NDSU Extension Service

FY07 Program Planning Guide

A.     Program Development and Educational Design Core Competency

Program development includes the skill to assess needs and define issues, and, develop, deliver and evaluate comprehensive learning experiences around "communities of interest" that help youth and adults enhance their lives and communities.

1.     The purpose of the NDSU Extension Service is to create learning partnerships that help adults and youth enhance their lives and communities.

2.     Description of Cycle:

Program Development and Educational Design is a cyclical, continuous process that starts with identifying community assets at the local level and cycles around to sharing the program outcomes with the public. It's a process that takes some work in the beginning but the end results for communities' social, economic and environmental gains are worth the effort. Program Development and Educational Design should focus on a 3-5 year period. The model below shows the stages of program development and educational design.

The model starts with "linkages to the public." Linkages to the public may be informal or formal linkages. Informal linkages can occur in the coffee shop, on the street corner, at school, at church, on the farm, on the golf course, or in commodity or agency meetings. Informal linkages can happen anytime there is a group of people or communities working together on an issue.  These groups can be referred to as "communities of interest."   Formal linkages can occur through local citizens' groups, 4-H Youth Council, a Family and Community Education Board, county agency councils, Crop Improvement Board, or, other Extension group specifically formed to identify assets in a county or multicounty program unit. Regular input from these "communities of interest" assures the identification of community assets.  Program planning is a pro-active process which requires input from state residents and Extension staff. 

The identification of assets can also occur formally or informally. Formally, your office might gather asset data by means of two or more of these assessment processes:  surveys, focus groups, survey telephone calls, or other "formal" ways of gathering input. This input is then summarized and shared with the communities of interest.

Informally, you can determine community assets by visiting with people at those informal meetings on the street, in coffee shops, at commodity group meetings, and other "communities of interest"  locations.

Once the assets are identified, Extension agents should consider enlisting the help of Extension specialists to determine the research base available to support programming for this area and the potential length of time and methods to reach the targeted audience. The Extension specialist will work with you to determine the resources necessary to address the area.

Local collaborators also need to be involved in the educational design process. Individuals with a self-interest in the community possibilities should be brought together so you can hear their ideas, identify the target audience, and determine the delivery methods for programming.

Local collaborators should also be involved in determining the program outcomes. As a result of this programming effort, what is it you want the targeted audience to be able to do after participating in the programs? Local collaborators can also assist in setting priorities for the programming efforts, determining a time line for delivery, delivering the program, assisting with evaluation, reviewing the outcomes, and sharing the information with the public.

To make a county or multicounty Extension program "grass roots" based, you need the involvement of local people in both formal and informal ways. Local people will share your successes and your disappointments. They will take a self-interest and support you and the Extension program.

3.     Program Planning Teams.  Program planning is carried out through eight program planning teams. All specialists and Extension agents are members of a planning team. Planning teams may include faculty with or without Extension appointments and/or other persons.

4.     Reporting.  The Extension Accountability Reporting System (EARS), Quarterly Program Report (QPR), and County Narrative Reports serve as the reporting mechanism for all educators (agents, specialists, EFNEP, FNP). Everyone with an educational responsibility will submit, as an individual or team, one EARS report by December 1 of the current year.

5.     Follow-up with Specialists.  Upon submission of plans of work, Extension agents should also contact Extension specialists by phone or e-mail to set an agenda, date, and time for requested assistance.

B.     Program Planning Teams

1. Community, Economic Development and Leadership
    
2. Competitiveness and Profitability of Animal Systems
    
3. Cropping Systems in the 21st Century
    
4. Farm and Family Economics
    
5. 4-H Youth Development
    
6. Human Development and Family Science
    
7. Natural Resources and Environmental Management
    
8. Nutrition, Food Safety and Health

C.     Logic Model Framework

All North Dakota State University Extension staff are encouraged to use the Logic Model, a program development framework.  For additional information on the Logic Model review the web site at:    http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/evallogicmodel.html  or go to the NDSU Extension web site and click on Extension Program Planning to reach the University of Wisconsin - Madison Extension web site.

FOUR-YEAR PROGRAM PLANNING CYCLE

Formal program planning is conducted on a four-year cycle. This process will focus on two major program areas each year. The program area time line for this process is as follows:

 

2006-2007	Farm and Family Economics Natural Resources & Environmental Management
2007-2008	Human Development and Family Science Competitiveness & Profitability of Animal Systems
2008-2009	4-H Youth Development Community, Economic Development and Leadership
2009-2010	Nutrition, Food Safety & Health Cropping Systems in the 21st Century

D.     Program Planning Timeline

Early Fall 2006

Review statewide demographic data and situational information received from Specialists, District Directors, and Unit Coordinators. 

Review county data pertaining to the two program areas for the program planning period.

Review the Program Development and Educational Design cycle.

1.    Bring together a group of people representative of your county's population.

2.    Select two or more methods for gathering input from local people on community assets.

Ask yourself these questions:

What is it we want to know?
Who do we target for the possibilities?
What is the best time for the target audience to respond?

Develop a time line for the process.

        3.    The subject matter specialist may provide you with an assessment instrument or recommend a method.  If you choose to use the specialist's instrument, please do not alter or eliminate any questions unless the specialist gives the okay for changes.

 Early Spring 2007

        1.    Identify the community assets in the two program planning areas for your county.   Use the nominal group process and prioritize what you want to address..

