Cooperative Extension is the outreach tool of land grant universities and typically follows a traditional face-to-face education and outreach model. In 2020, however, the global pandemic halted these efforts entirely, inspiring University of Delaware Cooperative Extension to evolve its methods and reach Delaware’s citizens.

RESPONSE

To adapt to an increasingly digital world, UD Extension organized a podcast team consisting of three extension agents and a digital content specialist. Together, this group launched Extension302, a podcast designed to offer unbiased scientifically-based conversations featuring guest experts. Topics range from agricultural sciences to nutrition, mindfulness, financial literacy and more.

In 2020, the podcast released 13 episodes and interviewed experts from UD, other land grant universities, USDA, Delaware Department of Agriculture and local government. Episodes were made available and promoted on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Youtube, Facebook, Libsyn Web Player, Amazon Music/Audible and RadioPublic.

IMPACT

Throughout 2020, the 13-episode podcast season was listened to 2,934 times. The most popular episode was Delmarvalous poultry with 531 listens, followed by episodes about the Spotted Lanternfly and staying healthy during quarantine with 530 and 507 listens, respectively. Advertising directly and dramatically influenced the number of listeners, providing the team with valuable information to begin building a subscriber base. In late 2020, an email subscription option was created to allow increased contact with listeners and to be able to survey and record meaningful data during the upcoming 2021 podcast season.

RECOGNITION

This podcast was generously supported by UD Extension’s Janice Seitz Innovation Endowment Fund, allocated by Dr. Michele Rodgers and Dr. Mark Rieger. Special thank you to eXtension for their guidance through the Innovation Skill Building Initiative.