Progress 09/01/18 to 06/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:First Tier Two (2) specialists from the content area of Family and Youth. Eight (8) field agents, spread within each region, one from the Agriculture area and one from the Human Sciences area and two (2) PRAES non-faculty personnel one who has IT responsibilities and one in a master's program who has taken courses in distance education. Subtotal twelve (12) first tier targeted audience. Second Tier Forty-five (45) field agents from each region were address toward distance education experiences in distance education technology and leadership. Twenty-four (24) field agents from the Agriculture area and twenty-one (21) field agents from the Human Sciences area. In addition, one (1) specialist from the content area of Agriculture. Subtotal of forty-six (46) second tier targeted audience. Total targeted audience fifty-eight (58). Changes/Problems:During 2020 Puerto Rico was still in recovery from the devastation from hurricanes Irma and María. In addition, starting on December 28, 2019, the southwestern part of the island Rico was struck by an earthquake swarm been the largest and most damaging the one on January 7, 2020, at 4:24 am with magnitude 6.4 Mw, with a maximum felt intensity of VIII (Severe). Structural engineering evaluation were made to all identified distance education hubs locations delaying the hubs installations. And to degrade even more the island situation amid the global spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Puerto Rico's Governor Wanda Vázquez-Garced issueded Executive Order 2020-023, ordering a drastic lockdown of non-essential commerce and mandatory round-the-clock curfews, among other measures targeted toward detaining the spread of COVID-19 in the island. Access to work areas, tools, and equipment of PRAES personnel was limited. Project states were delayed including purchasing equipment and participant's availability due to change on work conditions. Grant activities, goals, and objectives in the approved project proposal, for leadership mentoring, have not been completed during the original project period. Student strike at Mayagüez Campus and B&H Foto & Electronics Corp. procurement internal processes had affected the proposed timeline for the second no cost extension. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?At the end of the project, fifty-eight (56) Extension Faculty from PRAES and two (2) non-faculty PRAES personnel, have been trained in Distance Education technology and in leadership development. Also, with the installation of the distance learning hubs, PRAES trained personnel will be able to access online learning platform for synchronous meeting and interact through distant hubs with audience using live audio and video sessions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?PD/PI have been invited two (2) times to participate in the Research Fair held at the University of Puerto Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) to maximize the experiences of the project and increment participation of students. Also, participation to Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences (SOPCA) Annual Meeting to share project result and achievement with other scientist, PRAES Extension personnel, students, farmers, entrepreneurs, and anyone with interest in the agricultural area. These in addition to shared knowledge with all the components of the university system, government agencies, private businesses, farmers, housekeepers, youth, students and the public, as part of the day-by-day non-formal education process of PRAES Agricultural Agents and Family and Consumer Sciences Professionals (field agents). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the lifetime of the project, suitable offices were identified to locate the distance education hubs within PRAES regions. They were: 1) administrative office building in Río Piedras in the northeast region, 2) the Gurabo office at the Experiment Station in the southeast region, 3) local office at Coamo in the south, 4) Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) local office in Arecibo in the northcentral region and 5) at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus in the southwest region. Each hub is equipped with rapid Internet speed, 75'' 4K HD TV, two (2) front speakers with amplifier, one (1) 1080p webcam with built-in microphone in a 60'' tripod, one (1) NUC mini PC with Windows 10, one (1) MacBook Air Laptops with video editing software (FinalCut) and Sony camcorder for video recording. Twelve (12) PRAES participants: field agents, specialists and non-faculty personnel took three courses in distance education and the leadership training. Forty-six (46) participants: field agents and specialist adopted distance education and leadership knowledge from the experiences of the first twelve (12) participants.