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Working from home can be tough, especially given the difficult times we find ourselves in. It can be distracting, boring, relaxing, and suffocating all at once. As we all learn to adapt to our new work environments, here are some resources to help us reflect on and improve our work-at-home strategies:

• Paul Hill, Extension Associate Professor and County Director, Utah State University Extension, has presented at National ESP meeting on “Working Remotely” and how to set up an environment of working with staff in any business, to work remotely, given certain parameters. You can find his online courses, “Master Remote Work Professional Certificate Course” and “Master Remote Work Leader Certificate Course”, here.
• He has also shared the following research paper: Overcoming Telework Challenges: Outcomes of Successful Telework Strategies (Greer Payne 2014)
• The WNY SBN has created some aids to address a variety of issues we may face while working at home:
  • Information on Working from Home
  • Computer Troubleshooting
  • Daily Work Record and Daily Work Log
• eXtension has created webinars on working remotely. They can be found here.

Special thanks to Beth Claypoole for compiling these resources and sharing them with us!

Feb 2020 News has been posted.  Have other news to share or something for our Professional Development Blog?  Send to cjc17@cornell.edu.

CCE Program Planning Prof Dev Webinars + PDLC topics

All professional development webinars noted here will be hosted from 10:00am – 10:40am EST on Zoom (see registration links below).  PDLC members will meet following the webinars beginning at 10:45am (using same link).

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Jan 7 – Working Out Loud (+ PDLC Welcome Zoom 1)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vpAsceGhqjMpAtES3z5ZWTqirnxsWwSaCQ

“Working Out Loud” will be focused on communicating with colleagues to build networks.

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Jan 28  – Focus Groups (+ PDLC Zoom 2)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpd-2urDoq19ChHvQsR1LkxgmRZOeUEg

“Focus Groups” will cover how to set up and use focus groups as an effective method for assessing programmatic needs.

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Feb 11 – The Foundations Directory (+ PDLC Zoom 3)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/uZcudOivqzMq7eZZpW32p8zSp8OuK5mpGw

“The Foundations Directory” will help those identifying local foundations to find and secure funding.

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Feb 25 – Active Learning (+ PDLC Zoom 4)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vJUqduisrToip2spsE6Wl_uVjLgeaLB5Jw

“Active Learning” will cover the basics of developing lesson plans with the audience in mind.  This webinar will be valuable to those who plan and facilitate learning experiences.

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March 10  – Project Management (+ PDLC Zoom 5)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vpMkdeGqrzgpJiTe4mljlmkUv22HhFHMcA

“Project Management” – will cover tools and strategies to help implement program plans.

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March 24 – Evaluation Practices (+ PDLC Zoom 6)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/vpMpcOmgrz0jVys9BGzw1BOEnXXrkEr-rQ

“Evaluation Practices” will provide guidance on evaluation types and methods for working evaluation into your program work flow.

 

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April 14 – CCE Staff Share Program Designs (+ PDLC Zoom 7)
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/uJ0tdemhrjssIhmaQUi_j6uMMe7nfKif2Q 

“CCE Staff Share Program Designs” will showcase a few examples from staff who have participated in the Program Development Leadership Cohort.

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May 12 – Beyond the Report – Sharing Successes with Other Extension Professionals (+ PDLC Zoom 8) https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/v5Qqcu-vrjIpvEdyrO72iCNEMapMHADjoQ 

“Beyond the Report – Sharing Successes with Other Extension Professionals” will share suggestions on how to publish your work through Journal of Extension and other professional development organizations.

ESP Lambda Chapter Professional Development Blog is open to all CCE staff.  The blog is intended to be a way for peers to share news and tips with each other.  Have content?  Send e-mail to: cjc17@cornell.edu.

The National Association of Program and Staff Development Professionals recently hosted  Dr. Theresa Ferrari, a colleague from Ohio State,  to share tips on publishing Extension work.

Check out:  Who, Me, An Author?  Tips for Publishing Your Extension Work – recording now available

If this topic area is of interest or you have additional ideas for professional development for Extension Staff – let us know by completing our professional development survey.

Many of you are familiar with the Journal of Extension – it is a peer-reviewed resource with research and extension articles written about the practice of doing our work by colleagues in Land Grants.  When I first started in Extension it would should up on my desk regularly and now it is of course online – searchable and at our fingertips all the time.

A quick search on “staff development” yielded today’s fun fact:

Onboarding & regular professional development aids in retention. Likely no surprise – but it might be helpful to know the research and writings about this topic.  In this article about the value of staff development University of Florida colleagues share a review of research (great reference list) that points to the value of onboarding and staff development and they share a method that they developed for articulating the return on investment for staff development for their funders.

The article reminds us that:

• Employee satisfaction drives productivity and organizational health
• Professional development increases employee satisfaction
• Onboarding helps staff to have role clarity
• Most staff decide whether to stay in a position within the first six months

So, what do you want professional development on?  Last week we piloted a professional development survey at Ag In-service to answer the question – “What professional development do (program staff) need?, In what form?  And how do we share information about opportunities?  This staff survey is now open to all – take a few minutes to let us know: What professional development opportunities are you interested in?  This short survey is anonymous…your candid responses are helpful.