Abstract

A survey was conducted of the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations Extension Working Party to determine attitudes and opinions regarding a graduate education program in Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education. Results, based on 60 responses from 17 countries received by September 24, 2001, indicated a strong need for graduate programs in this area. Barriers to working professionals pursuing a graduate degree included funding and time away from work and family. Seventy-three percent of respondents felt that a degree could be offered wholly or partially over the Internet, and 65% felt that a graduate program could consist of either a thesis or non-thesis option. A non-thesis option-only program was unacceptable to 77% of respondents. Respondents also selected proposed core and elective courses.

Introduction

Issues in forestry and natural resources management are becoming more important in many countries of the world. Increasing demand for wood products, clean water, biodiversity protection, recreational opportunities, and economic development based on sustainable management of natural resources is prevalent throughout both the developed and developing world. Concurrent with these issues is the need to expand educational opportunities for rural farmers, landowners, and the general public. Education is one of several policy alternatives that governments have to stimulate private behavior that is in the public’s best interest (Reed 1999).

A well-trained, competent, and professional workforce is central to the development and delivery of extension education programs. But today the perception is that the vast majority of extension workers have not received university degrees specifically in extension subjects. Rather, the university education has involved subjects such as agriculture and forestry, with little to no emphasis on subjects more important to educational work in extension. In some countries, e.g., Nepal, extension work is even thought to be a second-class career choice (Baral 1998). University degree programs that emphasize extension could assist in creating a more highly trained work force and also bring a stronger measure of respectability to an extension career.

While degree programs in agricultural extension exist in many universities, such is not the case in forestry and natural resources. An exception is the program currently offered at Oregon State University (see

http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/studserv/gradpage.sht). Clearly, the extension forestry and natural resources community could benefit from more emphasis on professional education in this field. The World Wide Web is also creating opportunities for all or portions of university degree programs to be taken at a distance. Internet solutions to educational problems are becoming more common, and may have a direct application in a graduate education program in extension forestry and natural resources.

Objectives

The objectives of this project were to:

• Assess the interest of the Extension Working Party of the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) in a graduate degree program focused on forestry and natural resources extension.
• Determine the desired composition of such a degree program, with respect to structure, required courses, elective courses, mode of delivery, and barriers to success.

Methods

A four-page survey was constructed during the late summer of 2001. In August 2001, the survey was mailed to all members of the IUFRO Extension Working Party. This consisted of 500 individuals in 75 countries. In September 2001, a follow-up electronic distribution of the survey was completed to a subset of the full Working Party for those members who have Internet access with functioning e-mail addresses. The survey was sent as a Word file in an e-mail attachment. Members were asked to fill out the form and return it as an attachment, in lieu of returning the printed form. As of September 24, 2001, 60 survey forms had been returned, 14 as printed forms and 46 as e-mail attachments.

The survey consisted of 15 questions related to general interest in a graduate degree program in forestry and natural resources extension. Members were asked if they already hold such a degree or if they have a desire to pursue such a degree, and at what level, M.S. or Ph.D. They were also asked to identify major barriers to the success of such a degree program, including funding, language, time away from job or family, lack of available programs, etc. Members were also asked if they felt that the Internet would be a viable option for such a degree program, and if so, the desired language. The need for extension workers trained in extension methods was also assessed, and members were asked if their organizations or institutions have hired or plan to hire such workers.

IUFRO Working Party members were also asked if the proposed degree program should be a thesis option only, a non-thesis option, or a combination of both. Finally, two proposed lists of core courses and elective courses were presented, and respondents selected whether or not they felt the courses should be included. Additional demographic data collected included country or state of the respondent, gender, type of organizational affiliation, and the name of the affiliation.

Results and discussion

Demographics

Responses came from 17 countries, as follows:

Fifty-one of the respondents were male, nine female. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents worked for educational institutions, 32% worked for government agencies or research institutes, with the remainder employed by non-governmental organizations or as private consultants.

Interest in Graduate Education Programs

Respondents were asked if they themselves either now have a degree or desire to pursue a degree with a specialty in Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education. Presumably, some of the respondents would be people who either are currently working, or desire to work in extension. If individuals desired to pursue a degree, they were further asked if they would be interested in either an M.S. or Ph.D. Twenty-three of the respondents, or 38%, currently hold a degree in Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education. Of the 37 respondents who do not currently hold such a degree, 16, or 43%, indicated they would be interested in pursuing such a degree, 10 at the M.S. level and 6 at the Ph.D. level.

The primary barriers selected by the respondents included funding (57%) and time away from work and family (50%). Certainly a commitment to a graduate degree by an individual already working involves a significant investment in both money and time. The high responses to these two categories are likely a reflection of this reality. The next highest selected category was a lack of reward in current job. Certainly, if an individual does not stand to benefit in some meaningful way, the incentive to pursue a graduate degree would be reduced. Lack of available programs in the state or country was chosen by 22% of the respondents, language barrier by 10%, and lack of positions for individuals with graduate degrees was selected as an “other” category by one person. Possibly the major barrier, funding constraints, could be somewhat overcome by the offering of graduate assistantships and fellowships for individuals who would otherwise be willing to pursue such degrees.

Forty-four respondents (73%) agreed that a graduate degree program in Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education could be offered over the Internet. The majority, 70%, indicated that English should be the language used; however, there is a decided bias in this population since the survey was written in English. Non-English speakers would not be inclined to answer the survey in the first place. Two other languages, Spanish and Swedish, were also identified by at least two people. The primary barriers to an Internet program included the time it takes to complete the program (52%) and funding to support the effort (43%). Secondary barriers included lack of computer hardware (23%), quality control and lack of human interaction (15%), and language (8%).

