Extension Teaching Notes
Teaching in Extension: How Can We Help?
In the early 1900s, when the role of the County Extension Agent was first
conceived, the primary responsibility of the extension agent was to demonstrate
and disseminate the merit of research-based agriculture research; serve as a
“common carrier of the communities’ good practice [from neighbor to neighbor]”;
and provide a common headquarters for local agricultural affairs (Maris, 1916).
Universities, at that time, were considered a vehicle for developing the wealth and
prosperity of the people in a developing nation. For the past hundred years,
extension faculty have quietly carried out this original vision of the university’s
purpose in a democracy. Unfortunately very little, if anything is actually known
about the strategies extension faculty use to integrate research into communities.
Job descriptions and activity reports highlight the impact of their work but do not
highlight how they get people to do things differently.
Academic programs designed to prepare extension faculty are organized around
“key competencies,” (2009, Harder, Mashburn & Benge; Sheer et. al. 2006).
Competencies consistently emphasized are personal skills, management
responsibilities, program planning, implementation and evaluation, and public
relations. Competencies that vary in emphasis from program to program include
the effective use of technology, diversity and pluralism, risk management,
community development, and applied research (2009, Harder, Mashburn & Benge).
Interestingly though, most extension faculty, are not graduates of formal
Cooperative Extension curriculum; they, like most academics, usually earn an
advanced degree in a specific area such as entomology, botany, or animal science
(2009, Harder, Mashburn & Benge). What is remarkable, however, is that regardless
of whether an extension faculty was prepared through a formal preparation
program or earned a degree in a specific content area, pedagogy, the art of teaching,
is rarely a part of their professional preparation. This is problematic since extension
faculty are communicating new information to people of all ages and from all walks
of life, in all kinds of arenas: from quiet personal conversations to large lectures.
Such diversity in “audience” would be challenging for even the most proficient of
teachers. It is no surprise, then, that extension faculty are quick to request
professional development in teaching and, more recently, teaching with technology.
Repeated requests by extension faculty for professional development in teaching
indicate that they view teaching as a key competency: the better they are at teaching,
the more effective they are in motivating others to create a more verdant,
productive and just world.
Oregon State University’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has heard the call
for support from Extension faculty and is supporting them in reflecting upon, and
refining their teaching skills. Over the past two years OSU’s CTL has designed and
conducted workshops for Extension faculty throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Cultivating Learning is a half-day workshop in which participants learn about recent
cognition research and the implications these findings have for teaching in the field.
Our Hybrid Professional Learning Community, taught in collaboration with OSU
Extension faculty member, Jeff Hino, is a “blended” course in which Extension
faculty learn how to create courses that are partially face-to-face and partially
online. The LL Stewart grants, awarded through the CTL are also available to
Extension faculty. Successful individuals who write grants supporting professional
growth can be awarded up to $2200.00 and teams are awarded up to $4400.00
(Applications—due on April 30th-- are on line at http://oregonstate.edu/ctl/grants).
Other topics, like program development and evaluation, are also available to
Extension faculty upon request, call Jeanna Towns at 541-737-2816 for more
information).
--Kay Sagmiller, Director, OSU Center for Teaching and Learning
PS: From Jeff Hino, Learning Technology Leader
We are delighted to have the support of CTL in further exploration of teaching and
learning in Extension. To aid us in meeting your needs, let us know your thoughts on
the following:
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What are some big picture teaching improvement goals you would like to see
CTL pursue for Extension?
What specific teaching topics would you like to explore in more depth?
What formats (webinars, newsletters, blogs, workshops) should we consider
for providing more teaching support for you?
Send your ideas to jeff.hino@oregonstate.edu.