evaluation communication efforts in extension

Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.

Evaluating Communication Efforts

in Extension

Q. Settle, E. North, M. Brubaker, & L. Downey


Overview• The Situation• Our Stories• Options• Discussion


THE SITUATION


Need for Evaluation• Administrators

Public funding declining Need to justify all programs Need to ensure recognition of agency value

• Communicators Make the programs better Ensure meeting goals Demonstrate value


The Problem• Conducting good, thorough

evaluation is difficult• Communications professionals don’t

always have evaluation experience• Evaluation professionals don’t

always have experience evaluating communications


Our Goal• Front-to-back evaluation of

Extension communications Inputs Outputs Outcomes


Planning


Production


Finished Product


Distribution


OUR STORIES


Farmweek


Southern Gardening


The Food Factor


MediaFarmweek

TV (MPB & RFDTV)Southern Gardening

TV, Radio, & NewspaperThe Food Factor

TV


Social Media• All supplemented by social media

efforts Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram


History: Farmweek


History: Southern Gardening


History: The Food Factor


Production PersonnelFarmweek

Broadcast crewSouthern Gardening

Ext. Specialist and video, radio, social media, & print teams

Food Factor Ext. Agent & print news, social media, &

video team


EvaluationFarmweek

Full-scale study by 3rd partySouthern Gardening

Brief evaluationThe Food Factor

None completed (process is beginning now)


Lessons Learned So Far• Evaluation can be scary.• Meaningful evaluation is hard! Even

when it’s expensive.• You often have more of an audience

than you expect.• Evaluation can yield important

guidance for improvement—which is what it’s supposed to do!


OPTIONS TO CONSIDER


FundingIdeal• Ample funding

available to fund evaluation of every communications project

Reality• Public-sector budgets

increasingly scrutinized and crunched


The Fix• Grant projects

Outreach component of large grants• Alternative funding lines

Undergraduate Research Scholars Program

• Make the most of each project About $3K for access to nationally

representative sample


PersonnelIdeal• Communications team• Evaluators with time to

dedicate to project• Topic Specialists who

communicate clearly

Reality• Communications team• Evaluators stretched

thin• Academics speaking

research-ese


The Fix• Outside-the-box evaluators

Education, non-ag comm faculty, etc.• Undergraduate & Graduate

students Thesis, classes, etc.

• Do your own research And have specialists verify the material

• Look for overlapping interests with researchers


PrioritiesIdeal• Everyone has the same

goals for the communications and evaluation process

Reality• Everyone’s priorities

are different


The Fix• Learn to live with having different

priorities• Personnel

Untenured faculty need projects Students need experience

• Project Showing impact keeps project funded


ScopeIdeal• Every Project gets a

full-scale study Representative survey Multiple focus groups Test materials for

knowledge gain, link to Extension brand, etc.

Reality• 3rd party researchers

& faculty members are too expensive to fund enough of their time to study all communications projects


The Fix• Undergraduate and graduate

student research projects Easier for them to justify time for the

full evaluation of one specific project• Using an evaluation template

Less time and money per project


Sample & PopulationIdeal• Easy access to current

audience• Random Digit Dialing

(or alternative) to reach broader samples

Reality• LOL


The Fix• Opt-in options through

communications• Extension events• Earlier recommendations on

funding and collaboration


SpeedIdeal• Quick turnaround

Reality• Reaching audience

can take time, especially for Extension programs

• Faculty cannot always move quickly (IRB)


The Fix• Plan ahead• Start evaluation process from the

get-go


WHAT ARE YOUR STORIES?Discussion


FOR MORE INFORMATION:[email protected]

evaluation communication efforts in extension

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