Orienting the Extension Volunteer Teacher to the Institutions they Represent
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Orienting the Extension Volunteer Teacher to the Institutions they Represent

   

Orienting the Extension Volunteer Teacher to the Institutions they Represent1

Elizabeth B. Bolton2

This is one publication in the series The Cooperative Extension Volunteer Teacher. This volunteer teacher series addresses the need for guidelines to assist Extension county faculty in the important task of preparing the volunteer to teach.

Orientation

Once a person has been accepted for a position as an Extension Volunteer Teacher, an orientation should be provided. What should be included in the orientation will vary from county to county. Generally however, the orientation should include an explanation of what is expected in terms of time, performance, schedules, relationships, and results. An understanding of the institutions the volunteer represents is also important to the volunteer.

It is important that everyone understand that the utilization of the Extension Volunteer Teachers is a benefit that is shared among many facets of the community and the Extension Program. These various benefits should be discussed with the Extension Volunteer Teacher as well as the Extension staff members. A positive attitude toward volunteers is an essential part of any successful program that utilizes their services.

Benefits to the Volunteer, To the Community and to the County Extension Service

A good beginning for an orientation is to emphasize to the volunteer the benefits that he/she should expect from their participation, the benefits to the community at large and to the County Cooperative Extension Service.

The volunteers benefits when they share their time and talents to teach others. According to the Implications of Volunteerism for Extension study (Steele and Henderson, 1985), volunteers gain:

The Extension program benefits from involvement of volunteer teachers because the resources of the Extension county faculty are multiplied through the work of volunteers.

Communities also benefit when volunteers are involved in Extension programs. The community members reached by the volunteer gain:

The communities gain:

Following the explanation of benefits, there are some general elements that should be covered in an orientation.

  1. A job description for the volunteer teacher; this was described during the recruitment phase, but the actual job description should be covered again and a copy given to the volunteer and included in the file.

  2. An explanation of the institutions which the volunteer represents through his/her teaching.

  3. Policies and procedures that relate to the work of the volunteer teacher.

  4. The general code of ethics or conduct which the volunteer teacher is expected to follow when dealing with clientele working with other staff members and volunteers.

  5. The organizational rules for safety, dress code, attendance and punctuality, health, etc.

  6. Expense reimbursements, if this is applicable.

  7. Requirements for reporting and record keeping.

A checklist is given in Box 1 which includes the general information that should be provided to the Extension Volunteer Teacher. This checklist is a guide and can be altered to fit specific requirements in a county. The checklist should be shared with the volunteer teacher and it should be dated and put in the personnel file to show that the orientation was provided.

The Institutions the Extension Volunteer Teacher Represents

It is mandatory that each Extension Volunteer Teacher understand that they are an important link in the education chain between the local community and the University of Florida. This includes the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service and the County Extension Service. A basic knowledge of each one of these institutions and how they relate to each other is an important part of the orientation of the volunteer teacher. The sections can be duplicated and given to the volunteer teacher. It is not necessary to cover every aspect of each institutional linkage.

The University of Florida

A description of The University of Florida included below is excerpted from The Undergraduate Catalog, The University Record 2004-2005.

Institutional Purpose

The University of Florida is a public, land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research university, one of the most comprehensive in the United States, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines. It is the largest and one of the oldest of Florida's 11 universities and is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). Its faculty and staff are dedicated to the common pursuit of the university's threefold mission: teaching, research and service.

Teaching-undergraduate and graduate through the doctorate-is the fundamental purpose of the university. Research and scholarship are integral to the education process and to expanding humankind's understanding of the natural world, the mind and the senses. Service is the university's obligation to share the benefits of its knowledge for the public good.

Mission

The University of Florida faculty renews its commitment to serve the citizens of Florida and educate students so they are prepared to make significant contributions within an increasingly global community. In affirming the university's academic mission, we honor the human component of our mission: our students, faculty, staff and administrators; and recognize the importance of these human resources to the university's success. Towards this affirmation, the University of Florida faculty specifically encourages a campus-wide culture of caring.

It is the mission of the University of Florida to offer broad-based, exclusive public education, leading-edge research and service to the citizens of Florida, the nation and the world. The fusion of these three endeavors stimulates a remarkable intellectual vitality and generates a synthesis that promises to be the university's greatest strength.

