Distance education in agriculture extension: A needs assessment for Alberta agriculture staff

This needs assessment study was conducted to identify training and professional development needs for Alberta Agriculture Regional Advisory Services (RAS) staff as they move toward providing education to their clients by distance delivery.;Three approaches were used to collect data---survey, focus group interview, and one-on-one interviews---to gain an understanding of the experience and opinions of RAS specialists about professional development and distance education both qualitatively and quantitatively.;The major findings centered around preferred learning strategies and distance education technologies. Extension specialists identified mentors and secondments as being important professional development strategies. Very few specialists used distance education technologies for learning or teaching, but indicated an interest in learning more about the potential.;The field of distance education is unfamiliar in professional development programming in Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development; however, distance delivery is being used by many large companies and post-secondary institutions. Six conclusions are reached and ten recommendations are made affecting various stakeholders preparing to (a) provide training to their fields using distance delivery methods or (b) assist in the professional development of individuals using distance delivery methods.