Extension goes distance delivery
April 7, 2020
The UAF Cooperative Extension Service known for hands-on workshops on practical topics,
such as canning salmon and training gardeners.
But just as the UAF academic faculty moved online on short notice, Extension has had to go all out on distance delivery.
A surprising number of folks have tuned in. Juneau agent Sarah Lewis has hosted three Facebook Live events from her home kitchen, including one on making sauerkraut and fermenting vegetables, which has gotten almost 1,000 views so far. Someone from Australia watched it. After it ended, she answered questions in the comments about jar lids and filtered water.
Adjusting to the live format has been a little daunting, but Sarah says it's going ok. She feels like shorter, single-topic sessions are best for Facebook Live, so she also plans to use Zoom.
One of the participants in her sauerkraut class commented, "Love you for doing this. I just made three batches yesterday. 2 shallot/garlic and 1 pesto (basil/garlic). All thanks to your class."
Kenai Peninsula agent Casey Matney has been using Zoom for several years to reach more remote areas in his district, which includes Kodiak, Homer and Seward. He quickly moved the hands-on agricultural series he planned in Soldotna this spring to Zoom. So far, 361 people have registered for the series, but only about a third or fewer attend any given session.
“I find that Zoom works really well,” he said. “It’s really convenient.”
A couple of years ago, he offered a series of classes in-person and by distance to Homer and Soldotna. He then polled participants about which format they favored. They liked the live workshops best but were also satisfied with distance delivery.
Going online has its advantages. Residents from Sitka, for instance, can tune into gardening offered in Soldotna. A Zoom session on remote, rural farming during the Sustainable Agriculture Conference in February reached a number of Alaska communities by Zoom.
Upcoming sessions will include garden classes, birch sap tapping, and using adaptive technologies to improve accessibility in the garden. Extension has been sending out weekly emails about its programs and has been announcing them through district or the Extension Facebook page. It will also post the list Tuesdays on its blog at www.uaf.edu/ces.
Faculty and staff are still working and answering questions. Emails are best since we are working from home. Look up contact information on our directory or use the Ask an Expert form to get your questions answered.