AMES, Iowa – Experts from Iowa State University Extension have teamed up with experts from Cooperative Extension units across the United States to create a site of research-based, unbiased information; www.extension.org will officially launch Feb. 21.
Called eXtension (pronounced e-extension), the site promises to be a gateway to answering many of life’s little questions – from parenting to saving and investing, entrepreneurship, dairy cattle and vegetable gardens.
The official launch will be a part of the 2008 USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington. Jack Payne, Iowa State Vice President for Extension and Outreach, will be at the launch as Policy Chair-elect of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges’ Board on Agriculture, and to represent Iowa State University.
eXtension.org is a space where university content providers gather and produce new educational and information resources on wide-ranging topics. It's available to students, researchers, clinicians, professors, as well as the general public, at any time from any Internet connection.
The Web site has 16 resource areas called “communities of practice.” A community of practice is typically multi-institutional, multi-state and multi-disciplinary, bringing the "best of the best" educational resources to the public.
Professionals at Iowa State are leaders in a number of these communities, including entrepreneurs and their communities; family caregiving; livestock and poultry environmental learning centers; parenting; personal finance; youth science, engineering and technology; and gardens, lawns and landscapes.
eXtension.org uses innovative and advanced Web features to enhance the learning experience. Users can rate eXtension.org articles based on their usefulness, with the “most useful” articles ranking the highest on searches. If an article does not answer a user’s question, he or she has the option to “Ask an Expert.” Users can subscribe to RSS feeds, and eXtension will automatically send updates on topics of interest.
eXtension is affiliated with Cooperative Extension, a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices.
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