Nutrition education can improve nutrition and health for refugees. Extension program directors providing nutrition education to refugees were surveyed regarding successful program techniques, program challenges, and both the barriers refugees face and the strengths they possess concerning healthy eating. Researchers used grounded theory to explore…

One of CYFAR's unique features is the built-in planning year for all grant recipients. We present our evaluation team's approach during year 1 to establish a foundation and plan for scholarly publications during funding years 2-5. The systematic literature review provided the team with a better understanding of the culture and context of the…

One of a University's four functions is to extend sustainable training programs that will help address any social issue in the community. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a University extension program. It focuses on the participants' skills acquired from the program and how they influence their job performance and quality of life. This…

Needs assessments serve a pivotal role in identifying the diverse competency needs of adult learners, particularly in the Cooperative Extension System (CES). While previous studies have found that an evaluation competency gap exists among Extension professionals (EPs), little is known about how to prioritize and sequence evaluation competency…

Sustainable eating may benefit both the environment and human health. Currently, no Extension programs addressing healthy and sustainable eating are available that target adults in communities. Since sustainable eating is a sensitive topic, this project engaged Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension agents in Kentucky, to garner their…

This paper reports on a three-year initiative to enhance the undergraduate Extension Education minor at a state land-grant university. Specific initiatives to improve the undergraduate Extension Education minor curriculum involved (a) revising the Extension Education minor due to varied curriculum and faculty changes and (b) aligning eight…

Practical aspects of curriculum development, especially that involving multiple authors, often are overlooked, but they are critical to moving a curriculum from concept to finished product. The Ohio 4-H Camping Design Team developed a competency-model-based curriculum for training the state's 4-H teen camp counselors. The team incorporated action…

The 4-H Youth Development Program, the youth development program for the United States Cooperative Extension service, is a nonformal education program with more than 100 years of history providing experiential learning activities for youth. As growing evidence supports the critical role of nonformal education in STEM literacy (National Research…

Food Talk: Better U (FTBU) is a healthful weight management curriculum developed by the University of Georgia's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) team. FTBU addresses the high burden of obesity among low-income Georgians by focusing on healthful weight management practices. Topics include practicing portion control,…

Rising food and nutrition insecurity across the U.S. poses a significant health concerns. Despite the expansion of federal support and food aid programs, insecurity persists. This dissertation asks about the extent to which national funding initiatives and local emergency food organizations as mediated by the university-based agriculture Extension…

The lesson study methodology allows Extension educators to reflect on instructional practices and gather formative data that can be used to refine curricula. We trained Extension educators and formed a community of practice (CoP) of agents who used the lesson study method to inform improvements of a 4-H coding curriculum. The CoP planned and set…

This article outlines a four-step model for developing a training program for farm labor supervisors. The model draws on key lessons learned during the development of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Farm Labor Supervisor Training program. The program is designed to educate farm supervisors on farm labor laws…

The "Journal of Extension" serves as a conduit for the dissemination of current research and practices within Extension and 4-H. We conducted a review of "Journal of Extension" articles published since passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Our purpose was to determine what practices, programs, and studies have…

What goes into designing and implementing a successful program? How do both research and practice inform program development? In this article, the process through which a federally funded training curriculum was developed and piloted tested is described. Using a logic model framework, important lessons learned are shared in defining the situation,…

The concept of a "healthful home" offers the basis for a comprehensive approach to addressing the well-established relationship between health and housing. Many environmental health hazards found in homes--such as lead, mold, environmental tobacco smoke, and pesticides--can be reduced or eliminated through the use of scientifically…