NEW METHOD FOR EXTENSION NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND USE IN STEC EXTENSION PROGRAMMING

摘要

Extension program planning includes several basic steps: (1) Assessing the problem, (2) Analyzing the audience, (3) Reaching the audience, (4) Delivering the program, and (5) Evaluation. Assessment of the problem and discovering audience learning needs has traditionally been done in several ways: (1) mail and online surveys; (2) focus groups; (3) key informants; or (4) the community forum approach. Another method, environmental scanning, appears intuitive and it seems as if Extension specialists aredoing it every day when talking with clients, reading journals, or perusing the lay literature. An environmental scan is a 'process of studying and analyzing the current and emerging forces' that could impact an organization or your clientele (Guion, 2010). It is a way of looking at outside factors. The technique of environmental scanning is not new and has been adapted to public health needs assessment (Rowel et al., 2005). With the expansion of the Internet, information, whether accurate or not, can be spread widely, and misinformation can permeate public knowledge and affect policy-making, particularly when it comes to food safety.