Program Excellence Academy Critical Component to New Agent On-boarding

Professional development for County Extension agents is essential to Texas Agrilife Extension Service's County Programs administrative priorities related to improving recruitment and retention. It has been historically recognized that professional development is essential to the success of Extension. Prawl, Medlin, and Gross (1984) reported that Extension faculty training and development is critical because the effectiveness of educational programmatic outreach efforts is linked to the abilities of the Extension agent.

Program excellence is predicated on the fundamental principle that agents have the capacity to effectively identify issues, prioritize these issues, develop sequential learning experienced designed to address these issues, evaluate program efforts and utilize the results of these evaluations to refocus and redirect programming efforts to ensure program relevance.

In order to more effectively equip agents to implement the program development process that is paramount to effective programming, an innovative professional development activity will be implemented statewide entitled the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Excellence Academy. The first session will be held on April 26-30 at the Texas 4-H Conference Center in Brownwood. This professional development course focuses on principles, theories, techniques, and applications for program development within educational programmatic environments. Program development strategies, focusing educational programming in relation to issues identified by clientele, and program planning to assist people and organizations succeed will be the focus of this course.

It is expected that by the time a county Extension agent has completed the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Excellence Academy, the agent will be able to...

• Define and use terminology associated with Extension Program Development.
• Demonstrate the core competencies critical for agents as they are related to the program development process.
• Understand the importance and necessity of planning and program development within programmatic environments.
• Use planning and program development principles, theories, techniques, and applications to assist Texas Agrilife Extension Service achieve strategic objectives.

The topics for this Session will include the following;

• Overview of Program Development Model.
• Getting to Know Your County.
• The Importance of Relevance.
• Group Presentations of County Assignments.
• Who are Your Stakeholders?
• Creating Your Visibility.
• Reaching Diverse Audiences.
• Identifying and Recruiting Planning Group Members.
• Training LAB and PAC Members.
• Effective Meeting Management.
• Identifying, Prioritizing, Analyzing and Describing Issues.
• Target Audience.
• Outcome Indicators/Objectives (Outcome vs. Output, Accountability).
• Educational Design.
• Volunteer Management.
• Facilitation Skills.
• Program Area Committee Simulation.
  

The basic premise of this academy will be to take the Texas Agrilife Extension Service Program Development Model and break it down into manageable components. A variety of teaching delivery methods are being utilized to prepare new agents for this Academy including online self directed lessons and assignments designed to add value to agents county programs.

Reference

Prawl, W., Medlin, R., & Gross, J. (1984). Adult and continuing education through the Cooperative Extension Service. Extension Division, University of Missouri, Columbia.