The university maintains its dedication to excellent teaching and researching by creating a strong and flexible foundation for higher education in the 21st century. While the faculty remains committed to key aspects of the university's original mission, changing times will require that we continually expand and evaluate our academic aspiration. We do this in order to assure that quality education at the University of Florida remains the highest goal and most valued contribution to society.

The University of Florida belongs to a tradition of great universities. The faculty and staff of the university are dedicated to the common pursuit of its mission of education, research and service. Together with our undergraduate and graduate students we participate in an educational process that links the history of Western Europe with the traditions and cultures of all societies, that explores the physical and biological universes, and that nurtures generations of young people from diverse backgrounds to address the needs of our societies. The university welcomes the full exploration of our intellectual boundaries and supports our faculty and students in the creation of new knowledge and the pursuit of new ideas.

Teaching is a fundamental purpose of this university at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Research and scholarship are integral to the education process and to the expansion of our understanding of the natural world, the intellect and the senses. Service reflects the university's obligation to share the benefits of its research and knowledge for the public good.

These three interlocking elements span all of the university's academic disciplines and represent the university's commitment to lead and serve the State of Florida, the nation, and the world by pursuing and disseminating new knowledge while building upon the experiences of the past. The University of Florida aspires to advance the state, nation and the international community by strengthening the human condition and improving the quality of life.

Commitment to Diversity

The University of Florida is committed to creating a community that reflects the rich racial, cultural and ethnic diversity of the state and nation. No challenge that exists in higher education has greater importance than the challenge of enrolling students and hiring faculty and staff who are members of diverse racial, cultural or ethnic minority groups. This pluralism enriches the university community, offers opportunity for robust academic dialogue and contributes to better teaching and research. The university and its components benefit from the richness of a multicultural student body, faculty and staff who can learn from one another. Such diversity will empower and inspire respect and understanding among us. The university does not tolerate the actions of anyone who violates the rights of another.

The university will strive to embody, through policy and practice, a diverse community. Our collective efforts will lead to a university that is truly diverse and reflects the state and nation.

History

The University of Florida traces its beginnings to 1853 when the state-funded East Florida Seminary acquired the private Kingsbury Academy in Ocala. After the Civil War, the seminary was moved to Gainesville. It was consolidated with the state's land-grant Florida Agricultural College, then in Lake City, to become the University of Florida in 1906. Until 1947, UF enrolled men only and was one of only three state universities. The others were Florida State College for Women (now FSU) and Florida A&M. In 1947, the student body numbered 8,177 men and 601 women.

UF, the sixth largest university in the nation, celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary (150th) in 2003. Visit www.ufl.edu/150 for a list of the many activities planned to mark this event.

Government of the University

A 13-member Board of Trustees governs the University of Florida. Six of the trustees are appointed by the governor, and five are appointed by the 17-member Florida Board of Governors, which governs the state university system as a whole. The university's student body president and faculty senate chair also serve on the Board of Trustees as ex officio members. Trustees are appointed for staggered five-year terms.

The University of Florida Board of Trustees is a public body corporate with all the powers and duties set forth by law and by the Board of Governors. The University of Florida president serves as the executive officer and corporate secretary of the Board of Trustees and is responsible to the board for all operations of the university. University affairs are administered by the president through the university administration, with the advice and assistance of the Faculty Senate, various committees appointed by the president, and other groups or individuals as requested by the president.

Students

University of Florida students, numbering more than 47,373 in Fall 2002, come from more than 100 countries, all 50 states, and each of the 67 counties in Florida. The ratio of men to women is 48/52. Seventy-two percent of UF students are undergraduates (34,031), 21 percent are graduate students (9,931) and 7 percent (3,411) are in the professional programs of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy and veterinary medicine.

Approximately 3,498 African-American students, 4,717 Hispanic students and 3,087Asian-American students attend UF. More than 90 percent of entering freshmen rank above the national mean of scores on standard entrance exams taken by college-bound students. UF consistently ranks among the top five public universities in the nation in the number of enrolled National Merit Scholars, Achievement Scholars, International Baccalaureate graduates and Advance Placement score recipients.

Faculty

The university has approximately 4,000 distinguished faculty members with outstanding reputations for teaching, research and service. The faculty attracted $437.2 million in research and training grants in 2001-02.

UF currently has 60 eminent scholar chairs, positions funded at more than $1 million each to attract nationally and internationally recognized scholars. A variety of other endowed professorships help attract prominent faculty. More than two dozen faculty are members of the National Academies of Science and/or Engineering, the Institute of Medicine or a counterpart in another nation. Also, in a national ranking of total Fulbright Awards for 2000-01, UF ranks 4th among AAU public universities, with five visiting scholars and 10 American scholars.

