Illinois Master Gardeners
During my internship, I was given the responsibility of taking over Illinois Master Gardeners social media presence. At the beginning of the summer, Illinois Master Gardeners were only occasionally posting on Facebook and just when Illinois State Master Gardener Coordinator, Sandra Mason, visited a garden. Since taking over the social media Illinois Master Gardeners now have a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram presence. I learned a lot about how to manage social media for an organization through independent learning, and I was able to teach Sandra Mason how to use our new social media websites. I have enjoyed working on the social media and am very proud of our growing following and how we continue to educate folks through sharing Extension articles.
Before my project of collecting information on the types of project gardens that Illinois Master Gardeners are responsible for, State Master Gardeners had no idea how many gardens Master Gardeners were working with or where these gardeners are located. Sandy Mason only knew the hours each unit reported for. Now, Illinois Master Gardeners knows where each Extension unit’s Master Gardeners are working. Sandra Mason hopes to develop the hour reporting software to include the option to add the garden where Master Gardners worked, but she needed the survey to help understand what the Master Gardeners are currently working on. Now as the partnership with SNAP-Ed continues to develop the collaboration they are offering funding to gardens, we now know which gardens are eligible for funding. That is awesome. We started with five pilot gardens, and now we have the funding to give 2-15 scholarships this next year. To be honest, that is the best feeling to me. This funding is going to get fresh produce to folks who need it, and I got to help with the process.
While enrolled in AgEd 280 Needs Assessment, I learned how to analyze an employee or organization's performance to determine the training needs for a business or organization. I also learned how to determine whether or not training is the solution to a job performance problem. I began working with Qualtircs in AgEd 280, and I have expanded on my Qualtrics knowledge through my time with Illinois Master Gardeners.
During my internship, my independent project was a way to apply the skills I have learned so far while attending school at the University of Illinois. My project produced information that the Illinois Master Gardeners need to help launch a new SNAP-Ed and Master Gardeners program. The survey I created collected information from the counties about current food donation gardens, Master Gardeners programs, and SNAP-Ed programs in each county throught Illinois.
After the data collection, I analyzed the data and turned the raw numbers into a usable form that Illinois Master Gardeners can use next year to distribute grants. I created a report from the garden data collected by my Qualtrics survey. A full report of the findings was delivered to the higher members of Extension including both Suzanne Bissonnette, Assistant Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Jennifer McCaffrey, Assistant Dean of Family and Consumer Sciences.