Bite-sized Learning

October 19, 2023Celeste Carmichael No Comments

Generative AI and Extension Work

I had to chance to facilitate an “unconference” session for the professional development group, National Association of Program and Staff Development Professionals (NAEPSDP) about Generative AI. The “unconference” format just means that it is less of an orchestrated presentation by an expert and more of a facilitated discussion. I offered to lead this one because I’m a regular Chat GPT user, taught first by my grown children and strengthened by my curiosity, mostly to summarize lengthy extension reports (often my own) quickly.

I wanted to share a couple of items that may be of use to our own staff and teams.

First I should share – Extension Connect provided a very thorough webinar and resources in June that was recorded with resources. A great basics how-to for those who may be new to the technology: https://connect.extension.org/blog/resources-from-ai-basics-for-extension

Equally, there was a good briefing in the Journal of Extension Ensuring Responsible and Transparent Use of Generative AI in Extension that includes usage as well as cautions.

In the NAEPSDP “unconference” chat I started with my experiences, suggestions for prompts, and suggestions for how staff new or not so new to AI might want to dabble in it for Extension work, colleagues from across the country contributed to the dialogue, adding their experiences, hesitations, and questions.

My usage of AI (I use chat GPT):
- Use to summarize lengthy reports; leveraging technology to succinctly express impacts
- Summarizing qualitative data (in quantitative ways) – similar to what qualitative research software can do
- Brainstorming – responses to questions, providing a framework for stories or issues, or lesson planning 🙂
It is all about the prompts. For those who use generative AI, you will know that you need to consider how to ask the question so that the responses are what you are looking for.
- My top three:
  1. “Summarize the following in plain language” (where I’m providing the content and asking for dialogue that is written in a way that the lay reader could understand the content.
  2. “Can you group these into buckets of insights, with their associated weight (in %), and list so examples of associated responses for each insight?” (where the results turn qualitative results into quantitative responses)
  3. “Possible titles for the following abstract” (where I’m looking for help giving a clever but understandable title to a story)
- More prompts for consideration include this great list from our colleagues at Virginia Cooperative Extension that includes prompts for lesson planning etc. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GpEhmp2oJPuXS28CPKNHTc74HW_cpXr1WgW43ywIagk/edit?usp=sharing

For the new and not-so-new to generative AI…here are some fun/interesting ways to make use of it:

“make me a grocery list for x # people and organize it by section in the grocery store. Make a meal plan from this for 3 dinners, 3 lunches and 3 breakfasts” (seriously…try this out…provide any details you would like about the people – it is remarkable)
Summarize a success story from colleagues or yourself (drop the text into the prompt) – you will land with a few bullets succinctly written from your words in minutes. Amazing way to help you focus on a few key points.
Review of survey responses– no names and not for research purposes (community example) (dropping text into the prompt) – whether you have 5 or 50 responses – this will at least provide you with a framework for how to talk about the responses.

Would be interested to know your experiences!

October 18, 2023Celeste Carmichael No Comments

Gamification or “Jobification” – Applying Game Design Approaches as a Bridge to Workforce Skills

I recently wrote a blog post for an outside ag tech project that I work on with Virginia Tech. The project has paired a cohort of Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Ag faculty with Virginia Tech Ag faculty to focus on instructional design that is aimed at helping students gain (and acknowledge the gain of) greater workforce skills.

One design that has prompted a bridge between out-of-school and formal learning is badging to help students reflect on the experiences that they have had outside of class so that the course materials feel more relevant. One VCCS faculty member aptly named this practice of building gamification in as “jobification”. I thought this might be of interest to some of my CCE colleagues. The idea of instructional designs that bridge learning environments is what my own research focus is on.

You can find the blog post here: https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/10/gamification-or-jobification-applying_18.html

We are currently working on a journal publication to describe more of the documentation that went into this component of the project. Stay tuned :).

July 27, 2023Celeste Carmichael No Comments

Crafting Effective Learning Experiences with the Help of Instructional Design Models

Just like anyone else, I can get easily distracted, behind, rushed, and overwhelmed while trying to plan for a new program. Learning that this feeling is not “just me” and that others that I look up to struggle and look for methods of to overcome the “too busy to plan” feeling has upped my game over the years. Reflecting on the steps in an Instructional Design Models is one way that I do this.

A new cohort of the Program Development Leadership Cohort (PDLC) that was kicked off this week – we start the work by reflecting on what has worked for each of us in designing programs, and considering effectiveness strategies that others have put into place that we have witnessed as successful. And then we look at how similar all of our ideas really are – and how similar the many versions of instructional design models are. Essentially – when we take time to assess needs, develop clear objectives, design a program for the primary audience, create an implementation plan for effectiveness, and then evaluate against our objectives – we are more likely to provide an effective learning experience. Sounds simple…but it does take practice – which is just what we do in PDLC.

