Wiki has been lauded as a tool that enhances collaborative writing in educational settings and moves learners toward a state of communal constructivism (Holmes, Tangney, FitzGibbon, Savage, & Mehan., 2001). Many pedagogical claims exist regarding the benefits of using wiki. However, these claims have rarely been challenged. This study used a three-year longitudinal cohort survey design (Creswell, 2008) to measure learners' perception regarding the pedagogical claims of wiki to create an online textbook in a graduate agricultural adult education course. The overall survey mean was 2.37 on a four-point scale (2.0 = not sure, 3.0 = agree). Learners were positively but marginally impacted by the wiki writing experiences in terms of knowledge construction and enhanced critical thinking skills. Study results marginally support Holmes' et al. theory that interactive communication technologies (ICT) create constructivist learning opportunities. Collaborative writing does not naturally emerge from wiki work. Rather, it must be coaxed and nurtured through reward and a self-directed learning approach.
Stakeholder engagement is critical for extension education to fulfill the land-grant mission of extending the university to the public. A survey of a stratified random sample of minor crop producers in Oklahoma determined how and from whom producers obtained crop production information. Findings indicated the land-grant university remains relevant and is accomplishing its mission of extending research-based knowledge to its intended audience. Field days were the most frequently attended event and a majority of the producers worked with university personnel to learn about new production practices. Most producers (67%) used Cooperative Extension Service (CES) to obtain crop production information; however, many other sources were also used, including crop consultants. Extension specialists were contacted; however, extension educators had not sufficiently engaged stakeholders to assess their preferences of receiving educational programs and materials, indicating producers seek deeper knowledge than what is provided by county educators. It is recommended that the university continue to host field days and workshops for producers and CES educators continuously strive to engage minor crop producers and devise relevant workshops, programs, and publications which address their preferred method of receiving information from the land-grant university.
Extension professionals across the country are continuously seeking innovative ways to reach clientele and to disseminate timely, educational information. A new avenue to reach clientele includes the use of smartphone "apps." The "Machinery Sizing" app, which was developed to ease the estimation of tractor horsepower to implement sizing for Extension clientele anytime, anywhere, is explained as a key example for Extension professionals to utilize apps in disseminating information to clientele. There are many benefits to using apps, including information availability wherever Internet service is available on the smartphone, ease of computations of equations, and automatic updates being sent to users.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.