Proactive and Reactive Educational Programs

John G. Richardson

Extension Program Delivery and Accountability Leader


Extension education, otherwise known as informal education, depends on numerous steps and processes for successful planning and implementation. Participation is often voluntary, and intended audiences enter or exit informal educational programs based on individual motivation and needs.

The process of Extension education may initially look simple to the uninformed. Yet, as one studies the numerous steps needed to plan and implement an Extension educational program, the complexity becomes more obvious. These critical steps must be successfully activated In order to achieve what is generally known as a proactive program.

A foundation can be formed for planning a proactive educational program through deliberate actions to assess and understand needs of local publics, then segmenting those publics into targeted audiences, and developing specific educational objectives to meet those needs. After taking these steps, appropriate strategies can then be determined for delivering needed information to the targeted audiences. Another step in the informal education process is the selection of delivery methods to form a delivery system for providing the information in a means suitable to client needs. This delivery system will provide experiential learning, reinforcement, and opportunities for the learners to understand and integrate the new information with knowledge they already possess.

With these steps achieved in the planning process, successful implementation of the educational program can be accomplished through a sequential approach to providing educational opportunities for intended audiences as specified in the program objectives. Throughout this process, collaboration with individuals and groups who are representative of potential and intended audiences is important. Continuous evaluation of the circumstances and situations which stimulated the program development need, and the program planning and implementation process itself, is performed to assure that the intended audience is achieving success as indicated in the program objectives. In order to accomplish a planned educational change within targeted audiences, these key steps that identify the components of a proactive program will be evident.

Occasionally, an individual may experience success in implementing informal educational programs without a clear understanding of the actual process. These individuals are usually adept at visiting with a wide variety of people who are knowledgeable of local events and situations, as well as being self-starters and observant of local conditions that appear to need attention. These characteristics, plus a willingness to seek varied means of delivering information will usually result in some program success and responsiveness from local publics. However, through knowledgeable development of a proactive program, greater efficiency of time and other resources, plus improved program impact can be expected.

Responsiveness

When the steps of the informal education process are not clearly understood, the tendency is to respond to direct client requests for information they may need. This type of responsive effort may win many devoted followers, but is restricted to those persons who have taken time to initiate direct contact with the Extension educator. Persons making these contacts may relish these opportunities because they are of a personal nature and may be socially or psychologically satisfying to the client as well as having their specific need dealt with directly. When the Extension educator focuses their primary efforts on responding to client requests, the program effort is considered reactive. While it is important that Extension be responsive to special problems or to the needs of its clientele, reactive program activities such as problem solving should be allocated in a manner which allows for the majority of professional time to be spent on proactive program efforts.

Reactive Programs

Reactive program efforts can be easily defined as those Extension activities associated with direct response or reactions to immediate problems or needs of people. Examples could be answering questions and making recommendations to a farmer on cost and materials to manage a severe weed problem in his crop, or helping a family to restructure their budget situation in an attempt to help them avoid personal bankruptcy. These people need professional Extension assistance which should be provided. However, in each of these circumstances, well planned proactive Extension programs could have likely prevented these problems from occurring.

In a contrast of proactive programs to reactive programs, the proactive Extension educator secures needed input from clientele and others to recognize, plan and implement focused and deliberate educational opportunities dealing with emerging needs or current needs. This approach will include sequential educational input using strategically selected delivery methods to produce planned outcomes for achieving the desired educational objective. This method of educating Extension audiences is quite different from reactive program efforts which respond to individual situations and needs as they arise and are identified by the individuals initiating the information request.

Proactive Program Examples

An example of a proactive approach to the two previous examples would be for the agricultural agent to be aware of present and future weed problems in the county and to conduct educational programs that provide farmers information for effectively developing and managing their weed control programs. These educational programs may include a meeting, seminar, radio program and newspaper article to create awareness of problems and opportunities. These delivery methods could then be followed with a weeds information newsletter, special fact sheets, data analysis of previous demonstrations on yield gains, and photographs of successful control measures. This information would be provided in a planned sequence before the growing season begins, allowing farmers to make educated weed control practice decisions before the crop is planted. The same type of application of well planned proactive educational programs applies to the family financial situation. Structured educational delivery would be strategically planned and provided to targeted audiences on money management, financing, budgeting, and proper financial planning so those clientele could gain sufficient knowledge from the Extension program to effectively manage their money and be able to prevent financial problems from occurring.

While these examples are provided, the comparison of proactive to reactive programs can be made in essentially any Extension program. The Extension educator should continuously assess their method of program determination, needs assessment, people involvement, and program delivery in order to obtain the most effective results. Through the assessment process, the Extension educator can be assured that targeted audiences are being educated to make prudent and knowledgeable decisions which will enhance their quality of life. This approach is preferable to simply being available for problem solving, or responding to those individuals who have already been contemplating or begun a course of action and only need corrective guidance or instructions on how to proceed.

If a family is already in financial duress, direct guidance and advice may be the only alternative in providing them needed financial information. However, proactive educational program efforts that may have included seminars, fact sheets, workshops, financial videocassette, computer software for practical budgeting, and pamphlets for learning reinforcement could have prevented this financial stress situation from occurring.

Conclusion

Extension educators have the opportunity to proactively develop and implement educational programs that have a positive impact for intended audiences. To operate mostly in a reactive program mode places one in the role of watching things happen and then responding as requested. This means of program implementation can be readily bypassed in the information age since information sources are vast, and access is readily available to essentially everyone. However, providing information in a planned and sequential manner which focuses on interpreting and understanding information for increased knowledge and skills will continue to exist regardless of the array of information sources available.



700 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $.10 per copy
For additional information contact the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, 117 Ricks Hall, Campus Box 7607,
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7607


|| North Carolina State University || Cooperative Extension ||





Published by: NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE




PUBLICATION NUMBER
AEE 95-01

PEER REVIEWED BY: Patricia Barber, Clyde Chesney, Ronald Jarrett, District Extension Directors, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, and David Jenkins and David Mustian, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, North Carolina State University.


Table of Contents


Created April 24, 1996
Updated May 15, 1997

created by Michael Ebbs