Issue Based Programming and Prioritizing Issues

Darrell A. Dromgoole, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Mandi Seaton, Regional Program Leader for Family and Community Health/4-H and Youth Development, North Region, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Scott Cummings, Associate Department Head and Program Leader; Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

When executed correctly, the PIE Program Change Model enables Extension educators to work with planning groups to identify issues and develop educational interventions that result in clientele change (new skills acquired, change in attitude/beliefs, change in behavior, adoption of practices, or adoption of technology).

According to Boleman and Cummings (2005), in order to effectively plan Extension educational programs, Extension must listen to the people in their communities to comprehend their needs. For a number of years, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has relied upon an issue identification process entitled the Texas Community Futures Forum (Boleman & Cummings, 2005).  While Extension relies heavily on the Texas Community Futures Forum, educators also identify issues through other methods such as committees, coalitions, task forces, commodity groups, elected officials, and through state and national trends identified by subject matter specialists, etc.

Identifying Issues

As you begin your career as an Extension educator, it is important that there is an understanding of both the definition of an issue and issue-based programming. An issue is defined by Seevers and Graham (2012) as matters of wide public concern arising out of complex problems impacting individuals or communities.

Issue-based programming is educational efforts that focus on issues facing individuals in their own context or setting (Seevers, & Graham, 2012). The involvement of planning groups in issue identification ensures program reliance and our clientele’s “buy-in”. When our clientele has “buy-in” our programs becomes their programs which provides excellent opportunities to use planning groups in the interpretation of programs with stakeholders.

Issues facing clientele are abundant, leaving Extension educators overwhelmed. If not managed appropriately, many issues can lead to Extension educators conducting a large amount of unrelated events that do not result in intended clientele change. Although it is easy to become overwhelmed with educational events that may not relate to high-priority goals,  Extension educators must learn to balance pressure from various sources: local clientele, elected officials, society, the tradition of the program, and individual professional goals (Seevers & Graham, 2012). One way to balance the various sources of issues, Extension educators can learn to prioritize the issues.

Prioritizing Issues

Prioritizing issues from various sources must be established in every stage of the program development process: defining target audiences, identifying needs, determining methods and strategies, and executing programming to accomplish intended measurable goals (Seevers & Graham, 2012). Forest and Mulcahy (1976) identified five reasons for setting priorities;

1. Priority setting is critical in directing program actions to the changing needs of our clientele.
2. Priority setting assists Extension educators to be proactive which will prevent future problems or crises. By having knowledge about the past and research that identifies new solutions to problems, Extension educators can anticipate problems and assist clientele implement actions to avoid cries.
3. Priority setting is important for establishing credibility and accountability with program stakeholders. Extension is increasingly being held accountable for program results by those providing funding.
4. The job of an Extension educator is easier if priorities are established. A common statement made by Extension educators is “There is so much to do and not enough time to get it all done. I can’t possibly add one more thing to my calendar.”
5. Setting priorities assist with the process of allocating resources. If priorities are determined, resources can be used more effectively. The bottom line the Extension educator can focus their work in a more effective manner.

In addition to Forest and Mulcahy’s (1976) reasons, Seever and Graham (2012) suggest a successful priority setting depends on the execution of the following steps:

• Step 1: Assessing the present situation by identifying all the ongoing programs and educational events to which an individual is currently committed.
• Step 2: Identify possible priorities from needs assessments and organizational sources.
• Step 3: Weighing the importance of priorities to compare all program and activities identified in steps 1 and 2.
• Step 4: Consider the consequences of acting on priorities. What will be the impact if a program is not continued?  What will be the impact is another program is added?
• Step 5: Taking action on priorities. Actions may include shifting emphasis from low priority to higher priority programs or delegating lower priority issues to an Extension volunteer group to address.

Another highly effective method that Extension educators can use is to simply develop a table of issues important to clientele. On the left side of the column, Extension educators will list sources of issues and the top of the table the educator will list identified issues. The example below will illustrate how this table can be used to prioritize issues.

As you can see in this example, the issues of Childhood Obesity and Diabetes Education were identified frequently by various groups. Therefore, Childhood Obesity and Diabetes Education would be higher priorities in terms of programming and in the allocation of resources.

If you have any questions about identifying and prioritizing issues in your county, visit with your Regional Program Leader.

References

Boleman, C.T. & Cummings, S.R. (2005) Listen to the People—A Strategic Planning Model for Cooperative Extension. Journal of Extension [Online],43 (3) Article 3TOT3. Available at: https://www.joe.org/joe/2005june/tt3.php

Forest, L., & Mulcahy, S. (1976). First things first; A handbook of priority setting in Extension. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Extension.

Seevers, B., & Graham, D., (2012). Education through Cooperative Extension. (3^rd. ed.). Fayetteville AR. University of Arkansas Bookstore.