Vision

Use online communication as a critical element of a lifelong learning network that helps people improve the quality of their lives.

Transformational Education

Meeting the needs of NDSU Extension customers/clients falls into four categories - service, content transmission, facilitation and transformational education.

Although it is a critical part of our efforts when working with clients/customers face-to-face, transformational education has been absent from our online communication efforts.

The graphic to the right is an educational process model of transformational education created by Maggie Bethel, adapted from Merrill Ewert. The model demonstrates the idea that both high content transmission and a high level of process are the most effective in helping people and communities to solve problems or address issues. Where there is low content and low process, there is only information. High content and low process result in content transmission. Low content and high process correspond to facilitation. Transformational education occurs only where there is high content and high process. The arrows on the graphic show where NDSU Extension Service's online communication efforts are currently (content transmission) and where the need to be headed (transformational education).

Objectives

• To be a catalyst for learning networks that engage people as learners and teachers
• To give people control of their own lifelong educational opportunities through anywhere, anytime learning
• To listen to and learn from the people we serve
• To reach learners who we have not traditionally reached