May 26, 2015
Defining Extension Work
From one of my earlier messages… I've formulated a very simple equation to describe extension work:
extension work = technology transfer + outreach + engagement
Where technology transfer is "the knowledge/new technology from which we work, or it's our subject matter competencies;" outreach is "the act of extending services, education, experiences, etc., to a wider section of the population, as in community work;" and, engagement is "an emotional involvement or commitment." Another way to describe engagement is to "take personal interest in your clientele, getting to know them, listening to them in such a way as to know how they desire to learn and to make change, and investing your commitment and passion towards their successes."
The importance of each element that leads to extension work can be described by what happens if some element is left out.
If you have technology transfer and outreach, the new knowledge and technology are out there, but no one really cares if it gets translated into something useful and productive for the audience. The audience may be there and hear all about the new knowledge, but won't employ the concepts being taught, in part because change is difficult and nobody is passionate about helping the audience through that change.
If you have technology transfer and engagement, the knowledge and the commitment are both present to create change, but there lacks a well designed plan for delivering it effectively to the target audience. Most likely, the majority of the target audience won't even be reached.
If you have outreach and engagement, but not the technology transfer, you have a great model for delivering something and a passion for seeing change, but lack the validity of subject matter knowledge to keep the audience moving forward. Most likely, the audience will stop by and subsequently lose interest due to a lack of validity in the knowledge being conveyed.
The EFFECTIVENESS of extension work is truly a combination of all three of these ingredients. Great extension work comes out of delivering valid, important knowledge and technology through appropriate, interesting teaching methods, and then seeing to it that your audience is able to utilize that knowledge however appropriate because YOU believe it is what they need for their successes. And, they know their success is ever so important to YOU.
An Extension Worker's personal development is never finished if he/she takes all three components of extension work seriously in his/her passion to make a difference.
Have a great week.