (CES) of the land-grant institutions being the most reliable one.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions and extent of use of food safety educational processes by extension educators in the CES of the North Central Region of the United States. Extension educators': (1) perceptions toward food safety and various components related to food safety educational processes, (2) their inservice need for the identified educational processes, and (3) the extent to which they were using the identified teaching methods and tools in their food safety educational programs were analyzed in order to accomplish the purpose of the study.
Data were collected by using an expert panel-reviewed and reliability-tested electronic questionnaire from extension educators in the program areas of Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the County Extension Directors (CEDs). A disproportionate stratified random sample of 64 extension educators from each of the 12 states of NCR was drawn, amounting to a sample size of 768. The findings were based on the 325 usable questionnaires out of the 416 that were returned.
It was found that a typical extension educator (as operationally defined) was a middle-aged female with substantial years of work experience and held a master's degree. Extension educators had neutral perceptions about food safety, and were in need of inservice education on all five identified food safety inservice educational processes. Further, extension educators perceived most of the educational processes to be important and the identified teaching methods and tools to be effective for conducting food safety educational programs. It was further found that extension educators were using discussions and brochures to the greatest extent compared to the other teaching methods and tools, respectively, in their food safety educational programs.
One-way ANOVA analysis indicated that the findings overall were consistent among the extension educators of the NCR implying that they could be generalized to the entire population. Hence, a food safety education delivery model was developed for extension educators of the NCR that has implications for both inservice education of extension educators and delivery of information to clients. The model was predominantly based on the findings from this study and a review of the literature.</p
Improving Teaching-Learning Process and Experience Based on Students, Faculty, and Staff Perspective
In order to make strategic decisions, the new leadership team at the College of Agriculture at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona conducted a series of focus group interviews with its students, faculty, and staff members. The purpose of this qualitative study was to poll the opinions of these important stakeholders to improve the teaching-learning process in the college, to promote job satisfaction among the employees, to better fulfill the college’s mission of advancing learning and knowledge, and to prepare students for lifelong learning and leadership in agricultural careers. Six themes emerged from student groups and four from faculty/staff groups, with lack of resources emerging as a common theme from both groups. The leadership team deliberated on the findings, and the results of this study provided the leadership team with specific items to solve needs
Teaching Methods and Tools Used In Food Safety Extension Education Programs in the North Central Region of the United States
One of the ways to ensure food safety is to educate the
public. Of the organizations providing food safety education
in the United States (U.S.), the Cooperative Extension System
(CES) is one of the most reliable. The effectiveness CES
programs depends not only on what is being taught but also on
how it is taught. Both a needs-based curriculum and how that
curriculum is delivered are equally important. This descriptive
cross-sectional study using a disproportional stratified random
sample identified the teaching methods and tools being used by
food safety extension educators of the CES of North Central
Region (NCR). A Likert-type scale administered to extension
educators revealed that they were adopting a balanced use of
teaching methods and tools, and using learner-centered teaching
methods in their programs. However, distance education, case
studies and podcasts, which are commonly used in education
programs, were not being used extensively. We recommend that
food safety extension educators of NCR should increase the use
of these two teaching methods and tool while continuing to use
the current ones. This study has implications for improving food
safety education delivery to clients in the NCR and for designing
inservice education for food safety extension educators