If You Build It, Will They Come? Examining Motivations of Extension Master Gardener Volunteers

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Sheri Dorn ◽  
Milton G. Newberry ◽  
Ellen M. Bauske ◽  
Svoboda V. Pennisi
Keyword(s):  
Master Gardener

Volunteer Management Reference for Local VCE Master Gardener Coordinators

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 503a-503
Author(s):  
Sheri T. Dorn ◽  
Paula Diane Relf
Keyword(s):  
Educational Program ◽  
Program Planning ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Volunteer Management ◽  
Educational Programming ◽  
Job Descriptions ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Volunteer Program ◽  
Reference Guide

Virginia Cooperative Extension's (VCE) Master Gardener volunteer program is available in 72 unit offices. The unit programs are managed by MG coordinators who currently include 10 locally funded agents, eight locally funded technicians, and 28 volunteers. The VCE Master Gardener Coordinator Manual, a 12-unit resource book, was developed cooperatively with teams of MGs, coordinators, and agents to enhance coordinators' skills for managing the local VCE MG program. The manual includes chapters on VCE MG components such as risk management; job descriptions; recruitment and screening; and volunteer review, recognition, and retention. Additional resources within the manual include a synopsis of educational program planning, implementation, and evaluation, as well as a copy of the current VCE Master Gardener Program Policies and the volunteer section of the Virginia Master Gardener Handbook, which serves as program orientation for new or prospective trainees. The VCE Master Gardener Coordinator Manual is the basis of three local MG coordinator training sessions in 1998. Additional resources available to coordinators for enhancing the local MG program include a MG newsletter focused on the role of Master Gardeners as community leaders and educators; program policies and guidelines for the management of MG training and operation; VCE publication 426-699 Welcome to Virginia Master Gardenering! Guide to Educational Programming and Resource and Reference Guide; and the VCE Master Gardener Internet website at http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/specialty/envirohort/mastergard/master.html.

scholarly journals Impact of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) on Ornamental Plants in Alabama Green Industries and Home Landscapes

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20
Author(s):  
Ashley B. Witcher ◽  
Carolyn W. Robinson ◽  
Christine H. Coker ◽  
D. Joseph Eakes ◽  
Stephen S. Ditchkoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Green Industry ◽  
Deer Browse ◽  
Electric Fencing ◽  
Extent Of Damage ◽  
Preventive Methods ◽  
Industry Professionals

Nursery and landscape professionals as well as homeowners throughout Alabama continue to experience deer damage to ornamental plants due to the increasing populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman). To understand the extent of damage, surveys were created for green industry professionals and homeowners. The industry survey was sent to members of the Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association (ALNLA) (N = 223). The homeowner survey was sent to nine Master Gardener associations and administered through one day of onsite surveys at Huntsville Botanic Garden (N = 668). Questions inquired if respondents encountered injury to plants from whitetail deer, what types of preventive methods they were using, plants typically browsed, and extent of plant loss annually as a result of deer activity. Fifty-five percent of green industry professionals and 37% of homeowners answered ‘yes’ to damage problems, and of those, more homeowners (61%) than industry (41%) employed preventive methods to reduce deer browse. High fencing, electric fencing, Liquid Fence® repellent, and motion irrigation were the most effective of eleven preventive measures listed. Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica L.) and hosta (Hosta spp.) were the most commonly damaged plants according to industry and homeowners, respectively. The majority of homeowners experienced damage during the spring, while industry participants reported most damage during the winter and fall months.

scholarly journals Increasing Effectiveness of Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Volunteers

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen M. Bauske ◽  
Lelia Kelly ◽  
Kerry Smith ◽  
Lucy Bradley ◽  
Timothy Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Online Systems ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Telephone Helpline ◽  
Effective Dissemination ◽  
Distance Learning Technologies ◽  
The University ◽  
User Friendly

Extension Master Gardener (EMG) volunteers are key to effective dissemination of horticultural information to the public. The goal of this workshop was to identify techniques to increase the capacity and effectiveness of EMG volunteers. The workshop focused on projects and tools that reduce the administrative burden of managing volunteers, increase the scope of issues that volunteers are prepared to address, and pool volunteer efforts and resources across county lines. Two online systems for managing and reporting EMG volunteer activities were described. Both systems are intuitive, user-friendly, and updated without the assistance of web managers. Regional web-based, advanced training on specific topics was used to expand educational messages of EMG volunteers and eliminate the costs associated with face-to-face training. Presentations were made using distance learning technologies and resources were shared online. Hosting agents tailored hands-on supporting activities to meet local needs. Volunteers expanded extension outreach by answering noncommercial landscape and garden telephone questions. Many of the administrative, logistical, and resource burdens associated with the EMG helpline phone service were overcome by working across county lines, standardizing training, centralizing supporting resources, and clustering volunteers into regional telephone helpline offices. Other projects and tools presented in the workshop focused on the need to affirm and/or foster the volunteers' connection with the university and the outreach mission of Cooperative Extension.

