Laura A. Warner – Page 2

Strategies to Encourage Adoption of Stormwater Pond Best Management Practices (BMPs) by Homeowners

Man-made ponds can be a useful way to collect, store, and treat stormwater runoff in residential areas. However, these ponds can become polluted when runoff contains fertilizers, pesticides, and pet waste from the neighborhood. This 8-page fact sheet outlines several best management practices (BMPs) for reducing stormwater pond pollution. Based on a survey of residents who live near stormwater ponds, the authors recommend strategies Extension educators can use to encourage residents to adopt these BMPs. Written by Emily Ott, Paul Monaghan, Ondine Wells, Gail Hansen, Laura Warner, and Michelle Atkinson, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, July 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc214

Encouraging Landscape Water-Conservation Behaviors #3: Developing Extension and Outreach Messages That Encourage Landscape Water Conservation Practice Adoption

Message framing can be an effective tool for crafting messages for a target audience. This 5-page fact sheet explains how Extension can use gain and loss message framing to encourage Florida residents who irrigate their home landscape to adopt water-conservation practices. Part three of the series Encouraging Landscape Water-Conservation Behaviors and written by Courtney Owens, Laura Warner, Joy Rumble, Alexa Lamm, and Randall Cantrell, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc201

Using the Decision-Ade(TM) Segmentation Strategy to Better Understand Extension Audiences

Some home occupants are more bothered by their utility bill than others.

Decision-Ade™ is a tool Extension can use to better understand how residents with a range of household budgets feel about their utility bills. Analyzing households in terms of both income and utility bill “botheredness” creates a more comprehensive picture of that household’s utility use and its willingness to modify utility consumption relative to other households. This 5-page fact sheet uses survey data of Florida residents to demonstrate the insights Decision Ade™ can provide and how those insights can inform Extension programming. Written by Randall Cantrell, Laura Warner, Joy Rumble, and Alexa Lamm, and published by the UF Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, July 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1461

Encouraging Landscape Water-Conservation Behaviors #1: Tailoring Programs To Florida Residents Who Use Irrigation in the Home Landscape

To better promote water-conservation practices among homeowners who irrigate their landscaping, Extension professionals must first have a clear understanding of this target audience’s habits, beliefs, and needs. This 10-page fact sheet recommends that Extension professionals analyze their audiences through several factors, including their interest in water conservation and knowledge of water issues and laws. Written by Laura A. Warner, Emmett Martin, Alexa Lamm, Joy Rumble, and Randall Cantrell, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, May 2015. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc199

Perceptions of Florida-Friendly Landscapes: Linking Visual Quality and Environmental Health through Landscape Codes

Early efforts to promote Florida-Friendly landscapes emphasized the use of drought-tolerant plants, which created a negative association with a visually unappealing landscape. This has hampered the promotion of FFL yards and the adoption by homeowner associations. But recently many homeowners are rethinking their landscape maintenance and plant choices and HOAs are considering promoting environmentally friendly landscapes but express uncertainty about recommending FFL because of the need to maintain visual quality. We conducted a study to address both groups’ concerns and help develop FFL-oriented landscape codes that meet both groups’ needs. This 7-page fact sheet was written by Gail Hansen, Laura Warner, Paul Monaghan, Emily Ott, Tim Fogarty, Claire Lewis, and Esen Momol, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, April 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep519

Encouraging Landscape Water-Conservation Behaviors: Information Seeking Preferences of Florida Residents Who Use Irrigation in the Home Landscape

people talking about landscaping choices in Florida-friendly development How can we encourage Florida residents who irrigate their home landscapes to adopt environmentally responsible irrigation practices? Provide them information they are interested in and deliver it through their preferred information channels. This 4-page fact sheet discusses the topics of interest to this audience and how they prefer to receive information about water-conservation practices related to their home landscaping, and makes recommendations for reaching this audience. Written by Courtney Owens, Laura Warner, Joy Rumble, Alexa Lamm, Emmett Martin, Randall Cantrell, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, April 2015. (UF/IFAS Photo by Thomas Wright)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc204

Introduction to Social Network Research: General Introduction and Major Terminology

