This document discusses evaluating communication efforts in Extension programs. It outlines the need for evaluation to justify programs and ensure goals are met. Conducting thorough evaluation is difficult due to a lack of experience and funding. The document presents three case studies of Extension communication programs and evaluates their efforts. It concludes by discussing options to consider for improving evaluation, such as alternative funding, utilizing students, and establishing templates to standardize evaluation across programs.
4. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
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
5. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
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
20. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
Production Personnel
Farmweek
Broadcast crew
Southern Gardening
Ext. Specialist and video, radio, social media,
& print teams
Food Factor
Ext. Agent & print news, social media, &
video team
21. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
Evaluation
Farmweek
Full-scale study by 3rd party
Southern Gardening
Brief evaluation
The Food Factor
None completed (process is beginning now)
22. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
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!
24. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
Funding
Ideal
• Ample funding available
to fund evaluation of every
communications project
Reality
• Public-sector budgets
increasingly scrutinized
and crunched
25. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
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
26. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
Personnel
Ideal
• Communications team
• Evaluators with time to
dedicate to project
• Topic Specialists who
communicate clearly
Reality
• Communications team
• Evaluators stretched thin
• Academics speaking
research-ese
27. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
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
28. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
Priorities
Ideal
• Everyone has the same
goals for the
communications and
evaluation process
Reality
• Everyone’s priorities are
different
29. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
The Fix
• Learn to live with having different
priorities
• Personnel
Untenured faculty need projects
Students need experience
• Project
Showing impact keeps project funded
30. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
Scope
Ideal
• 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
31. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
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
32. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
Sample & Population
Ideal
• Easy access to current
audience
• Random Digit Dialing (or
alternative) to reach
broader samples
Reality
• LOL
33. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
The Fix
• Opt-in options through communications
• Extension events
• Earlier recommendations on funding and
collaboration
34. Extending Knowledge. Changing Lives.
Speed
Ideal
• Quick turnaround
Reality
• Reaching audience can
take time, especially for
Extension programs
• Faculty cannot always
move quickly (IRB)