As Extension begins to develop educational program delivery strategies that include distance education, one of the most challenging aspects is to establish a culture among County Extension Agents to integrate this educational program delivery strategy into ongoing programming to ensure added value to program delivery strategies. County Extension Agents could view this educational strategy as a competitor to traditional program delivery efforts, and fearing that the lack of interaction with the learner will lead to less effective learning experiences.
Campbell (1995) notes that "higher education [including Extension education] faces the challenge of expanding the reach, quality, and effectiveness of instruction within the context of shrinking resources as well as organizing itself to serve students [Extension clientele] regardless of where they reside" (p.73). As Extension faces these challenges, distance education becomes paramount to the effectiveness and the accessibility to Extension programs.
The following are some steps that District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors could implement to encourage increased utilization of technology in program delivery;
- Model the utilization of technology.
- Provide examples to County Extension Agents of how technology can be utilized to add value to traditional program delivery methods. An excellent example of utilizing technology is the web site developed in the East Region where County Extension Agents demonstrate healthy, nutritious and easy recipe ideas at http://healthyliving.tamu.edu.
- Establish a District or Regional Distance Education Committee to design training needs for agents in utilizing distance education, and develop strategies to integrate distance education into ongoing Extension educational programming efforts.
- Provide County Extension Agents with examples of how their program and Texas AgriLife Extension Service can benefit from utilizing technology in Extension programming efforts. Some examples would include more cost effective utilization of Extension Specialists, providing clientele with on-demand information, ability to reach a larger audience, and provides a complimentary element to face-to-face educational methodologies.
Even our more traditional audiences have turned to the internet for quick information. According to the National Agricultural Statistical Service( 2007), 55% of all farmers have access to the internet and 75% of farms with sales and government payment of $250,000 or more have internet services. It is estimated that there are 248,241,969 internet users in North America which provides a tremendous audience for Extension to provide research-based information to clientele. Extension clientele are already using technology, such as the internet, to obtain information which may or may not be research-based.
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