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:First Tier Two (2) specialists from the content area of Family and Youth. Eight (8) field agents, spread within each region, one from the Agriculture area and one from the Human Sciences area and two (2) PRAES non-faculty personnel one who has IT responsibilities and one in a master's program who has taken courses in distance education. Subtotal twelve (12) first tier targeted audience. Second Tier Forty-five (45) field agents from each region were address toward distance education experiences in distance education technology and leadership. Twenty-four (24) field agents from the Agriculture area and twenty-one (21) field agents from the Human Sciences area. In addition, one (1) specialist from the content area of Agriculture. Subtotal of forty-six (46) second tier targeted audience. Total targeted audience fifty-eight (58). Changes/Problems: Changes On December 31, 2019, Project Director Carlos Alfredo Vivoni-Remus summited documents required for the change of PD of this project to Grants Management Specialist, due to his retirement plan. Verónica Santiago-Beauchamp assume the leadership of it. In March 2020, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum for the administrative relief for recipients and applicants of federal financial assistance directly impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), allowed grantees an automatic extension at no-cost for a period up to twelve (12) beyond the normal due date. Problems During 2020 Puerto Rico was still in recovery from the devastation of hurricanes Irma and María. In addition, starting on December 28, 2019, the southwestern part of the island Rico was struck by an earthquake swarm, been the largest and most damaging the one on January 7, 2020, at 4:24 am with magnitude 6.4 Mw, with a maximum felt intensity of VIII (Severe). Structural engineering evaluation were made to all identified distance education hubs locations delaying the hubs installations until authorities and University administration approval to use them. And to degrade even more the island's situation amid the global spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Puerto Rico's Governor Wanda Vázquez-Garced issueded Executive Order 2020-023, ordering a drastic lockdown of non-essential commerce and mandatory round-the-clock curfews, among other measures targeted toward detaining the spread of COVID-19 in the island. Access to work areas, tools, and equipment of PRAES personnel, as well as for other offices like: Finance, Budget, Property, and Inventory was limited. For that reason, purchasing equipment, the delivery and shipping by suppliers in the project timetable were delayed. Also, participant's work conditions (remote) and availability, changed. Even though some activities continued, like first tier leadership workshop, it had to be moved remotely. Hub installations started without the full delivery of some materials. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?At the end of the project, fifty-eight (56) Extension Faculty from PRAES and two (2) non-faculty PRAES personnel, have been trained in Distance Education technology and in leadership development. Also, with the installation of the distance learning hubs, PRAES trained personnel will be able to access online learning platform for synchronous meeting and interact through distant hubs with audience using live audio and video sessions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?PD/PI have been invited two (2) times to participate in the Research Fair held at the University of Puerto Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) to maximize the experiences of the project and increment participation of students. Also, participation to Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences (SOPCA) Annual Meeting to share project result and achievement with other scientist, PRAES Extension personnel, students, farmers, entrepreneurs, and anyone with interest in the agricultural area. These in addition to shared knowledge with all the components of the university system, government agencies, private businesses, farmers, housekeepers, youth, students and the public, as part of the day-by-day non-formal education process of PRAES Agricultural Agents and Family and Consumer Sciences Professionals (field agents). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the lifetime of the project, suitable offices were identified to locate the distance education hubs within PRAES regions. They were: 1) administrative office building in Río Piedras in the northeast region, 2) the Gurabo office at the Experiment Station in the southeast region, 3) local office at Coamo in the south, 4) Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) local office in Arecibo in the northcentral region and 5) at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus in the southwest region. Each hub is equipped with rapid Internet speed, 75'' 4K HD TV, two (2) front speakers with amplifier, one (1) 1080p webcam with built-in microphone in a 60'' tripod, one (1) NUC mini PC with Windows 10, one (1) MacBook Air Laptops with video editing software (FinalCut) and Sony camcorder for video recording. Twelve (12) PRAES participants: field agents, specialists and non-faculty personnel took three courses in distance education and the leadership training. Forty-six (46) participants: field agents and specialist adopted distance education and leadership knowledge from the experiences of the first twelve (12) participants.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:12 participants; 10 Faculty, 1 Administrative Personnel and 1 Program and Procedure Analyst. Out of the 12 participants, 9 of them served as moderators in a newly designed effort to provide educational services through the internet. This effort is called "Extension Virtual" and consists of an educationals series. Changes/Problems:Even though materials and equipment were purchased, the project experienced some delays in their delivery which, in turn, has represented delays in the process of fully establishing Hubs. Other external factors that have affected the completion of this objective are the seismic activity affecting Puerto Rico since January 2020 as well as the worldwide ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, delaying deliveries and distribution. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The 12 First-tier participants engaged in both distance education and leadership training. The Virtual Educator's Certification on distance education training was offered in collaboration with the Distance Education Resource Center (CREAD) of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagu?ez Campus. It consisted of 3 modules that worked with the creation of online courses through 1. a brain-centered approach, 2. design and creation of educational materials for online courses and 3. practice in the Moodle platform. As part of the training, a diagnostic test and a final examination were administered. Results provided by CREAD correspond to 10 participants that completed the training and are presented below. Two of the participants will repeat the second module in order to be certified. The leadership training was offered by Dr. Teresa Nazario, an external collaborator to the project. It consisted of 4 modules worked remotely with participants through the Zoom platform on March and April of 2020. For these, a pre-post test measure was employed to evaluate previous knowledge regarding two aspects: (1) skills and leadership behaviors, and (2) emotional intelligence (IE). Twelve participants and the project director took part in the leadership training. Results of pre and post tests are presented below, as informed by the external collaborator. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The 12 participants who achieved the Virtual Educator's Certificate and passed the Leadership Training will designed a training for 54 PRAES teaching staff members, distributed among the 5 hubs, via distance education. The participants will consult with a Distance Education expert and a Leadership expert in order to design the training.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Materials and network capabilities were purchased in order to refurbish and enable the distance education Hubs. The following figure and table present the technological resources purchased. Even though materials and equipment were purchased, the project experienced some delays in their delivery which, in turn, has represented delays in the process of fully establishing Hubs. Other external factors that have affected the completion of this objective are the seismic activity affecting Puerto Rico since January 2020 as well as the worldwide ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, delaying deliveries and distribution. According to the project's objectives, 15 participants started the training, but along the way, some of them couldn't handle the work load and had to leave the project. Others had other administrative responsibilities within the PRAES and couldn't balance the work load. Even though 15 participants began the training, one participant was transferred to another region with accordingly new responsibilities, one dropped out and one went on maternity leave for the remainder of the tier. Thus, 12 participants completed the training.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience in first tier training - faculty and non-faculty personnel - were selected from each of PRAES's programmatic areas: (Three specialists - from three different content area [Agriculture, Family, Youth, 7 field agents - [two per region, one from the Agriculture area and one from the Human Sciences area], 1 PRAES non-faculty personnel who already have IT responsibilities and one in a master's program who has taken courses in distance education. Changes/Problems:We are waiting for PRAES' administration to formally identify the regional offices that will serve as distance education hubs. Discussions have been held, however, due to the consolidation of offices that is occurring island-wide there is uncertainty about some of the locations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PRAES' faculty (13) and non-faculty personnel (total of 15) are taking the first course(out of three) leading to the "Virtual Educator Certificate" offered at the University of Puerto Rico - these are online courses. The courses are focus on developing knowledge on distance education. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We need to finish acquiring the equipment that is needed to establish five (5) regional distance education hubs in Puerto Rico's Agricultural Extension Service (PRAES); one hub per region. These hubs will be equipped to deliver synchronous (simultaneous) as well as asynchronous communication. After we receive the equipment that still needs to be acquired we will start preparing each one of the distance education hubs. The distance education trainings conducive to the "Virtual Educator Certificate" will continue until February/20.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
By acquiring must of the equipment needed to establish five (5) regional distance education hubs in Puerto Rico's Agricultural Extension Service (PRAES) we have started the process by which PRAES' personnel will be able to use the infrastructure to develop distance education courses/trainings/etc. for the clientele. These hubs will be equipped to deliver synchronous (simultaneous) as well as asynchronous communication. PRAES' faculty and non-faculty personnel (total of 15) are taking the first (out of three) course leading to the "Virtual Educator Certificate" offered at the University of Puerto Rico - these are online courses. The courses are focus on developing knowledge on distance education.
Publications
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