A court-mandated parent education course aimed at reducing effects of divorce on children was evaluated by 1,400 participants over 5 years. Most respondents highly recommended the course and said it helped them become aware of their children's point of view and how to prevent long-term emotional problems. (SK)

Evaluation of MONEY 2000(TM), a savings education program with behavioral monitoring, by 520 participants indicated their motivations were to reduce debt and increase financial knowledge. Most helpful were the newsletter, tips/ideas/information, extension publications, and workshops/classes/conferences. Three of four respondents both increased…

In the early decades of the Extension system, agents' core work was to organize rural people in order to address practical problems and issues. This educational organizing fostered instrumental, communicative, and emancipatory learning. Understand the historical foundations and evolution of the educational organizing tradition can help Extension…

Master Gardener training was delivered via satellite (n=147) and in traditional classrooms (n=151). Using the Verbal Interaction Category System, interaction levels were determined to be similar in the two methods. Most of the traditional (91%) and distance (93%) learners were satisfied with instructor-student communication. (SK)

In a study using a total quality management framework, 132 agriculture faculty perceived off-campus courses as being lower in quality. There were small quality differences on user- and value-related factors, but greater disparities in manufacturing-related and transcendent factors. (SK)

Provides a conceptual framework that identifies three types of public issues and potential roles for public officials, the general public, and Extension professionals in dealing with them. Concludes with some specific advice for Extension educators involved with programming that addresses controversial topics when serving as content or process…

To develop a statewide evaluation tool for parenting education programs, domains of successful parenting were identified using a nominal group process involving county extension faculty. Indicators for five domains were developed and pilot tested with nearly 400 parents. The resulting instrument was easy to use and produced reliable results that…

A Spanish nutrition education program was taught to low-income Hispanic men and women in an informal program of English as a second language. Barriers were related to the dynamics of working with volunteer organizations, participant characteristics, and the pilot program's goals. Fitting nutrition instruction into program goals, dealing with low…

For more than 20 years, Cooperative Extension University and county faculty throughout the nation have made available an unusually parent-friendly series of educational newsletters. Monthly issues of the newsletters address information by age groups. Through local and state collaborations that often feature the county Extension office, hospitals,…

From 1912 to 1975 the Department of Extension at the University of Alberta provided an impressive range of programmes and services to people across the Canadian province of Alberta. The four Directors of Extension at the University of Alberta during this period became leading figures in the history of adult education in Canada. They positioned…

In this essay, the authors argue that linked-course learning communities serve students at nonresidential metropolitan public universities by increasing their academic achievement, reducing their attrition, and engaging them in the project of public education. They use a winter 2004 research project to argue that linked courses create supportive…

The literature on competency-based human resource (HR) management provides a strong case for moving from a jobs-based to a competency-based approach to human resources. There is agreement in the literature (Dubois, Rothwell, Stern, & Kemp, 2004; Lucia & Lepsinger, 1999) on the benefits of using competencies throughout HR systems and impact…

The forest products industry is one of the largest manufacturing enterprises in Ohio. Sawmills are a well-known and visible manufacturing sector. This document reports on a descriptive correlational study that investigated perceived educational needs of innovative Ohio sawmill operators which could serve as a model for individuals conducting needs…

In fall 1991, a steering committee originally consisting of six senior citizens from the rural Last Mountain area of Saskatchewan coordinated the development of three extension courses designed primarily for senior citizens. The courses, which were in creative writing, computers, and the history of Saskatchewan, were developed under a grant and…

Continuing professional education activities offered off-campus by satellite by the University of Victoria, British Columbia, are discussed. One- to three-day workshops and off-campus degree programs are offered throughout the province by the university. Both increased demand and economic factors have encouraged the use of distance education…