I find reflecting on a program development model helps me to ensure that I’ve considered thoughts and ideas of others and research, and keeps me focused on the task at hand while mindful and curious about what could be. While I embrace the iterative process (in a model like Dick and Carey), I tend to lean into the ADDIE model as a simple way to think of the parts and pieces. Documenting steps and keeping notes in a place that I can find them is really key for me. At the moment OneNote is my go to…thought this does change depending on my collaborators and projects.

So…if you are thinking – “how can I make sure that my programs/projects move forward, address needs, and are welcoming to your audience – I might suggest using a PD Model to nudge your action steps and keep you moving forward. Want to know more about program development models? Check out the resources – including a short tutorial at: https://staff.cce.cornell.edu/courses/ccepdc-101/program-development-concepts-and-models

Celeste Carmichael is a Program Development Specialist for CCE Administration.

July 19, 2021Celeste Carmichael No Comments

Research partnership supports NYS families fighting opioids | Cornell Chronicle

Sometimes the media shares great examples of research and extension connecting and Extension extending…

Just in case you missed this article which focuses on the important work the Opioid PWT co-chairs Anna Steinkraus, Juliana Garcia, and Dr. Elizabeth Day have been working on for the last couple years.

Congrats to their team! We just wanted to share. Research partnership supports NYS families fighting opioids | Cornell Chronicle

February 22, 2021Celeste Carmichael No Comments

Practice Considerations for Teaching in an Online Environment

No surprise, research and practices are beginning to roll in about online teaching and learning. In a recent edition of CBE – Life Sciences Education (LSE) research and best practices were shared around teaching equitably in synchronous online classes (Reinholz et al., 2020). While Extension teaching is non-formal, a quick review of the article will likely affirm and may help to inspire inclusive and equitable teaching practices.

Research indicates that instructors have adopted a range of practices to promote equitable participation online. Key practices related to social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence include: 1) (re)-establishing norms, 2) using participant names, 3) using breakout rooms, 4) leveraging chat-based participation, 5) using polling software, 6) creating an inclusive curriculum, and 7) cutting content to maintain rigor. The article shared the research approach and results. Below are a few personal insights to the practices that relate to our collective Extension work.

Re-establishing Norms. For some in Extension this may mean establishing norms for online teaching and learning. There is comfort for participants knowing what to expect, how they will be welcomed and how they will communicate in the session. For example – do you want participants to have cameras on if they can? Should they raise their hand or use chat to converse? Will you use annotation tools? Talk about your expectations, practice them within your group, revisit your group practice…it is mostly about making others conformable and feeling welcomed.

Using Student Names. Distance education does not have to be socially distant (what a concept!). Research indicates, and I bet your human experience may feel the same…people like to be called by name. It is possible that you have not met before in person and that you may not get the pronunciation right the first time…but data suggests that trying to use names is welcoming to participants.

Use Breakout Rooms. Zoom breakout rooms are not the answer to everything, but they can provide the one on one conversation and deeper understanding that happens with small group discussions. If you are teaching a workshop online, and haven’t played with break-out rooms – try it! More and more of our Extension colleagues (and participants) are becoming comfortable with using breakout rooms.

Leveraging Chat-Based Participation. The interest is in engaging your audience and helping them be present to what you are sharing. As Reinholz shares in the article, “chat is a very flexible method for broadening participation (related to teaching presence)”. It is simple, and accessible. Why not ask a question and have dialogue in the chat? Or name co-teachers to monitor the chat and respond to the questions?

Using Polling Software. There are many options available for polling, including hosting a poll within zoom. That said, often we are hosting a meeting and are interested in creating a word cloud or other visualizations. If you are interested in polls, know that Poll Everwhere is supported by CIT https://teaching.cornell.edu/resource/poll-everywhere For full access, complete the request form found here: https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Qmr0bsnhijpxmR

No doubt, polls engage the audience, and the data can be useful to you moving forward.

Creating an Inclusive Curriculum. In a perfect world, creating a culture for inclusivity begins as you create curriculum, projects, and programs. Use guiding principles for inclusivity as you prepare core content, workshop announcements, etc. Consider adding information about your approach to inclusivity to your website and resources. I don’t know about you, but this is one I need to work on :).

Cutting Content to Maintain Rigor. As Reinholz et al. have shared, “Instructors noted the lack of time in moving online”. That sentiment goes for students as well. Students share that it can feel overwhelming to have to read, watch, and communicate in an online environment. Too much information is not a new challenge to Extension staff – we get excited! The practice of cutting content is intended to share the critical content for participants to help you as the instructor to meet your objectives. Good to keep this in mind and possibly sharing “recommended readings”.

