CQUniversity Unit Profile.

In this assessment you will select one agricultural extension program from a list of programs (to be provided on Moodle) and write a 1,500-word essay describing how your selected program facilitates change. In doing so you should be sure to discuss the following:

• The provider(s) of the program and their purpose
• The purpose of the program
• The stakeholders involved
• The extension approaches used to facilitate change
• Your analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the program

More information on the essay structure will be provided on Moodle.

In Assessment 1 you will be assessed on:

• Your written communication
• Your understanding of agricultural extension practices
• Your research and analysis on the role of the selected extension provider
• Your analysis of the extension provider's stakeholders

Assessment 2 consists of two parts.

Part A (20/30)

Part A is a group task and requires you to select one article from a list of agricultural extension-based peer-reviewed journal articles (the list will be provided to you in Moodle). In Part A, you will be assigned to a group of three students and you will develop a 2500 word (+/-10%) report to assess whether the extension approach utilized in your selected journal article was appropriate and suitable for the given circumstances. Part A is due on Monday of Week 8 (September 2, 2024) at 11:45PM. Part A is worth 20/30 for this assessment. In formulating your report your group should consider:

• The context (socioeconomic, stakeholder attributes, country/region, relevant production setting)
• The type of extension approaches used
• The methods used to carry out the relevant research
• The impact of the agricultural extension program(s) that the article evaluated

Further information will be provided in Moodle.

Part B (10/30)

Part B of Assessment 2 is an individual task. In Part B you will write a short (700 word) reflection outlining how the extension approaches used in your selected journal article can be applied to the Australian context. Part B is also due on Monday of Week 8 (September 2, 2024) at 11:45PM. Part B is worth 10/30 for Assessment 2.

Part A of Assessment 2 will be assessed on:

• Your group's analysis of the extension methods used
• Your group's analysis of the role of the extension method for appropriately facilitating change in the relevant stakeholder group and setting
• Written communication, formatting and referencing

Part B of Assessment 2 will be assessed on:

• Your ability to critically analyse how the aspects of the extension program can be applied to the Australian context
• Your justification of the above
• Written communication, formatting and referencing

In Assessment 3 you will develop and deliver a proposal for an extension program to implement the production of one of four agricultural products (the list is provided below). The extension program should be designed to encourage producers in other industries to take up your selected product as part of a diversification for resilience strategy. Your proposal will be developed as a 20-minute PowerPoint (or similar) presentation, which will be delivered live, via zoom, to the unit coordinator. The presentation slides should be submitted on Wednesday 9AM of Week 12. The live presentations will be delivered on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of Week 12 at a time agreed upon between the student and the unit coordinator. You should prepare your presentation as though you are delivering your proposal to industry leaders who will determine whether or not to fund your extension program. At the conclusion of your presentation you will be asked to answer two questions. Further details on the four industries will be available on Moodle.

Your presentation should be structured as followed (it is suggested that students develop one or two slides per section):

Introduction

• Introduce the presentation and yourself

• Name the proposed extension program

Aim

• What is the purpose of the extension program and why is it needed (here you will need to provide a justification of why the agricultural product you have selected will enhance resilience to financial, disaster or other shocks)?

Outline of the target audience

• Why have you selected this audience?
• What do you know about this audience?

Extension approaches and theory

• What extension approaches will be used to achieve the aims of the extension program?
• What events, resources, tools will you use to deliver the extension program?
• What extension theories underpin your program?

Stakeholder identification, engagement, and communication strategy

• Who are the relevant stakeholders?

• How will you promote the program among these stakeholders?

• How will you engage them throughout the extension program?

Learning style

• What learning style(s) will you cater for? And how?

Time frame for program delivery

• How long will the program take to execute from the planning to post-program evaluation phase (provide a timetable of all stages)

Program Monitoring and Evaluation

• How will you monitor the success of the program?
• How will you evaluate the success of the program - determining whether or not practice change has taken place and to what extent?

Budget

• How will you achieve value for money on a budget up to $200,000?

Conclusion

The four products are: 

• Goats
• Cut flowers
• Camels
• Minor tropical fruits (such as guava, lychee, mangosteen, durian and rambutan)

For Assessment 3 you will be assessed on:

• Your description of agricultural extension and agricultural extension approaches
• Your ability to articulate the benefits of the extension program
• Your ability to identify relevant stakeholders and formulate and promote an engaging agricultural extension program suitable for them
• Your analysis of learning styles and how to deliver them
• Your application of monitoring and evaluation methods to assess practice change
• Your use of agricultural extension theory
• Your ability to develop a suitable and accurate budget
• Your spoken communication, presentation formatting and referencing