Extension agents are tasked with disseminating educational content, announcing events, and promoting the outreach efforts of Extension. Social media can be a powerful resource for Extension agents (Skrabut, 2014). Integrating social media into outreach efforts can be an efficient way for agents to meet increasing work demands (Gharis & Hightower, 2017). Still, many Extension agents are not fully integrating social media as a means to communicate with their audiences (Garcia et al., 2018). To address this, Extension communication units are developing social media technical support efforts to increase the agents’ social media activity (Garcia et al., 2018, Newbury et al., 2014; Kinsey, 2010.) Social media competency influences a professional’s willingness to integrate social media as a function of their employment (Zhu et al., 2018). If communication units wish to provide Extension agents with technical support efforts, such as trainings and professional development opportunities, to assist them with integrating social media as one of their duties, we should assess the influence of these support efforts on their perceived social media competency. The purpose of this study is to describe Mississippi State University Extension agents’ perceived social media competency levels and explore the effect that a variety of technical support efforts have on their perceived social media competency.

<p dir="ltr">From farm to fork, every player in the food supply chain bears responsibility for ensuring food safety standards are met. Food safety educators are a key component in addressing knowledge and behavior gaps amongst the different players. Conducting a needs assessment allows educators to appropriately design a food safety education program for its target population. Three case studies are presented in this thesis, each investigating the food safety perceptions and needs of different target populations through a needs assessment. Each case study had two objectives: 1) identify food safety education needs for a specific target population; and 2) provide specific food safety education recommendations to address identified needs. The overall objective of this thesis was to uncover the food safety relationships between the different players in the food supply chain. The first case study (Ch. 2) examines consumers’ preferences for food safety through a national online survey. The study conclusively demonstrates consumers’ discernible preference for produce with food safety labels, however reflecting a willingness to pay only a small premium for such products. Indicating an increased price to consumer may not be an appropriate incentive in motivating farmers to adopt food safety practices. The second case study (Ch. 3) examined military veteran farmers’ on-farm food safety perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors through a national survey and in-person interviews. Military veteran farmers are aware of the importance of food safety; however, they reported risky on-farm food safety behaviors. Furthermore, military veteran farmers' unique needs were uncovered, which could help educators tailor resources for this niche farmer group. The third case study (Ch. 4) examined small- size produce drying processors’ food safety needs from the perspective of the inspector through interviews. The study demonstrated a need for clarity on the regulations and food safety standards for the small- size produce drying process. In summary, this thesis demonstrates the need for tailored food safety education interventions to meet the specific expectations of small-size and niche players in the food supply chain. Future work is recommended to continue exploring the food safety needs of niche players in the food supply chain and providing tailored food safety programs.</p>

O projeto Observatório de sustentabilidade - aprendizagem e inovação para a gestão urbana é uma pesquisa aplicada, multidisciplinar, que investiga a questão da efetividade das ações na interface academia-sociedade, sob pesquisa-ação no município. Realizou o objetivo de desenvolver e testar um modelo dialógico para contribuir com a sustentabilidade urbana por meio da relação IES/Municípios buscando a efetividade nos resultados para as políticas públicas. Utilizou abordagem interdisciplinar no processo de construção coletiva do seu modelo a partir de uma rede de atores nas IES em ações e práticas intraorganizacionais multidisciplinares e interorganizacionais em colaboração com atores nos municípios. Comprovou a hipótese que qualificar modelos dialógicos na relação IES/Municípios resulta maior efetividade às práticas para a sustentabilidade municipal, para o estabelecimento de novas políticas, alcance à continuidade das ações e condições de replicabilidade do modelo nessa dialógica. Alcançou resultados de estímulo à participação em ações transversais e integradas entre as divisões no executivo e legislativo do governo local para a gestão que privilegia a sustentabilidade e apoio à formulação de políticas públicas municipais para o desenvolvimento sustentável; da estruturação de uma rede de atores extraorganizacional às universidades para a colaboração em ações para a sustentabilidade municipal; de aprendizagem recíproca no desafio do diálogo participativo com contribuições ao ensino, à pesquisa, à extensão e à qualificação dos gestores municipais que promove a transformação social. Verificou três questões-chave na educação e na gestão do município, para a sustentabilidade urbana. Compreendendo sustentabilidade para a melhoria na qualidade de vida orientada às necessidades humanas. / The Sustainability\'s Observatory project - learning and innovation for urban management is a multidisciplinary research, applied, which investigates the question of the effectiveness of actions of the society-academia interface in Brazilian municipalities, in action research. Focused in to study of the aspects that try promote the municipal sustainability in HEIs/municipalities dialogue, seeking greater effectiveness in process results for public policies. Uses interdisciplinary approach in the process of the cooperative learning process of your model from a network of actors in HEIs in the actions multidisciplinary and interorganizational within organizational practices in collaboration with actors in the municipalities. It reached results on the prove that effectively the betterment in this relationship in society-academia dialogue, of the actors and the model reach the continuity of actions and possibility activities their replication. It reached results on the assumption that the betterment in this relationship in HEIs/Municipalities dialogue, of the actors and the model reach effectively for the sustainability\'s action, the continuity of actions and activities and possibility their replication. It has achieved results to stimulate participation in cross-cutting and integrated actions between the executive and legislative divisions of local government for management that favors sustainability and support to the formulation of municipal public policies for sustainable development; structuring a network organizational outside actors to universities for collaboration in practice for municipal sustainability for sustainability in the municipalities and models that incorporate the challenge of participatory dialogue with contributions to teaching, research, extension the extension and qualification of municipal managers promoting social transformation. Were verified three key issues for urban sustainability in the education and management of the municipality, understanding sustainability for the improvement in the quality of life oriented to human needs.