Forty-five of the respondents (75%) indicated that their organization or institution has a need for more qualified professionals trained in Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education. Furthermore, 43 respondents (72%) indicated that their organization or institution has hired one or more persons in the past three years with such a background. In 79% of these cases, the person or persons hired had a graduate degree, and 56% were in the area of Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education. Only 7% of the respondents felt that their organization or institution did not need to hire more extension workers in forestry and natural resources, while 15% indicated that their organization or institution has not hired such workers in the past three years.

Composition of a Graduate Education Program

There are two generally accepted formats for graduate degrees, particularly at the Master's level. One involves a traditional research project and the development of a thesis based on the results of the research. The other is a non-thesis option, which usually requires the completion of a project paper, portfolio, etc., in lieu of a thesis. Respondents were asked whether they favored the former, the latter, or an option that allowed for either, using a Likert scale. Seventy-six percent of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that a thesis project should be included. Sixty-five percent either agreed or strongly agreed that either a thesis project or a non-thesis project would be acceptable, while only 17% agreed or strongly agreed that a non-thesis project only would be acceptable. Conversely, 77% disagreed or strongly disagreed that a non-thesis option only would be acceptable. These results clearly show that a successful graduate education program in Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education should allow for a thesis option. An additional non-thesis option would be acceptable to a significant number of respondents as well. This second option would be preferable to those students who are taking a program over the Internet.

Respondents were asked to determine, from a selected list, whether prospective core courses should be included as required courses, elective courses, or not included at all (Table 1). The results, displayed in Table 1, are variable. The following courses emerged as clearly favored for “required” status: Foundations of Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education (85%), Principles of Adult Education (72%), Program and Curriculum Design in Extension Education (72%), and Instructional Delivery (60%). A second set of courses emerged as clearly favored for elective status, including International Development (75%), Youth Program Management (73%), Managing Volunteers (72%), Foundations of Vocational and Technical Education (62%), Organizational Psychology (62%), and Rural Sociology (62%). Very few respondents selected any courses to be eliminated from consideration, but the top candidates for elimination included Youth Program Management (17%), Educational Psychology (15%), and Managing Volunteers (15%). Other courses fared well, but respondents were split over whether the courses should be required or elective. For example, 55% of respondents felt that Educational Research Design and Analysis should be a required course, while 45% felt that it should be an elective course. Likewise, 53% of respondents felt that a course in Participatory Management should be required, while 50% felt that it should be elective.

Table 1. Responses to selection of core courses for a graduate degree in Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education.

Additionally, one or more respondents nominated a series of additional courses to be considered for a core curriculum. These included:

• Informational Technology
• Survey Design and Analysis
• Instructional Design
• Advanced Communications
• Conflict Management
• Environmental Policy Development
• Social Theory
• Anthropology
• Update in Forest Research
• Foundations in Business
• Economics
• Needs Assessment Techniques
• Program Marketing
• International Marketing
• Community Development
• Advanced Forest Ecology
• Science Methods

In addition to a collection of "core" courses, a graduate degree program also requires a variable number of "elective" courses. In the United States, for example, it is common for M.S. degree requirements to include 30 semester credits. Typically 3 to 6 credits will be awarded for the thesis or special project, with the remainder coming from a group of core and/or elective courses. Respondents were generally favorable toward the list of suggested elective courses (Table 2), as it was rare for a respondent to recommend that a particular course not be allowed as an elective. The courses that were most widely selected for definite inclusion were Integrated Resource Management (75%), Soil and Water Resources Management (70%), Advanced Forest Management (67%), and Sustainable Forestry (65%). As with the core courses, there were mixed feelings about whether some courses should be definitely included or possibly included. For example, 45% of respondents felt that Biometry and Statistics should definitely be included as an elective course, while 50% felt that maybe it should be included, and 8% felt it should not be included. The following additional courses were recommended by one or more respondents to be included in the list of elective courses:

• Landscape Ecology
• Issues in Conservation Biology
• Forest Ecology
• Forest Tree Improvement
• Genetics
• Wood Products
• Business Applications
• Urban Forestry
• Forest Harvesting
• Project Management
• Multicriteria Analysis
• Ecosystem Management
• Systems Thinking
• Community Development
• Tropical Forestry
• Forest Regulation
• Forest Protection

Table 2. Responses to selection of elective courses for a graduate degree in Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Education.

Conclusion

In the United States, it is common at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels for students to customize their own programs dependent upon their educational and career goals and the available offerings at the university. This paper identifies those courses and formats that may be considered, both by institutions seeking to develop a prepared curriculum in forestry and natural resources extension as well as for individual students seeking to customize their own programs in this area.

Given that funding and time away from work and family were identified as primary barriers to those seeking further education, it seems that graduate programs, particularly at the Master's level, that offer all or part of the coursework over the Internet hold great promise.

References

1. Baral, S. R. 1998. An overview of forestry extension in Nepal. In: Extension Forestry: Bridging the Gap between Research and Application. J. E. Johnson (ed.). Proc., International Union of Forestry Research Organizations Extension Working Party Symposium, July 19-24, 1988. Blacksburg, VA, USA. College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources and Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA. pp. 235-246.

2. Reed, A. S. 1999. Key factors in the success of extension forestry programs. In: Working under a Dynamic Framework - Forest Ownership Structures and Extension. J. Begus, J. Anderson, and R. L. Beck (eds.). Proc., International Union of Forestry Research Organizations Extension Working Party Symposium, Oct. 4-8, 1997, Bled, Slovenia. Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia. pp. 53-61.

¹ James E. Johnson, Associate Dean - Outreach and Professor of Forestry, College of Natural Resources, 324 Cheatham Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. Franklin A. Bruce, Jr., Extension Specialist - Program Evaluation, Virginia Cooperative Extension, 230 Smyth Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.