        2.    Identify possibilities for the future.

        3.    Identify the Targeted Audience

        4.     Answer the Questions: 

                Is this a realistic area for Extension to address?

                Do we have the research base to support educational programming?

                Do we have specialist/research support at NDSU or another land-grant institution to aid us in this work?

5.     Decide who has a self-interest (communities of interest) in this futuring process. The local council   members and others can identify people who would have a self-interest. The Extension agent can invite the identified people to the table to define the outcomes. (Could be a subcommittee)

II.     Role of the Subcommittee in Program Planning
            (See 10 Steps for Planning Educational Programs:  Worksheet)

A.     Defining the Outcomes

(According to the Logic Model)

1.    What does the "targeted audience" want to have happen as a result of an educational design to build their future? (Not what you want to have happen.)

2.    What will be measured over a period of the 4 years and beyond?

3.    What are the social, economic, environmental or civic indicators will you use to determine if you have achieved the outcome (long-term)?

1.    Based on a minimum 4 year program cycle.

2.    Determine educational program activities.

3.     Define your promotion marketing strategy.

4.      Define the methods to use for evaluation to measure short, intermediate, and long-term goals.

5.     Develop a time line for the educational design including who is responsible for what roles.

1.     Budget

2.     Teachers

3.     Partner Resources - each partner and NDSU Extension Service brings to this program.

4.     Research needs

5.     Volunteers

6.     Equipment/Technology

E.     Share Your Plan at Spring 2007 Extension District meetings

A.    Identify the Community Assets

• Design and use a process to gather input on community assets. 
• Keep it short and to the point.
• Identify and prioritize, including the capability and role of the NDSU Extension Service. 
• Determine which future to pursue.

B.    Outcomes

• Define the desired outcomes to be met through Extension programming. 
• Identify priority programs, which will receive special emphasis for a year or number of years.
• Other programs may be mandatory or maintenance programs which continue for many years.

C.    Inputs

• Identify staff, teams of staff, and collaborators (communities of interest).
• Develop specific program components, including desired outcomes, evaluation and educational program delivery.

D.    Program

•  Identify and conduct in-service training relating to the area, including:  in-depth training and updates, and, 
•  When appropriate, "train-the-trainer" training.
•  Identify when to use.

E.   Program Delivery

•  Determine who will deliver the program.
• Will probably be more than one person
• Provide for the program delivery.

F.    Evaluation

• Identify which programs you will evaluate on a statewide basis. 
• Outcomes will aid you in designing the questions for the evaluation. 
• Do not plan to evaluate everything. 
• Program planning team co-chairs can provide direction on what to evaluate.

The purpose of evaluation is to:

a.     determine if the program should continue and, if so, what else needs to be addressed;

b.     provide feedback on the delivery methods--were the delivery methods appropriate for the audience and/or do we need to provide a variety of delivery methods; and,

c.     determine if the outcomes have been reached by the participants.

IV.      Program Planning Team Responsibilities for other Six Program Areas

A.  Process

1.     Appoint a program planning team subcommittee to review current POW.

2.     Subcommittee makes recommendations for updates on current plan.

3.     Determine in-service needs for staff based on self-assessments.

4.     Develop a timeline for the in-service.

5.     Submit revised plan and in-service plan electronically to the appropriate Assistant Director.

V.     Program Team Chair Responsibility

A.    The program planning team chair(s), in coordination with the appropriate Assistant Director, will have the following responsibilities.

1.     Coordinate schedules, meeting dates and deadlines with the team and other staff.

2.     Coordinate the process for identifying assets, suggesting possibilities and prioritization.

3.     Insure that the planning team communicates well with each other and keep the planning team up-to-date.

4.     Coordinate the development of program components through design development teams to address priority, mandatory and maintenance programs.

5.     Coordinate the reporting of program results and evaluation.

B.    Participate in Program Council, representing the program planning team and keeping other Program Council members aware of planned and ongoing programs.

VI.     Program Team Member Responsibilities

A.  Identify the Community Assets and Possibilities

1.    Gather information on assets which relate to the program area and make sure they are brought into the program planning assessment process

2.     Actively participate in the program planning team.

B.    Program Planning Team

1.     Serve on design development teams which write program components for the plan of work, and design and develop programs.

2.     Actively participate in program delivery and evaluation.

3.     Suggest changes and updates to the program plan as necessary.

4.     Identify specific staff in-service needs.

VII.    Time Schedule For Program Planning Team Plan of Work

A.  Schedule Process

1.    Each program planning team, in coordination with the appropriate Assistant Director, must determine their annual schedule for the program planning process. 

2.    Include time for identifying assets, planning committee meetings, writing the plan of work.

3.    Circulate plan of work to field staff, county and multicounty planning unit

B.    Calendar

1.    Establish a schedule for each program planning team, with appropriate deadlines.  Share time line with Assistant Directors including meeting and conference call dates, times and locations.

2.    Circulate to all Extension staff.

3.    Program planning teams should collaborate on their annual schedules, so several teams are operating on the same calendar schedule.

VIII.    State Program Planning Document

A.    Program Planning Teams

1.     Each program planning team will prepare an annual plan of work, with an overall situation statement and program components.

2.     Individual program components will be prepared by individual staff or a team of staff, with the program planning team chair assembling the team's total plan.

3.     Each Program Planning Team's plan of work will be made available to all staff to assist with preparing county and multicounty program unit plans of work, according to the calendar adopted by the program planning team. The program plan will only be available on the web site.

 

 

Last edited:  08/15/06