Social networks play an important role in the functioning of society and have an important effect on the actions of an individual or organization. It is very important for Extension educators to understand the networks of their clientele in order to perform better and develop more impactful Extension programming for their target audiences. This 5-page fact provides a brief description of network concepts and the terminology used in network studies, so that Extension educators may be more comfortable interpreting and using the results of SNA research to improve the efficiency and productivity of Extension organizations. Written by Anil Kumar Chaudhary and Laura A. Warner, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, February 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc195

Introduction to Social Network Research: Application of Social Network Analysis in Extension

Viewed from a network perspective, we are all part of a network of relationships that is interwoven like a fishing net, providing both opportunities for and constraints on our behavior. Social network analysis (SNA) is a new approach to defining and describing society and its organizations and to assessing the impact of organizational structures. This 4-page fact sheet introduces Extension educators to possible ways to apply SNA in their work to plan and evaluate programs in a more efficient way. Written by Anil Kumar Chaudhary and Laura A. Warner, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, February 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc196

Improving Extension Program Development Using Audience Segmentation

Developing an impactful Extension program depends on acquiring a deep understanding of the audience’s specific needs and preferences. Audience segmentation allows an agent to address the variability among Extension clientele, in order to deliver the programming and messages that are most meaningful to an audience/clientele segment. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Paul Monaghan, Laura Warner, Ricky Telg and Tracy Irani, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, November 2014. (UF/IFAS photo Marisol Amador)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc188

Building Impactful Extension Programs by Understanding How People Change

Extension is reported to be one of the world’s most successful change agencies, and the ability to encourage behavior change remains critical to its success. This 7-page fact sheet describes an approach to understanding how Extension audiences move through the process of change as a means of delivering meaningful programming at the most appropriate level. Written by Laura A. Warner, Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez, and Michael S. Gutter, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, December 2014. (Photo:iStock/Thinkstock.com)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc189

Using the Delphi Technique to Achieve Consensus: A Tool for Guiding Extension Programs

The ability to achieve a group consensus may be critical during specific activities throughout an Extension professional’s career. For example, it may be important to identify an advisory committee’s highest priorities or a group of stakeholders’ most important programmatic needs. The Delphi method has been recognized as a suitable alternative to interviews and formal meetings in certain circumstances. This 6-page fact sheet provides an overview of the Delphi method and suggestions for using this technique to support Extension programming. Written by Laura A. Warner, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, October 2014.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc183

Emphasizing the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) in Agricultural Extension

STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math. In Extension, our purpose is to share the knowledge or products created through Ag-STEM research and design by universities and government agencies. Finding effective solutions to agricultural issues, especially in urban areas, increasingly involves working with clientele to solve problems jointly. Therefore, emphasizing the connections of STEM to agricultural problems through Ag-Extension programming can help our public audiences comprehend the problem-solving system underlying the content. The goal is to provide public audiences with self-confidence and skills in STEM, preparing them to be more engaged in the problem-solving process for the challenges ahead. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Kathryn A. Stofer, Laura A. Warner, and Steven Arthurs, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, October 2014. (UF/IFAS photo by Tyler Jones.)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc184

Extension Professionals: Anticipating and Solving Common Challenges in Planning and Delivering Educational Programs

The work of an Extension agent demands much more than just subject knowledge. An Extension career is exciting because no two days are the same. With that comes a variety of unexpected challenges. The delivery of programs to diverse clienteles is, in itself, a skill and something that Extension agents improve over time. This article summarizes some common problems associated with delivering Extension programs and to recommend solutions. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Laura A. Warner and Kathryn A. Stofer, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, September 2014.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc178

Increasing Efficiency in Extension Using the Train-the-Trainer Approach

Extension has adapted to today’s financial realities through a number of strategies, including increased reliance on partnerships. One strategy that expands the reach of an Extension agent and capitalizes on partners is the “train-the-trainer” approach.This 4-page fact sheet describes the train-the-trainer approach as it applies to Extension programming, provides contextual examples from within and beyond UF/IFAS Extension, and offers best management practices. Written by Laura A. Warner, Amy Harder, Tom Wichman, and Frank Dowdle, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, September 2014.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc170