- Email: [email protected]
Results of a 2010 survey assessing tennessee 4-H horse and livestock volunteer training needs
Abstracts / Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 31 (2011) 230-356
horses through future generations. Some groups shared their contact with elite riders like UK and USEF, while others shared list-serves of volunteers like KEEP and KHC. The spirit of collegiality stemmed from both the understanding that this event would promote the equine industry as a whole and also the belief that investing in the next generation of horsemen and women benefits everyone. Initially, it was uncertain whether or not the school districts would support or participate in this event. Yet, the importance of the equine industry to the commonwealth of Kentucky and the role of the horse in American culture made dedicating a single day to celebrating and learning about the horse undeniable. Along with educators, sponsors were also were pleased with the event. Most, if not all that were surveyed, expressed strong satisfaction with both the event and the turn out and felt that their sponsorship was well worth the financial investment. The most common question from school districts and sponsors alike was when the Youth Festival would be held again. Even the Kentucky Horse Park, which simply hosted the event, wanted to make in an annual occurrence. Conclusion: In times of recession, industries that are perceived as recreational or elitist, are quickly moved from being priorities to superfluous. This has happened to the equine industry over the past few years. To keep the industry alive, it is important for equestrian organizations to join forces and work together as a team, to engage, educate, and excite future generations. The collaboration between the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville laid the foundation for other unrelated equine organizations to join in, all with the common goal of investing in youth. It is detrimental to any industry when its organizations form silos that compete against each other. Now, more than ever, we must join forces and benefit from what each other has to offer to create events of this magnitude and beyond.
Results of a 2010 survey assessing tennessee 4-H horse and livestock volunteer training needs A.G. Parks, B.J. McIntosh, and F.N. Smith University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA Introduction: Well-trained volunteer leaders are essential to the success of Extension youth programs. Many land grant Universities are faced with financial challenges which have led to reduced personnel in Extension offices and programs, increasing the need for volunteers. Youth horse and livestock projects require specialized knowledge and skills as well as considerable time and energy. Many Extension Agents rely on volunteers to lead 4-H horse and livestock programs in their counties. For these programs to be successful, Extension Agents and volunteers must be able to communicate and work well together and must be aware of the rules and deadlines for each project. A national survey of 4-H Agents found that 82.8% of Agents reported spending only 1-5 h in 2 years at volunteer related seminars or workshops [1]. In early 2010, a survey was developed to assess statewide 4-H horse and livestock programming needs in Tennessee and to determine whether interest levels warranted the development of a new volunteer leader training program. Materials and Methods: The University of Tennessee (UT) Extension created two surveys to assess the need for volunteer training programs. The first version was developed to assess the needs of volunteer leaders and parents of 4-H members. One hundred fifteen paper copies of this survey were passed out at 5 statewide 4-H horse and livestock events (livestock judging, horse show, horse judging, beef exposition, and sheep exposition) held during the summer of 2010. The second version was developed to
343
assess the needs of Extension Agents and was made available on the UT Extension SharePointÒ website. Parents, volunteers, and Extension Agents were asked to indicate the livestock species with which they have a personal background or experience and the 4-H projects in which they are involved. Respondents provided information about where 4-H participants typically obtain educational materials, resources, and program information. Respondents indicated if they would be interested in attending a volunteer training program. Agents ranked the various 4-H livestock projects available in their county by relative size and rate of growth. Results and Discussion: Surveys were collected throughout the summer of 2010. In total, 46 completed surveys were returned (15 parents/volunteers and 31 Extension Agents). The majority of Extension Agents reported a personal background or experience in beef cattle (88.9%), horses (51.9%), and/or sheep (48.1%). Agents reported that the poultry and horse projects were the largest and fastest growing 4-H livestock projects within their counties. The horse project is the largest 4-H livestock project in Tennessee with 25,483 children enrolled, followed by the beef project with 11,978 and poultry project with 5,717 children enrolled. The 4-H Horse project has the largest number of participants, yet Agents reported a limited background in horses, indicating a need for well-trained volunteers in addition to training materials and opportunities provided by state Extension Specialists and staff. Approximately 84.0% of Extension Agents and 80.0% of parents/ volunteers responding expressed interest in attending a training program for 4-H horse and livestock project leaders. When asked what topics should be covered in the proposed training, the two most common responses were program rules or requirements (75.0% of Extension Agents and 66.7% of parents/volunteers) and positive youth development (85.7% of Extension Agents and 60.0% of parents/volunteers). Extension Agents and parents/volunteers also agreed that educational materials and references relating to 4-H horse and livestock projects were most often either provided directly by the Extension Agent (100.0% of Extension Agents and 73.3% of parents/volunteers) or obtained from online sources (76.7% of County Extension Agents and 60.0% of parents/volunteers). When asked where programming information such as rules, deadlines, and other related information could be obtained, the responses differed. Extension Agents indicated that this information was most likely to be provided directly by the Extension Agent (96.7%) or be available in the County Office or at club meetings (83.3%). Only 80.0% of parents/volunteers, however, reported receiving such information directly from the Extension Agent, and only 33.3% reported being able to obtain this information from the County Office or at club meetings. Sixty percent of parents/ volunteers reported obtaining programming information directly from the UT Department of Animal Science website. These results indicate a need for improvement in communication between Extension Agents and parents/volunteers involved in 4-H horse livestock projects. Conclusion: Results obtained from surveys completed by Extension Agents, parents, and volunteers indicated that additional training for 4-H horse and livestock project leaders is needed in Tennessee. The horse project was identified as a large, rapidly-growing project with which only half of Extension Agents reported a personal background or experience. Responses suggested that the proposed training should focus on program rules, positive youth development, resource availability, and ways to improve communication between Extension Agents and parents/ volunteers. As a result of these survey responses, a new fee-based Tennessee 4-H Horse and Livestock Volunteer Leader Training program was developed and offered in early 2011 in Jackson, TN and Murfreesboro, TN. A Tennessee 4-H Horse and Livestock Volunteer Leader Handbook was also developed to supplement
344
Abstracts / Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 31 (2011) 230-356
information provided at the training programs. Evaluations provided by participants have indicated that this new program provided needed, relevant, and useful information that will improve 4-H horse and livestock programs throughout Tennessee.
Survey of Adult Volunteer Horse Leaders for the Development of an Online Equine Education Program K. Waite 1, K. Wilson 2, G. Heyboer 1, and E. Greene 3 1 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA, 2 University of Maryland, Ellicott City, MD, USA, 3 University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA Introduction: eXtension (pronounced E-extension) is a webbased learning platform that provides unbiased, research- based information from national extension professionals in multiple content areas at no cost to the users. Experts such as Extension Directors and Educators, United States Department of Agriculture personnel, and others have invested financially and programmatically in this national web presence. The content has been developed and peer-reviewed by extension professionals throughout the nation. eXtension provides subject matter information in over forty diverse areas including horses. As leaders in eXtension, the Horse has served as a prototype and was the first officially launched Community of Practice (CoP), known as HorseQuest. Members of HorseQuest have worked diligently to create a rich set of online resources that are widely used by the general public, extension educators, and university faculty. In 2007, the HorseQuest CoP identified the need for an online training program for adult horse volunteers who work with youth. A comprehensive team of both horse and 4-H subject matter specialists from throughout the country formed to plan and implement the project called Horse Adult Leader Training and Education Resource (HALTER). It is important to promote lifelong learning by giving clientele opportunities to build on their knowledge and skills. The purpose of conducting this online survey was to maximize effective use of resources by determining the subject matter topics and type of program adult volunteer horse leaders would utilize to the greatest extent. Materials and Methods: Instant Survey software (www. instantsurvey.com) was utilized to conduct a national survey of adult volunteer horse leaders. Questions were developed to address; Interest in Youth Development Focused Equine Courses, Equine Course Topics (Horse Management and Science; Horsemanship; Leadership Development; Additional Horse Related Activities; Coaching; Event Planning) Equine Community Website, and Additional Information. All methods and survey tools were approved via the appropriate Institutional Review Board. Survey respondents were recruited via e-mail from Equine Extension Specialists active in the eXtension Horse Community of Practice (CoP). Given the broad scope of the survey, Interest level in Horse Management and Science will be presented here. Data were analyzed using a binomial test via IBM SPSS Statistics 19 software. Results and Discussion: Approximately 295 online surveys were completed with the following geographic distribution; MI (n ¼ 152), NE (n ¼ 25), NJ (n ¼ 23), MD (n ¼ 20), GA (n ¼ 19), IN (n ¼ 10), KY (n ¼ 9), NV (n ¼ 4), ME (n ¼ 5), NM (n ¼ 5), NV (n ¼ 4), PA (n ¼ 2), CT (n ¼ 1), ND (n ¼ 1), LA (n ¼ 1). No State Reported (n ¼ 17). It was evident that these leaders would be interested in an online equine education program, with 98% showing some type of interest and 89% indicating they would be interested in a course including completion levels. Additional information collected from the survey indicated that horse management and science
and horsemanship and equitation were the topics they would be most interested in learning about. More than half of the respondents indicated that they would not be willing to pay for the resource. The Horse Management and Science topic area questions were developed to determine subjects about which adult horse leaders would be most interested in learning. When comparing survey topics that received responses of “Very Interested” against “Not Interested” and “Mildly Interested” responses, there was a significant difference (P < .001) for all items in General Horse Care. Respondents were “Very Interested” in learning about General Health (81%, n ¼ 244), Nutrition (74%, n ¼ 220), Horse Behavior (85%, n ¼ 251), Diseases (n ¼ 70%) Hoof Care (68%, n ¼ 203), and Parasites (63%, n ¼ 189). However, the proportion responding “Very Interested” was significantly less (P < .001) than the proportion responding “Not Interested or Mildly Interested” to both Reproduction (35%, n ¼ 106), and Land Use and Manure Management (36%, n ¼ 109). The challenge arises when the topic may have local or state importance (e.g. regulations on manure management), yet do not pique the interest of the audience. It is critical that course creators factor this in and find creative ways to incorporate important information that is not perceived as interesting to the audience. With this information, the Level One of the HALTER course was created, pilot tested and launched. It was logical to utilize existing online resources such as websites, learning lessons, and publications specific to horses, with HALTER providing the framework. New resources specific to youth development have also been created, and will be included in each subsequent level. The entire program will include four levels in all, with levels one and two “live” and three and four set to be launched in 2011. To date, 342 individuals have registered for HALTER Level One, which includes learning lessons titled Horse Owner Survival (Horse behavior, safe horse handling etc.), Basic Horse Care and Management and Horse Power: Positive Youth Development and Horses. Those individuals receiving a score of 80% or greater on the assessment for each learning lesson are able to print a certificate of completion. Conclusion: This survey allowed curriculum developers to focus on information most desired by end users as well as to creatively incorporate important but “not interesting” information. In addition to determining the equine subject matter in which adult volunteers have an interest, the survey results also provided information about online surveys in general. For example, the e-mail recruiting survey participation originated from the Michigan Equine Extension Specialist. Interestingly, the greatest number of survey responses came from Michigan, suggesting that “face to face” contact or familiarity may improve response rate and should be considered when distributing survey invitations.
Measuring the Effectiveness of a Facebook Fan Page for Equine Extension Programs K. Martinson 1, C. Skelly 2, and L. Fisher 2 University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN USA, 2 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
1
Introduction: Facebook (FB), an online social media network, provides users with an interactive web page–like format to share information, photographs, articles, and web links. There are over 500 million active users who spend 700 billion minutes per month on FB [1]. Over 850,000 users have “liked” horses or have added horses as an interest to their FB page [2]. “Like” is a way to give positive feedback or to connect with things you care about on FB. The fastest growing demographic of FB users are females with an
horses through future generations. Some groups shared their contact with elite riders like UK and USEF, while others shared list-serves of volunteers like KEEP and KHC. The spirit of collegiality stemmed from both the understanding that this event would promote the equine industry as a whole and also the belief that investing in the next generation of horsemen and women benefits everyone. Initially, it was uncertain whether or not the school districts would support or participate in this event. Yet, the importance of the equine industry to the commonwealth of Kentucky and the role of the horse in American culture made dedicating a single day to celebrating and learning about the horse undeniable. Along with educators, sponsors were also were pleased with the event. Most, if not all that were surveyed, expressed strong satisfaction with both the event and the turn out and felt that their sponsorship was well worth the financial investment. The most common question from school districts and sponsors alike was when the Youth Festival would be held again. Even the Kentucky Horse Park, which simply hosted the event, wanted to make in an annual occurrence. Conclusion: In times of recession, industries that are perceived as recreational or elitist, are quickly moved from being priorities to superfluous. This has happened to the equine industry over the past few years. To keep the industry alive, it is important for equestrian organizations to join forces and work together as a team, to engage, educate, and excite future generations. The collaboration between the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville laid the foundation for other unrelated equine organizations to join in, all with the common goal of investing in youth. It is detrimental to any industry when its organizations form silos that compete against each other. Now, more than ever, we must join forces and benefit from what each other has to offer to create events of this magnitude and beyond.
Results of a 2010 survey assessing tennessee 4-H horse and livestock volunteer training needs A.G. Parks, B.J. McIntosh, and F.N. Smith University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA Introduction: Well-trained volunteer leaders are essential to the success of Extension youth programs. Many land grant Universities are faced with financial challenges which have led to reduced personnel in Extension offices and programs, increasing the need for volunteers. Youth horse and livestock projects require specialized knowledge and skills as well as considerable time and energy. Many Extension Agents rely on volunteers to lead 4-H horse and livestock programs in their counties. For these programs to be successful, Extension Agents and volunteers must be able to communicate and work well together and must be aware of the rules and deadlines for each project. A national survey of 4-H Agents found that 82.8% of Agents reported spending only 1-5 h in 2 years at volunteer related seminars or workshops [1]. In early 2010, a survey was developed to assess statewide 4-H horse and livestock programming needs in Tennessee and to determine whether interest levels warranted the development of a new volunteer leader training program. Materials and Methods: The University of Tennessee (UT) Extension created two surveys to assess the need for volunteer training programs. The first version was developed to assess the needs of volunteer leaders and parents of 4-H members. One hundred fifteen paper copies of this survey were passed out at 5 statewide 4-H horse and livestock events (livestock judging, horse show, horse judging, beef exposition, and sheep exposition) held during the summer of 2010. The second version was developed to
343
assess the needs of Extension Agents and was made available on the UT Extension SharePointÒ website. Parents, volunteers, and Extension Agents were asked to indicate the livestock species with which they have a personal background or experience and the 4-H projects in which they are involved. Respondents provided information about where 4-H participants typically obtain educational materials, resources, and program information. Respondents indicated if they would be interested in attending a volunteer training program. Agents ranked the various 4-H livestock projects available in their county by relative size and rate of growth. Results and Discussion: Surveys were collected throughout the summer of 2010. In total, 46 completed surveys were returned (15 parents/volunteers and 31 Extension Agents). The majority of Extension Agents reported a personal background or experience in beef cattle (88.9%), horses (51.9%), and/or sheep (48.1%). Agents reported that the poultry and horse projects were the largest and fastest growing 4-H livestock projects within their counties. The horse project is the largest 4-H livestock project in Tennessee with 25,483 children enrolled, followed by the beef project with 11,978 and poultry project with 5,717 children enrolled. The 4-H Horse project has the largest number of participants, yet Agents reported a limited background in horses, indicating a need for well-trained volunteers in addition to training materials and opportunities provided by state Extension Specialists and staff. Approximately 84.0% of Extension Agents and 80.0% of parents/ volunteers responding expressed interest in attending a training program for 4-H horse and livestock project leaders. When asked what topics should be covered in the proposed training, the two most common responses were program rules or requirements (75.0% of Extension Agents and 66.7% of parents/volunteers) and positive youth development (85.7% of Extension Agents and 60.0% of parents/volunteers). Extension Agents and parents/volunteers also agreed that educational materials and references relating to 4-H horse and livestock projects were most often either provided directly by the Extension Agent (100.0% of Extension Agents and 73.3% of parents/volunteers) or obtained from online sources (76.7% of County Extension Agents and 60.0% of parents/volunteers). When asked where programming information such as rules, deadlines, and other related information could be obtained, the responses differed. Extension Agents indicated that this information was most likely to be provided directly by the Extension Agent (96.7%) or be available in the County Office or at club meetings (83.3%). Only 80.0% of parents/volunteers, however, reported receiving such information directly from the Extension Agent, and only 33.3% reported being able to obtain this information from the County Office or at club meetings. Sixty percent of parents/ volunteers reported obtaining programming information directly from the UT Department of Animal Science website. These results indicate a need for improvement in communication between Extension Agents and parents/volunteers involved in 4-H horse livestock projects. Conclusion: Results obtained from surveys completed by Extension Agents, parents, and volunteers indicated that additional training for 4-H horse and livestock project leaders is needed in Tennessee. The horse project was identified as a large, rapidly-growing project with which only half of Extension Agents reported a personal background or experience. Responses suggested that the proposed training should focus on program rules, positive youth development, resource availability, and ways to improve communication between Extension Agents and parents/ volunteers. As a result of these survey responses, a new fee-based Tennessee 4-H Horse and Livestock Volunteer Leader Training program was developed and offered in early 2011 in Jackson, TN and Murfreesboro, TN. A Tennessee 4-H Horse and Livestock Volunteer Leader Handbook was also developed to supplement
344
Abstracts / Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 31 (2011) 230-356
information provided at the training programs. Evaluations provided by participants have indicated that this new program provided needed, relevant, and useful information that will improve 4-H horse and livestock programs throughout Tennessee.
Survey of Adult Volunteer Horse Leaders for the Development of an Online Equine Education Program K. Waite 1, K. Wilson 2, G. Heyboer 1, and E. Greene 3 1 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA, 2 University of Maryland, Ellicott City, MD, USA, 3 University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA Introduction: eXtension (pronounced E-extension) is a webbased learning platform that provides unbiased, research- based information from national extension professionals in multiple content areas at no cost to the users. Experts such as Extension Directors and Educators, United States Department of Agriculture personnel, and others have invested financially and programmatically in this national web presence. The content has been developed and peer-reviewed by extension professionals throughout the nation. eXtension provides subject matter information in over forty diverse areas including horses. As leaders in eXtension, the Horse has served as a prototype and was the first officially launched Community of Practice (CoP), known as HorseQuest. Members of HorseQuest have worked diligently to create a rich set of online resources that are widely used by the general public, extension educators, and university faculty. In 2007, the HorseQuest CoP identified the need for an online training program for adult horse volunteers who work with youth. A comprehensive team of both horse and 4-H subject matter specialists from throughout the country formed to plan and implement the project called Horse Adult Leader Training and Education Resource (HALTER). It is important to promote lifelong learning by giving clientele opportunities to build on their knowledge and skills. The purpose of conducting this online survey was to maximize effective use of resources by determining the subject matter topics and type of program adult volunteer horse leaders would utilize to the greatest extent. Materials and Methods: Instant Survey software (www. instantsurvey.com) was utilized to conduct a national survey of adult volunteer horse leaders. Questions were developed to address; Interest in Youth Development Focused Equine Courses, Equine Course Topics (Horse Management and Science; Horsemanship; Leadership Development; Additional Horse Related Activities; Coaching; Event Planning) Equine Community Website, and Additional Information. All methods and survey tools were approved via the appropriate Institutional Review Board. Survey respondents were recruited via e-mail from Equine Extension Specialists active in the eXtension Horse Community of Practice (CoP). Given the broad scope of the survey, Interest level in Horse Management and Science will be presented here. Data were analyzed using a binomial test via IBM SPSS Statistics 19 software. Results and Discussion: Approximately 295 online surveys were completed with the following geographic distribution; MI (n ¼ 152), NE (n ¼ 25), NJ (n ¼ 23), MD (n ¼ 20), GA (n ¼ 19), IN (n ¼ 10), KY (n ¼ 9), NV (n ¼ 4), ME (n ¼ 5), NM (n ¼ 5), NV (n ¼ 4), PA (n ¼ 2), CT (n ¼ 1), ND (n ¼ 1), LA (n ¼ 1). No State Reported (n ¼ 17). It was evident that these leaders would be interested in an online equine education program, with 98% showing some type of interest and 89% indicating they would be interested in a course including completion levels. Additional information collected from the survey indicated that horse management and science
and horsemanship and equitation were the topics they would be most interested in learning about. More than half of the respondents indicated that they would not be willing to pay for the resource. The Horse Management and Science topic area questions were developed to determine subjects about which adult horse leaders would be most interested in learning. When comparing survey topics that received responses of “Very Interested” against “Not Interested” and “Mildly Interested” responses, there was a significant difference (P < .001) for all items in General Horse Care. Respondents were “Very Interested” in learning about General Health (81%, n ¼ 244), Nutrition (74%, n ¼ 220), Horse Behavior (85%, n ¼ 251), Diseases (n ¼ 70%) Hoof Care (68%, n ¼ 203), and Parasites (63%, n ¼ 189). However, the proportion responding “Very Interested” was significantly less (P < .001) than the proportion responding “Not Interested or Mildly Interested” to both Reproduction (35%, n ¼ 106), and Land Use and Manure Management (36%, n ¼ 109). The challenge arises when the topic may have local or state importance (e.g. regulations on manure management), yet do not pique the interest of the audience. It is critical that course creators factor this in and find creative ways to incorporate important information that is not perceived as interesting to the audience. With this information, the Level One of the HALTER course was created, pilot tested and launched. It was logical to utilize existing online resources such as websites, learning lessons, and publications specific to horses, with HALTER providing the framework. New resources specific to youth development have also been created, and will be included in each subsequent level. The entire program will include four levels in all, with levels one and two “live” and three and four set to be launched in 2011. To date, 342 individuals have registered for HALTER Level One, which includes learning lessons titled Horse Owner Survival (Horse behavior, safe horse handling etc.), Basic Horse Care and Management and Horse Power: Positive Youth Development and Horses. Those individuals receiving a score of 80% or greater on the assessment for each learning lesson are able to print a certificate of completion. Conclusion: This survey allowed curriculum developers to focus on information most desired by end users as well as to creatively incorporate important but “not interesting” information. In addition to determining the equine subject matter in which adult volunteers have an interest, the survey results also provided information about online surveys in general. For example, the e-mail recruiting survey participation originated from the Michigan Equine Extension Specialist. Interestingly, the greatest number of survey responses came from Michigan, suggesting that “face to face” contact or familiarity may improve response rate and should be considered when distributing survey invitations.
Measuring the Effectiveness of a Facebook Fan Page for Equine Extension Programs K. Martinson 1, C. Skelly 2, and L. Fisher 2 University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN USA, 2 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
1
Introduction: Facebook (FB), an online social media network, provides users with an interactive web page–like format to share information, photographs, articles, and web links. There are over 500 million active users who spend 700 billion minutes per month on FB [1]. Over 850,000 users have “liked” horses or have added horses as an interest to their FB page [2]. “Like” is a way to give positive feedback or to connect with things you care about on FB. The fastest growing demographic of FB users are females with an