A very small sampling of honored faculty includes: a Nobel Laureate, Pulitzer Prize winners in editorial writing and poetry, inventors of Gatorade and Bioglass (a man-made material that bonds with human tissue), one of the four charter members of the Solar Hall of Fame, and an art faculty with 80 percent of its members in Who's Who in American Art.

Programs

The University of Florida is among the nation's 151 leading research universities as categorized in 2000 by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. UF is one of 63 members of the Association of American Universities, the nation's most prestigious higher education organization. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone number 404-679-4501) - Commission on Colleges to award the degrees of bachelor, master, specialist and engineer, as well as doctoral and professional degrees. It has 21 colleges and schools and more than 100 interdisciplinary research and education centers, bureaus, and institutes. Almost 100 undergraduate degree programs are offered. The Graduate School coordinates more than 200 graduate programs throughout the university's colleges and schools. Professional postbaccalaureate degrees are offered in dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy and veterinary medicine.

Last year, more than 32,000 people took advantage of the many university-sponsored opportunities made available through the Division of Continuing Education. More than 25,000 people participated in non-credit conferences, workshops, institutes, and seminars. More than 7,500 students are enrolled in Independent Study by Correspondence courses, both credit and non-credit.

Facilities

On 2,000 acres, most of it within the limits of a 100,000-population urban area, the university operates out of 902 buildings, 176 of them equipped with classrooms and laboratories. Facilities are valued at approximately $982.7 million. Notable among these are the Brain Institute, the physics building, University Art Gallery, a microkelvin laboratory capable of producing some of the coldest temperatures in the universe, a 100-kilowatt training and research nuclear reactor, the second largest academic computing center in the South, and a self-contained intensive-care hyperbaric chamber for treating near-drowning victims.

The Florida Museum of Natural History is the largest natural history/anthropology museum in the Southeast, and one of the top 10 in the nation. Its research collections contain nearly 6.5 million specimens.

The Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, with 18,000 square feet of exhibit space, is one of the largest museums in the Southeast. The Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts attracts world-class symphony orchestras, Broadway plays, operas, and large-scale ballet productions to Gainesville.

The Stephen C. O'Connell Center and the J. Wayne Reitz Union provide space for a myriad of student and faculty activities. One thousand persons can participate simultaneously in eight different recreational activities in the O'Connell Center, which is home to the Gator basketball, volleyball, swimming and gymnastics teams. More than 20,000 use the student union daily for dining, meeting, bowling, pool and other games, arts and crafts, music listening and TV viewing.

Standard of Ethical Conduct

Honesty, integrity and caring are essential qualities of an educational institution, and the concern for values and ethics is important to the whole educational experience. Individual students, faculty and staff members, as well as the university's formal organizations, must assume responsibility for these qualities. The concern for values and ethics should be expressed in classes, seminars, laboratories and, in fact, in all aspects of university life. By definition, the university community includes members of the faculty, staff and administration as well as students.

Education at the University of Florida is not an ethically neutral experience. The university stands for, and seeks to inculcate, high standards. Moreover, the concern for values goes well beyond the observance of rules.

A university is a place where self-expression, voicing disagreement and challenging outmoded customs and beliefs are prized and honored. However, all such expressions need to be civil, manifesting respect for others.

As a major sector in the community, students are expected to follow the university's rules and regulations that, by design, promote an atmosphere of learning. Faculty, staff and administration are expected to provide encouragement, leadership and example.

While the university seeks to educate and encourage, it also must restrict behavior that adversely affects others. The Standard of Ethical Conduct summarizes what is expected of the members of the university community.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is a federal, state, and local government partnership dedicated to develop knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences and to make that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. While extending into every community of the state, UF/IFAS has developed an international reputation for its accomplishments in teaching, research and extension. From developing orange juice concentrate to educating tomorrow's leaders, from helping establish agricultural universities in Africa to helping local citizens buy their first home, UF/IFAS is making a difference.

While the University traces its roots to 1853 and the establishment of the state-funded East Florida Seminary, UF/IFAS traces its roots to the Morrill Act of 1862 which established the Land Grant university system. On July 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law what is generally referred to as the Land Grant Act. The new piece of legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont granted to each state 30,000 acres of public land for each Senator and Representative under apportionment based on the 1860 census. Proceeds from the sale of these lands were to be invested in a perpetual endowment fund which would provide support for colleges of agriculture and mechanical arts in each of the states. The establishment of Florida Agricultural College at Lake City in 1884 under the Morrill Act marked the beginning of what became the College of Agriculture of the University of Florida in 1906.