Reinholz, D. L., Stone-Johnstone, A., White, I., Sianez Jr, L. M., & Shah, N. (2020). A Pandemic Crash Course: Learning to Teach Equitably in Synchronous Online Classes. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 19(4), ar60. https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.20-06-0126

November 8, 2019Celeste Carmichael No Comments

Tips for Increasing Impact with Tabling Events

Fun Fact: CCE program reporting data indicates that Extension staff reach more indirects via “tabling” at events than other means of indirect education

Tabling is an effective way to educate and engage potential audiences. I’m reviewing data right now and can see…we use tabling a lot, reaching potentially millions each year. While hard to evaluate the impact of such events, there are notable ways of making tabling activities more engaging for all (and fun for staff!). A little googling on “driving traffic to exhibitors” will give you a sense of how to grow your audience in this way. Below is a synopsis of ideas that you may find. What other ideas do you have to share? Let us know @cceorgdev

Have Fun. When you are tabling, be enthusiastic and friendly. Be active in your outreach. Stand in front of your table and engage with passersby—don’t wait for people.
Choose a location. Where you table matters. If possible – pick the area where your audience is most likely to be – ask for an area with lots of foot traffic.
Recruit Volunteers. Effective tabling typically requires several people – at least two per shift…so that they will feel fresh and able to have more fun with the audience.
Promote. While your table will likely attract those already walking by, promoting in advance will help to draw additional visitors and supporters. Social media posts before or during can help. A study by Deloitte and Touche found that pre-show promotions can improve the quality of the audience attracted to exhibitors booths by 46%. You may also want to e-mail those you know will be there and ask them to stop by as a booth with people stopping by will look more appealing to new audiences too.
Gather Materials. Think about what will attract people to your table and what visitors are likely to pick up once you have their attention. Pay attention to what people are looking at the next time you are in a venue with booths… Freebies & drawings are known methods for getting people to come closer for potential engagement. A drawing can be a lower budget way to pull people in for a conversation starter. A 2004 Georgia Southern University study found that coupling an invitation with the promise of a gift is more effective at driving traffic to exhibitor booths than an invitation without a freebie or discount.
Stay in Touch. Consider having a computer with a Google Form, a spreadsheet, or a sign-up sheet with pens to record the names and email addresses of interested students.
Include a Call to Action or an Action. Offer specific ways that your audience can be involved – an activity, photo booth, survey…citizen science…anything active.

April 4, 2019Celeste Carmichael

Designing instruction and being a learner in an audience or class, working to learn new things, are flip sides of the same coin. Learning is the intended outcome – but achieving that goal can be tricky.

Were you ever a student or a participant in a class or a training (online or otherwise) that left you feeling too “full”, or confused? Or perhaps it left you reviewing the lesson 2, 3 or 4 times so that you could better understand what was presented? That feeling, referred to as cognitive overload, is real – your brain just can’t handle that much information.

Our job as educators in Extension is often to take complex ideas or research and translate it into information that anyone can understand…yet it is easy to get caught up in academic jargon or the details, leaving our learners frustrated or the learning outcome unmet.

multimedia = words + pictures (a strategy for promoting transfer of knowledge).

Research indicates that using words and pictures together is an important strategy for providing instruction that promotes deep learning and a transfer of knowledge. Drs. Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer, in their book e-Learning and the science of instruction, describe e-learning multimedia as a combination of text and audio as well as still and motion visuals to communicate content.

These ideas, which may seem like just good common sense, are also grounded in science and research. They go on to describe a list of multimedia principles that are intended to help avoid cognitive overload and help learners more easily grasp complex issues. I’m going to be writing about those principles on our ESP blog and will feature the segmenting principle in this post.

The segmenting principle suggests that breaking a complex lesson down from one large lesson into smaller, more manageable segments can help a learner to more easily understand a lesson. Breaking a big idea down into smaller buckets of content is much like what we would do if we were preparing a course, module or presentation outline.

Clark and Mayer also suggest presenting the ideas one at a time, with a mental break in between to allow for the learner to digest the concept. More time with one concept equates to time for pushing ideas around in your working memory, giving you a chance to relate the concept to prior knowledge.

Idea + Pause + Idea + Pause = Greater Cognition and Retention

Can you think of a time when you have participated in an training or lesson set up this way?

More for those of us developing online learning experiences:

Learner-controlled start and stop: In a study by Schar and Zimmermann (2007) two groups were compared: one watching a continuous animation and another watching an animation which included controls to pause the screen. Both experimental groups proved to have no difference in learning. However, the researcher team suggested that when the animation didn’t have pre-chosen points to stop, the learner didn’t know to make the decision to stop. To be more successful, the lesson designer might be more intentional, inserting auto-pauses at points that make logical sense.
Learner-controlled learning: In another study, Mayer, Mathias, and Wetzell (2002) presented some learners with a labeled diagram while others were presented with an interactive diagram where if click on the different part, a short summary was read. The students who used the narrated segmented training did better on their performance tests than those who did not.

Worth the effort? Why invest the time to carry out the segmenting principle? Poorly designed instruction wastes time and money. We want to help participants understand what they are being taught, learn new skills and grow in confidence. Research shows that the segmenting principle is a successful method to design instruction of complex issues.

Reflecting on the segmenting principle: How will you use these ideas to plan your next educational program?