 |
 |
|||
Contents |
Flexibility TypesAn additional group of questions provides insight into flexibility. Question 7 (a-f) asked respondents to rate the importance of each of six types of flexibility to the future of OSUES. By contrast with other questions, which asked for ratings of the recent past (1995) and the present (2001), this group asked for ratings that have to do with the future. Like the "THEN" / NOW items, these future-oriented items used a seven-point response scale (1=low, 7=high). The item means for all respondents fell within a range of 4.24 to 5.57 (narrower than the 29 THEN/NOW items’ range of 3.55 to 5.55). The means of one high item and one low item are significantly different from the others; means of the four middle items are not statistically distinct from one another. The following interactive graphic shows OSUES-wide average responses to each of these questions. (Click the question boxes in the column to the right to reveal and hide the response arrows.) Averages are indicated by the orange arrows. The highest-ranked of these items... 7c. [The importance to OSUES of flexibility in] using new media and methods for program delivery. ...is compatible with the highest-ranked flexibility item reported above: 5g. My program area uses new communication technologies when appropriate. Like 5g, 7c may reflect fast-evolving technological possibilities and
OSUES’s successful implementation of new technologies rather than
an attitude shift brought about by the Third Mission innovations. OSUES’s professionals are favorably disposed toward two other items from Question 7 that represent types of flexibility that might help them to deliver their programs more effectively. 7e. [The importance to OSUES of flexibility in] forming
new teams of Extension & non-Extension University people to provide
needed services. As for new services and program areas, apparently, concern for "existing clients" and "unserved or underserved" groups provides an appealing rationale for new services or adjusted program content. Items focused on two particular audience groupings received relatively favorable ratings. Existing clients: New client groups previously unserved or underserved
by Extension: By contrast, the lowest-scoring item of this group does not specify an audience nor any other clear rationale for expanding Extension’s offerings. 7b. [The importance to OSUES of flexibility in] moving into entirely new program areas that Extension hasn’t addressed before. |