A history of the federal legislation relating to land grant institutions may be found at . A timeline may be found at Floridas governing body for higher education created the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in April 1964, by reorganizing UF's College of Agriculture, School of Forestry, Agricultural programs Experiment Station, and the Cooperative Extension Service into a single unit. Today, UF/IFAS includes extension in each of the state's 67 counties, 14 research and education centers with a total of 19 locations throughout Florida, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, the Center for Tropical Agriculture, portions of the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Florida Sea Grant Program and the International Program for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The Florida Cooperative Extension

The Florida Cooperative Extension Service is a partnership of local county government, the state land grant university which is the University of Florida, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, authorized by the Smith Lever Act. Each of these shares in planning and financing Extension programs.

The mission of Cooperative Extension is to help people identify and solve their own problems. This mission is carried out through the work of nine regional Research Centers and The University of Florida in working with County Extension Services to bring educational programs and research information to local citizens. Extension County Faculty work with community organizations, volunteer teachers and individuals to deliver educational programs to local clientele. The volunteer teacher is a vital part of this unique delivery system of science-based educational programs and research information to local citizens.

The primary purpose of the Cooperative Extension Service is to disseminate and encourage the application of research-generated knowledge and leadership skills to individuals, families, and communities. The Cooperative Extension System:

    1. is an integrated partnership with federal/state/county levels of government, research, and the private sector.

    2. is educational in program content and methodology, not regulatory or financial. Thus, Cooperative Extension is administratively attached directly to the 1962 and 1890 land-grant university system and is a major part of it, rather than being attached directly to state government.

    3. provides informal, noncredit education conducted primarily beyond the formal classroom for all ages.

    4. is practical, problem-centered and situation-based. Cooperative Extension education begins with helping people to identify and understand their needs and problems and to use new technology or information in solving them.

    5. features the objective presentation and analysis of factual information for decision-making by the people themselves. Cooperative Extension is typically research-based with a free flow of communication among research, Extension and resident-teaching functions of the state university system, and also with the resources of the United States Department of Agriculture and other Departments or agencies, public and private.

    6. functions as a nationwide educational network and resource through local offices which are semi-autonomous units accessible to and subject to influence by local citizens.

    7. involves cooperative but not necessarily equal sharing of financial support among federal, state, and county or local levels.

    8. requires cooperative but not necessarily equal sharing of program development among federal, state, and county or local levels.

    9. involves funding and administrative relationships which permit educational programs directed at broad national purposes, yet serving specific local needs with priorities determined locally.

    10. is a professional function staffed by college-trained personnel specifically qualified for their positions.

Adapted from Understanding Cooperative Extension. (February, 1986). Washington, D.C.: The Cooperative Extension System, United States Department of Agriculture Extension Service.

The Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences

If your volunteer teachers are going to be utilized in an area other than Family and Consumer Sciences, put that information in this section.

The mission of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences (formerly Home Economics Department) is to teach and conduct research focused on social, economic, environmental and health issues that impact Florida families and communities in the context of global change. This mission includes:

    1. designing and implementing Extension education programs through accessing and interpreting science-based information,

    2. contributing to the knowledge base in the disciplines that present issues and problems affecting families and communities, and

    3. developing graduate programs that strengthen the disciplines in the social and agricultural sciences.

Within the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences state wide goals and focus areas represent issues important to Florida families and communities. The goal is to assist individuals and families to achieve economic well-being and life quality. These include:

1. Personal and Family Well-Being

2. Financial Management and Economic Well-Being

3. Nutrition Food Safety and Health

4. Housing and Environment

5. Nonprofit Organizations, Leadership and Volunteer Development.

The County Cooperative Extension Service

The County Extension Service is another link in the chain that brings education to local citizens. It is the local Extension Service that brings the research and education of the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences (or other) programs to each county in Florida.

The Extension Volunteer Teacher should be made to feel that he/she represents the department, programs or units of the University of Florida. At the end of the orientation session, have a signed copy of the letter in Box 2 to hand to the Extension Volunteer Teacher.