教育部從1997年開始協助大專院校設立推廣教育機構，以有效利用大學資源對社會人士從事終身學習，協助設計相關專業課程。在市場激烈競爭下，大學在規劃推廣教育的策略方向時，需考量全球化、數位化、少子化的市場特性。 　　本研究嘗試以司徒達賢(1999)提出之非營利組織策略理論CORPS (Client, Operation, Resource, Participate and Service)為基礎 配合武文瑛(2006)的回流教育指標進行策略研究。本研究以某大學之推廣教育機構做為研究個案，針對學員與職員進行問卷調查與個別訪談，獲得以下幾點發現： 一、 學員是因為大學名聲與師資才重回校園學習，但費用高低與設備新舊會影響學習意願與成效。 二、 推廣教育應增加創新思維的課程並且提升教學品質，在追求課程數位化之餘仍應重視課程內容。 三、 整合大學內部資源才有機會提升推廣教育的成效，爭取各系所師資與強化作業流程，才能提供學員更優質的服務。 / The Ministry of Education helped universities and colleges to setup extension education centers from 1997. The Ministry of Education urged the universities to design programs for professionals by use of their own resource. Universities build up a lot of classes with credits and degrees in recent years. The competition between universities makes them focusing on the strategies confronting different aspects such as globalization, digitization and low birth rate. 　　This research focuses on strategy analysis and refers to nonprofit organization theory proposed by Seetoo(1999)－CORPS (Client, Operation, Resource, Participate and Service) and recurrent education indicators suggested by Wu(2006). Based on survey and interview with students and employees at a certain extension education center, this study has findings as follows: 1. The reason for professionals returning to extension education center is because the university reputation and well-known professors. The tuition and facilities affect their willingness to learn and the effect of learning. 2. The organization should provide innovation and high quality courses not just investing on digital technology. 3. The integration of university’s resource will increase the benefits of extension education. It will provide better services with process improvement and cooperation between different academic departments.

No description available.

本研究以台灣北區的社區大學、國立空中大學、大學推廣教育三類學習者為研究對象，旨在探討三者於學術性課程上的「心流經驗」與「主動學習」是否有所差異，若有差異則可能的影響因素又為何？並分析心流經驗與主動學習兩變項間的關係。 本研究的樣本總數為729人，採用立意取樣，研究工具係參考前人改編之心流經驗與主動學習問卷一份，問卷中一併蒐集了關於三類學習者在機構中的學習經驗（包含：學習歷程的頻率、學習歷程的品質等），以期能夠在探討差異的同時，找出影響的可能原因。 資料分析方法採用了結構方程模型（SEM）以作為問卷之驗證性因素分析的方法，在確認了信效度後，以t考驗、單因子變異數分析、單因子多變量分析、共變數分析、積差相關、典型相關等統計方法輔助，以回答上述問題。主要結果發現： 一、「師生討論」、「同儕討論」、「做中學」、「田野調查」與「指導同儕」等學習歷程的頻率與心流經驗、主動學習皆有顯著正相關。 二、「互動品質」、「課程公共化」、「經驗學習」等學習歷程品質與心流和主動學習有顯著相關。 三、不同的「學習動機」會造成心流與主動學習的差異，當中以「取得學位」為動機的學習者之心流與主動學習較其他就讀動機者為弱。 四、三類機構在心流經驗與主動學習的差異依序是：社區大學 > 空中大學 >推廣教育。 五、主動學習中的「內在動機與熱情」是目前研究者發現三機構在心流經驗中差異的因素之一。 六、心流經驗中的「自發自足經驗」是目前研究者發現三機構在主動學習上有差異的因素之一。 七、心流經驗與主動學習兩者具有高度正相關。 / The purpose of this study is to compare community university, national open university and university extension education in northern Taiwan, which each refers to flow experience and active learning. This study is also attempted to investigate the possible factors among these organizations which may cause the differences. Another issue in this study is concerned with the relationship between flow experience and active learning. The data was collected from 729 adult learners by judgmental sampling, and the questionnaire was based upon a revised questionnaire concerning their flow experience, active learning, and learning experience (including the frequency of learning process and quality of learning process) in academic courses. The results of this study are as followings: 1. Flow experience and active learning were positive correlation with the frequency of learning process, which includs “teachers and students discussion ”, “peer-discussion”, “learning by doing”, “field work” and “peer-tutoring”. 2. Flow experience and active learning were positive correlation with the quality of learning process, which includs “quality of interaction”, “curriculum publication”, and “experiential learning”. 3. The different learning motivation affect the flow experience and active learning among learners in these three organizations, especially the learners who chose “learning for the academic degree” were averaged lower than others. 4. Comparing with three organizations about the flow experience and active learning performance: community university is better than national open university and university extension education. Moreover, the national open university is better than university extension education. 5. The“intrinsic motivation and passion” is one of the factors which affect flow experience. 6. The “autotelic experience” is one of the factors which affect active learning. 7. The flow experience is positive correlation with active learning.

No description available.