Extension & Delivery
Getting Started
As a University of California Cooperative Extension employee, you have several key responsibilities aimed at extending research-based knowledge and resources to your audience.
Your audience, communication, solutions, and evaluation
Starting your program best practices and resources
Connecting within UC and UC ANR
Your audience, communication, solutions, and evaluation
Audience
Learn about your audience so that you can collaborate with them in a way that is relevant, meaningful to them, and provides them with positive outcomes and impact. It is important to engage your audience, community members, local organizations, and other relevant parties in the planning and development process. Learn more on this page Audience (Web page).
Solutions
Developing solutions for your audience it is important to consider many factors including their specific needs, cultural, economic, and environmental factors. Solutions should be tailored to the specific conditions and resources available in the community. Learn more about Solutions (Web page).
Messaging & Communication
Consider best practices to package and communicate so that you reach and engage others in your work. These include knowing your audience, making your content accessible, incorporating adult learning principles, using the ANR brand, following copyright guidelines, planning and strategizing your communication, including all Californians, and more. Dive deeper into Messaging & Communication (Web page).
Evaluation & Impact
Evaluation and impact assessment are crucial in cooperative extension in order to demonstrate to you and your collaborators, to funding agencies, and policy makers that your program is achieving their intended goals. Additionally, regular evaluation provides feedback on what is working and what is not for making decisions to refine and improve programs and services. Evaluating and sharing the impacts of the program can increase engagement and support. When various collaborators see tangible benefits, they are more likely to invest time, resources, and trust in the cooperative extension services. Read more about Evaluation & Impact (Web page).
Starting your program best practices and resources
10 tips to starting your program
Successful extension needs time, trust and continuity. Here are ten steps to help you start well. More information can be found in this fact sheet 10 tips to starting your program. (PDF).
What a good program looks like
A good program has a positive impact (i.e., positively changes conditions) on one’s targeted clientele. We explore here briefly, what is involved and what you can do. Fact sheet - this is intended as a practical summary to complement the academic advancement guidelines. Find out more in this online presentation What a good program looks like. (Google Slide Show).
Integrate your Programs
If done well, integration of programs leads to mutual program benefits and greater impact. Read Tips for Successful Program Integration (PDF) and Keys to Successful Integration (PDF) for more information. Example: UC MFP & EFNEP (PDF)
Connecting within UC and UC ANR
Connecting for impact Online presentation | Handout | Connecting is perhaps the most crucial component in building working relationships with others. Learn more by reading the Building Success fact sheet (PDF) and viewing the Connecting for Impact slide deck.
Establishing strong connections is vital for building productive and efficient workplaces. Proactively engaging with colleagues, seeking assistance, and utilizing available resources can enhance collaboration, foster healthy relationships, and promote knowledge-sharing, leading to greater success in your role. Find more by reading 10 tips to starting your program (PDF) and Getting started: Connecting (PDF) (Great tips on building relationships!).
County-Campus Collaboration
Campus-based faculty working with county-based Advisors strengthens the relevance, reach and application of our science. Through such collaboration, campus-based researchers can better access real-world audiences and gain practical perspectives, while county-based programs benefit from campus expertise and resources. Take a deeper dive by reading County-Campus Collaboration (PDF).
Campus-County Success
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources comprises the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) and UC Cooperative Extension. Numerous successful collaborations take place across this network and the entire UC system to bring research-based solutions to local communities. An archive of several stories that are just a sampling of numerous collaborations happening across the state can be found on successful collaboration stories (UC ANR Web page).
Strategic Initiatives, Program Teams and WorkGroups
Formal workgroups provide a mechanism for people to connect, communicate and implement around issues and priorities of shared interest. Find out more here - Strategic Initiatives, Program Teams and WorkGroups (UC ANR web page).
UC ANR units and their roles
Learn about the various ANR units and their functions by visiting Roles & Responsibilities at ANR (UC ANR web).
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