References

IFAS facts at a glance. (N.D.) Gainesville: The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Smith, C.E. (1981). Orientation checklist for supervisors of volunteers. In Stout, P.E. (Ed.). Maximizing volunteers in program delivery. (pp. 28-29). Cornell University, New York: The New York State Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Human Ecology.

Steele, S., Henderson, K. (1985). Partners in Action: Community Volunteers -- Extension Agents: Summary of Phase I Conclusions and Implications. University of Wisconsin-Madison: Implications of Volunteerism in Extension, Department of Continuing and Vocational Education.

The University of Florida. (March, 2004). The undergraduate catalog: The university record of the University of Florida 2004-2005. Gainesville: The University of Florida Office of Publications.

Understanding Cooperative Extension. (February, 1986). Washington, D.C.: The Cooperative Extension System, United States Department of Agriculture Extension Service.

Tables

Box 1.

Orientation Checklist for the Extension Volunteer Teacher
1.Explain the work of Extension and of the particular program unit.

a.Extension's organization and functions

b.Indicate volunteer's relationship within the particular program unit

c.Explain relation of the volunteer's work to that of others

d.Tell to whom volunteer reports and who, if anyone, reports to the volunteer
2.Show volunteer physical layout and available facilities.

a.Show volunteer own work area or teaching room, etc.

b.Show volunteer classrooms, elevators, rest rooms, water fountain, etc.

c.Discuss eating facilities, coffee machines, etc.
3.Introduce volunteer to other staff.

a.Indicate to each, the new volunteer's position

b.Briefly mention duties of each person introduced
4.Orient the volunteer to office management and operations.

a.Explain office set-up, files, records, etc.

b.Show volunteer telephone and mail operations

c.Share "criteria for volunteer teacher self-evaluation"

d.Discuss hours of work, punctuality, good attendance, etc.

e.Explain any unusual working conditions, hazards, etc.

f.Explain lunch and break periods

g.Explain other practices and procedures (appropriate dress, smoking, identification cards, parking, etc.)
5.Explain travel information to volunteer, if applicable.

a.Discuss liability insurance coverage

b.Valid driver's license

c.Travel regulations, reimbursement procedures
6.Explain necessity for the training programs.

a.Explain training program for volunteers

b.Discuss records to be kept

c.Explain and discuss program goals with volunteer
7.Inform volunteer on position responsibilities (Some of these steps are covered as part of the training program. Checklist is provided to indicate they have been done).

a.Give volunteer current position description.

b.Discuss individual duties and responsibilities

c.Explain quality and quantity requirements and establish goals and objectives

d.Give step by step instruction in all aspects of the job

e.Indicate availability of resources and other help when needed

f.Provide learning aids and procedural manuals

g.Explain procedures for obtaining and caring for Extension owned property

h.Explain relationship to other agencies

i.Stress security of confidential information and public trust
8.Discuss need for record keeping and how it is done. (This is covered in sections on Teaching and Evaluation.)
9.Discuss volunteer recognition programs, if applicable. (These are covered in section on Recognition.)
10.Follow-up.

a.Check progress often during first few days or weeks

b.Encourage questions and answer them fully

c.Make corrections tactfully and give encouragement.
Name of Volunteer
Supervisor/s Signature
Date
Adapted from Smith, C.E. (1981). Orientation checklist for supervisors of volunteers. In Stout, P.E. (Ed.). Maximizing volunteers in program delivery. (pp. 28-29). Cornell University, New York: The New York State Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Human Ecology.

Box 2.

Mrs. Jane Doe

123 Sunshine Lane

Sunshine, Florida 33333

Dear Mrs. Doe:
Welcome to the service of your community through the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. You have been selected to be a Volunteer Teacher for your County Extension Program. As an Extension Volunteer Teacher you will represent The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the Cooperative Extension Service that operates in 67 counties in the state. Your work is important to each of these as well as to your community. You are an important link in the educational chain from the University of Florida to the citizens of your county.


We value your work and your time. We appreciate your commitment to the program in which you are teaching and the people you will be reaching. We want to work with you to make your teaching experience meaningful to you and to people you will reach. If you have questions about any of the institutions you will be representing or any aspect of your work, please get in touch with your Extension County Supervisor who works with the program in which you are teaching.


Thank you for being an Extension Volunteer Teacher.


Very truly yours,

Larry Arrington, Dean

Florida Cooperative Extension Service

Footnotes

1. This document is FCS9074, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date October 1, 1992. Revised October 12, 2005. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Elizabeth B. Bolton, professor, Community Development, Cooperative Extension Service, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.


Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.