IN BRIEF
Community Seminar Series University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension University of Illinois Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute THE IMPETUS Accessibility to health information online has empowered people to care for them- selves and their families. But the amount of inaccurate (even dangerous) information on the internet has skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a public health challenge. THE WORK To further develop the Community Seminar Series (CSS), a model for sharing trust- worthy, research-based health information with the general public. University of Illi- nois Extension launched the CSS in 2020 and has been refining and expanding it ever since. A collaboration between U of I Extension and U of I’s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI), the CSS is not only an effective way to educate the public—on such topics as vaccine science, brain health, habit change, and the health risks of sitting too much—”it’s a novel way of engaging with students majoring in health fields,” says NTAE Catalyst Chuck Hibberd. The students develop the content, with coaching from Illinois Extension pro- fessionals, and present the seminars—also with mentoring from Extension educators. “The CSS also is an excellent way for stu- dents to learn about Extension work,” says Chelsey Byers, Extension specialist and
CSS coordinator, “and to further the land- grant mission to make Extension research accessible, engage the public, increase science literacy, and improve health and wellness in a community.” WITH NTAE GRANT SUPPORT This team formally assessed engagement in the CSS and its research dissemination, presented at the 2023 National Exten- sion Health Outreach and Engagement Conference, and developed recommen- dations for how to expand the CSS reach, improve effectiveness and adoption, and streamline data collection. THE VISION The team hopes to increase the range of seminar topics, the number of attendees, and the diversity of the audiences. They also want to offer in-person seminars, to deepen engagement among university researchers, community centers, and other community organizations. They hope other land-grants will adopt the CSS model, outlined in the “Community Seminar Series Playbook.” Says IHSI Program Coordinator Maxwell Wallace, “The Playbook offers expertise, knowledge, and structure to deliver a program that resonates.”
Seminar Engagement (since 2020) 21 Extension educators 33 student presenters 9,500+ Zoom participants 3,500 recorded webinar views
Acceleration projects
EXF chose 16 teams (one of which is not profiled in this section) for a $10,000 Acceleration award in year four of the New Technologies for Ag Extension grant program. Acceleration project teams may have already piloted their program, developed a curriculum, or entered another stage of early implementation.
These teams worked with Catalysts, Key Informants, and other EXF experts to do one or more of the following: • evaluate their program’s content and outcomes • create a marketing plan and materials for their program • document and create a publication about their process and/or progress and outcomes • develop their collaboration skills • participate in digital engagement planning webinars • plan the next phase of their project
See the Community Seminar Series team members on page 80.
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2022-2023 YEARBOOK | EXTENSION FOUNDATION/NTAE
EXTENSION FOUNDATION/NTAE | 2022-2023 YEARBOOK
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