Extension master gardener volunteers contributing to community health and well-being

2021 ◽  
pp. 185-192
Author(s):  
S. Dorn ◽  
N. Bumgarner ◽  
M. Maddox ◽  
S. Pennisi ◽  
E. Bauske ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Health And Well Being

Pivot or paradigm shift? COVID-19 impact on extension master gardener training and outreach

2021 ◽  
pp. 253-260
Author(s):  
S. Dorn ◽  
N. Bumgarner ◽  
P.D. Relf ◽  
C. Glen ◽  
J. Flagler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Master Gardener

scholarly journals Evaluating the Implementation of Video Web Conferencing in Delaware Master Gardener Training

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 669-676
Author(s):  
Emily A. Barton ◽  
Susan S. Barton ◽  
Thomas Ilvento
Keyword(s):  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Web Conferencing ◽  
Limited Bandwidth ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Media ◽  
Face To Face Instruction ◽  
Pilot Implementation ◽  
Media Naturalness

In the 2015 Delaware (DE) Master Gardener training, instructors synchronously delivered content to two trainee cohorts (Cohorts A and B) who met at three locations (Sites 1, 2, and 3) via video web conferencing (VWC). This reduced instructor delivery and travel time but warranted close examination of trainee learning outcomes and experiences. To evaluate the pilot implementation of remote delivery, trainees [number of trainees (N) = 30] answered two open-ended application questions after 11 instructional sessions. One cohort received instruction face-to-face, while the other cohort synchronously received instruction via remote delivery [number of participants in cohort 1 (n1) = 17; number of participants in cohort 2 (n2) = 13]; each cohort was remote for about half of the sessions. The overall average face-to-face score assessing session content mastery was higher than the overall average remote score by 0.1, a 5% difference given the possible scores range of 0 to 2.0. When we grouped sessions by remote delivery site, delivery mode only significantly predicted average session scores for those sessions delivered remotely to Site 2 and not those delivered remotely to either Site 1 or Site 3. When we considered each session individually, delivery mode significantly predicted session scores for 2 of the 11 sessions, both broadcast remotely to trainees at Site 2, where the bandwidth was 10% of those at Sites 1 and 3. We suggest the VWC system performed particularly poorly for these sessions due to limited bandwidth. Posttraining survey results suggest the VWC system did not function well enough to approximate face-to-face instruction. The overall educational rating of the training was significantly higher than the media naturalness rating suggesting poor technical functionality did not substantially undermine trainees’ perception of the education they received. This study indicates remote delivery is a viable strategy for improving the efficiency of training programs if it is consistently implemented with the appropriate technical infrastructure.

scholarly journals 415 PB 086 EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERACTIVE TELEVISION IN TEACHING MASTER GARDENERS

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 490d-490
Author(s):  
Lois Berg Stack
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Interactive Television ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Volunteer Programs ◽  
Viewing Sessions ◽  
Program Data

Master Gardener programs were conducted through 10 of Maine's 16 county offices in 1993. In an effort to reduce the number of identical presentations given by the limited number of instructors, 5 of the 10 sessions were conducted via interactive television (ITV), while the remaining 5 sessions were held locally. Participants (n=215) were surveyed about their learning experience in fall 1993. Data compare the local ITV audience vs. 7 distant audiences viewing sessions in real time vs. 2 audiences viewing taped sessions at a later date, on test scores of material presented, and on attitudes about the program. Data also summarize the types of projects on which Master Gardener volunteer hours were applied, and participants' attitudes about how volunteer programs could be made more effective.

scholarly journals 219 CONSUMER HORTICULTURE: CHARACTERISTICS, TRENDS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR EXTENSION

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 461a-461
Author(s):  
Denny Schrock
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Olmsted County ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Telephone Surveys ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Pesticide Safety ◽  
Vegetable Gardening

Consumer horticulture surveys conducted 7 years apart examined the scope and trends in home horticulture in Olmsted County, MN. Master Gardener volunteers were trained to conduct the telephone surveys. Landscape horticulture was important in terms of numbers of people involved and reasons for gardening. Fewer people viewed vegetable gardening as important. Young people were less likely to garden than older ones. Lack of space was the biggest barrier to gardening. It was concluded extension should expand newspaper and newsletter media efforts. Development of cooperative programs with garden centers and other agencies was suggested. Opportunities exist for training consumers in pesticide safety and best management practices for horticulture.

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