Basic adult education principles should be applied in the change agent-farmer relationship in extension education in Sierra Leone. They include active learners, lifelong learning, teacher knowledge as nonabsolute, and the farming community as the center of problem generation. (SK)

A one-semester course in Schwyzertutsch is described. The Swiss German dialect is taught as the twenty-sixth language in the noncredit extension service of the University of Queensland. (LB)

Virginia Cooperative Extension's Public Information System includes three programs readable on laser discs: Consumer Products, Money Matters, and There Is a Law. The touch-screen interface and flexible design provide users with access to hours of information and hundreds of printed fact sheets. (Author)

Survey responses from 44 of 62 agricultural department heads showed that "Journal of Agricultural Education" was rated highest for familiarity and quality. Most important factors in faculty evaluation were articles in refereed journals, presentation of papers, and quantity of articles and presentations. (SK)

According to responses from 61 of 78 enrollees in off-campus videotaped agriculture courses, most watched tapes without interruption and almost half viewed the tapes more than once. More positive attitudes emerged when instructors were perceived as facilitators rather than information providers and when it appeared that instructors used effective…

Socioeconomic and political events of the past limit the mainstreaming of African Americans and create barriers to diversity efforts in extension education. Extension educators must recognize and address the factors that influence African American participation. (SK)

A three-year series of interviews with Canadian university extension staff (n=35) found that advocacy is all but extinct because of the "entrepreneurial" values of the university and the professionalization of adult education. As social justice values increase in importance, extension educators should resume an advocacy role. (SK)

An accreditation program for community workers uses accreditation of prior learning (APL) as a means of awarding full professional qualifications in community work. However, APL may be waning in the context of professional higher education. (SK)

Six focus groups with 49 rural residents identified concerns about balancing work and family (time, energy, conflicting demands, child care), causes of imbalance, and types of help needed. Results were used to plan programs on time and resource management, meal planning, and relationship skills. (SK)

Describes Rural Sociological Society 1999 awards: Excellence in Instruction, Jill Belsky, for designing a college program in rural and environmental change, and Lori Cramer, for strengthening interdisciplinary linkages among rural sociology, forestry, and agriculture; Excellence in Extension, Emmett Fiske; Excellence in Research, Sonya Salamon;…

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service implemented summer youth nutrition to provide youth with information on the fundamentals of proper nutrition and contribute to their personal development and overall well-being. Collaboration among extension professionals and with external partners enabled the program to serve a total of 1469 youth.…

Penn State Extension, Philadelphia community leaders, school district administrators, and teachers developed a comprehensive program to teach inner-city youth about forestry and forest management. Evaluation results indicate that students were more knowledgeable about forestry and forest management; teachers were more likely to use natural…

Discussion of off-campus bibliographic instruction focuses on the experiences of Genesee Community College (New York) students who receive their bibliographic instruction in the library of the State University of New York College at Geneseo. Topics include cooperation between librarians, and communication between faculty and librarians.…

In Nepal a study of 243 female and 179 male farmers showed that males demonstrated horizontal communication patterns among themselves; females actively sought information in both horizontal and heterogeneous patterns. Extension strategies that take advantage of gender-based networks were suggested to increase the flow of information. (SK)

Research on text/learner interactions emphasizes control of the following design aspects to facilitate comprehension: graphic organizers, learning objectives, perspective, advance organizers, display, and reader skill level. (SK)