eOrganic is part of eXtension, which is an evolving, virtual, customer centered educational environment that provides the most current, objective research-based information from the Land Grant University System (LGU). eXtension is founded on the principles of aiding in the distribution of useful and practical information by representing all 74 land-grant systems. It will also serve to minimize duplication and aggregate information through identifying the “best of the best” material.

This program will transform the way the Cooperative Extension System nationwide develops and distributes educational programs and products. Virtual teams of content specialists and support professionals (Communities of Practice or CoPs) interact constantly with the clientele served (Communities of Interest or CoIs). The educational materials that are developed will evolve over time as a result of these interactions based on the needs of the clientele and the latest research available. The result is a body of educational material that:

• Compliments existing material from land grant universities
• Increases visibility of Cooperative Extension Programs by reaching new audiences and expanding partnership opportunities
• Promote collaborative development and minimize duplication in a manner that is dynamic and evolving
• Provide on-going linkages between CoPs and CoIs

A CoP is defined by eXtension as “a virtual network of content providers who share knowledge or competence in a specific area who are willing to work and learn over time to further develop and share that knowledge in the forms of educational products and programs.” Currently, three CoPs (Financial Security for All, HorseQuest and Wildlife Damage Management) have posted educational materials that are now online at http://www.eXtension.org with the following topic titles: Personal Finance, Horses, and Wildlife Damage Management (Fig. 1). Within a year, educational materials from a total of eight CoPs will be released. There are 21 CoPs now (Table 1), and more will be developed. Membership within a CoP is fluid, so authors can contribute depending on time and availability. To learn how to join a community of practice, see Box 1.

The content on eXtension will have a national strength with a local customized focus. Once users register on eXtension, their “home” LGU logo will appear in the upper left corner of each eXtension content window. There is also a link that allows users to contact their local county extension office. The guiding principles and philosophies of Communities of Practice state that content authors will retain development recognition for promotion and tenure purposes even though the actual educational product will belong to the system (CoP, eXtension and ultimately the Cooperative Extension System). The products belong to the CoP and will evolve as the science and the CoP and CoI evolves. This commitment to openly shared educational product development will lead to improved integration among content authors within a CoP and also among CoPs. For example, a document highlighting “small farm management” in one CoP might reference a document in the Personal Finance CoP on “creating business plans for farmers”. Although the actual content will be determined by the CoPs, the shared vision is that regional and local applications will be available through community highlights, case studies, and internet links to local extension educational pages.

eXtension content is developed through a collaborative process among members of the CoPs using a variety of on-line tools. Share Point is software package designed to receive contributions from a variety of authors. A “wiki” is an electronic tool and internet site specific to each CoP where members can create and review educational materials prior to submission to eXtension. Elements common to all eXtension sites include Articles, interactive Ask the Expert sessions (log in to participate), and FAQs (frequently asked questions). eXtension has also posted streaming video of expert presentations, learning modules, and in the future will offer certificate or continuing education courses. eXtension is evolving rapidly, and eOrganic and other pioneer CoPs will participate in shaping eXtension.

Financial support for eXtension is currently provided by funds donated from Land-grant Universities. Betty Johnson, eXtension Development Director, is assisting the CoPs to develop long term funding strategies from pubic and private sources to develop, evaluate and maintain the site over the short and long term. CoPs including eOrganic, have received initial funding from competitive grants and industry donations.

 

eOrganic – A New Community of Practice

eOrganic is a new Community of Practice created to address information gaps among many land grant universities for science-based information relevant to organic production systems. The growth in organic market opportunities has increased the demand on Extension personnel across the country to supply this clientele with information on all aspects of production. Although there is little reliable information to track usage data on organic information requests to Extension and other land grant university personnel, surveys of usage data for ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service; www.attra.org ) and OAI (Organic Ag Info, an on-line searchable database of organic and biological agriculture resources; www.OrganicAgInfo.org) demonstrate the demand for reliable, science-based information on organic agriculture. ATTRA receives 2 million website hits a year, with over 200,000 unique users. Over 70% of these requests are from farmers or other agriculture professionals, and 6% are from Extension and LGU representatives. OAI reports 10,000 requests a year, with 15% of these requests coming from LGUs. The eOrganic CoP currently has 100 members representing diverse organic production regions and content areas.

The current vision for eOrganic is to evolve through a participatory process involving Land Grant Research and Extension faculty, ATTRA, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE), Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), National Agriculture Library, OAI, New Farm (http://www.newfarm.org/ -Rodale Institute's E-zine for farmers), and other stakeholders. The roles and relationships will continue to evolve, but everyone is committed to working together to partner in a national, user-driven, web-based organic agriculture information system. Information for a variety of educational backgrounds will be designated into one of three academic levels: beginning - for consumers and secondary school students, intermediate - for beginning farmers, and advanced - for experienced farmers and education professionals.

The content on eOrganic will include:

• Searchable content for rapid access
• A national compilation of continuously updated and searchable FAQs
• Interactive “Ask the Expert” sessions
• Regionally-specific farm case studies (similar to the Harvard Case Study model)
• Certification tools
• Portal to in-depth information available from eOrganic and partner sites (OAI, ATTRA, SARE) and local and regional Land-grant University and Cooperative Extension resources.

Overall, eXtension has the potential for LGU extension professionals to have access to the best extension educational materials available. The quality of information available will depend on active peer review of existing content, interpretation and synthesis of the latest research findings into new educational materials, and an overall commitment by CoP members to work collaboratively and for the greater good of the general public. In the long term, the delivery of critical, accurate, and accessible information will be validated by user evaluations and community support. The biggest challenge is to get extension educators to work in a new way: collaboratively on national issues and through a shared electronic portal. eXtension is new and its members are enthusiastic, well-trained on the internet and software tools integrated into the system, and supportive of all of the Communities of Practice. Ultimately, talented, committed members with strong CoP leadership producing easy to find high quality educational materials will contribute to the long-term success of eXtension.

 

Box 1 . How to Join a Community of Practice

Step 1. Go to https://people.extension.org and create an eXtension ID. This ID is what you will use to work with all extension applications.

Step 2. Explore the Communities from the category list of CoP Wiki Home Pages (http://cop.extension.org/wiki/Category:eXtension_CoP_Home).

Step 3. Once you have selected the CoP you wish to join, go to their workspace in the wiki. Click on Community Home on the navigation menu found at the bottom of the page. On the CoP Community Home page, locate the page for CoP membership. There you will find the leadership contact information for the CoP.

Step 4. Send an email to the leadership of the CoP you wish to join.

For more information, visit: http://cop.extension.org/wiki/How_to_Join_a_Community_of_Practice.