What’s Different What may be new in this case is the Cooperative Extension Service’s uniquely relevant role as a trusted provider of expertise and solutions that spans a full spectrum of social need. Diverse families and communities rely upon us for accurate health information related to COVID-19. With school closures, parents and teachers count on Extension programming to provide educational continuity. Businesses and non-profit organizations are contacting us for guidance on state and federal relief legislation, as well as workforce development. Displaced workers with sudden time on their hands look to Cooperative Extension for everything from gardening tips to professional skill development. As Cooperative Extension leaders, we must ask ourselves how to best serve our communities – in the face of these burgeoning needs and with the likely, ongoing reality of limited institutional resources. Among other advantages, our experience in Oregon suggests that a digital ecosystems approach offers the benefits of scale. Simply put, this means we can extend the reach and impact of Cooperative Extension faculty through well-designed online engagements (courses, multimedia, video and more – with content offered in both live and on-demand formats.) Over time, this enables us to reach significantly more learners by taking a more creative approach to faculty program development. In these cases, one course, lesson, or lecture finds new life and new relevance for growing and diverse audiences as it takes new (or renewed forms) over time – from academic articles to YouTube videos to Facebook posts and more. Though we did not develop this approach with a public health crisis in mind, this ability to connect online is proving to be more essential with every passing day.
Things to Consider
Data-informed decision making. Our experience suggests that data should be incorporated in multiple ways. Online search data helps refine our digital/program content strategy (to ensure our offerings align to the greatest extent possible with what community members are actually seeking). Opt- in data from our web properties offers further perspective on visitors’ areas of interest. Registration data for events and programs yields additional insight that we then use to refine ongoing content and program development. Accessible, world-class learning platforms and content. Even in the midst of crisis, it is reasonable to suggest that learners should have high expectations for Cooperative Extension online engagements. Meeting these expectations begins with the acknowledgement that learners will access these experiences in different ways – mobile or desktop, for example, with varying degrees of internet speed based on many factors. Even with these considerations, we have seen success in providing engaging, high-quality, and media-rich content. Our university is fortunate to provide these services at a time when increasing statewide access to high- speed internet is also translating to greater access to effective educational experiences for learners. In other words, we have demonstrated that Cooperative Extension can reach learners (and organizations) where they are – delivering the right content to the right people at the right time. When Circumstances Call for Innovation, the Status Quo May be the Biggest Risk Based on our own experience and that of others, we know the Cooperative Extension System can expand programs and offerings that offer career advancement for individual learners, address the learning continuum for students of all ages, and provide timely workforce development that addresses industry needs.
“ The riskiest thing we can do is just maintain the status quo. ” - Bob Iger, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company
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