What should I report?

• Educational outreach delivered/coordinated by Extension staff (with staff present)
• Uses a planned curriculum with educational objectives
• Intended to target audiences that are not solely Extension staff
• Involves a two-way interaction (in-person or online)
• Include self-paced courses if 1) there is evidence who participated (e.g. registration or demographic data collected, AND 2) there is evidence that the program was received (e.g. quiz, course completion, or evaluation)

Why do we track it?

Direct education is conducted across all Extension program areas, providing an opportunity to compile Extension-wide metrics that we report to local, state, and federal stakeholders.  This type of outreach is one of the most prevalent ways Extension is able to translate research-based, objective information into programming that addresses stakeholder needs. Direct education is the primary way we track educational contacts and Civil Rights data to document the extent of our reach and demographics of populations we serve. 

Where and how do I report it?

Report all direct education in the PEARS Program Activities module.   

Resources

• Download the PEARS Direct Education Program Activities Guide FY24 for detailed instructions to enter a PEARS direct education program activity.  This guide applies to reporting program activities for AAB, CCI, CED, IHD, and NREE program areas.  For FCS and 4-H reporting, refer to the program area specific instructions. 
• Civil rights demographics reporting resources (includes a link to download a demographic data collection form with the FY2023 changes). 
• Users are no longer able to enter a new site when submitting a program activity entry. If you are unable to find a specific site, submit a new site request to uie-inepdocs@illinois.edu.  Include the organization name and full address in the request. A new guide is available for tips on how to search and select a site in PEARS. 

What should I report?

• Collaborations between Extension and one or more agency, business, or organization (external to University of Illinois) with a shared purpose for planning, developing or delivering programs, or implementing/adopting policies or practices.
• Do NOT include collaborations with other Illinois Extension staff or University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus people or units. 

Why do we track it?

Evidence of collaboration with entities external to Extension demonstrates that we actively engage in local, regional, statewide, national and international connections that amplify benefits to our audiences and the broader public. Collaborations signify that we are intentionally leveraging resources and strong relationships to most effectively engage the public in ways that are meaningful and relevant. When we systematically capture these collaborations, we can more comprehensively represent and communicate the nature, extent, value, and impact of these collaborations.  

Where and how do I report it?

• A partnership is a collaboration between Extension and one external agency, business, or organization with shared purpose for planning, developing or delivering programs, or implementing/adopting policies or practices. Enter in the PEARS Partnership module.
• A coalition is a collaboration between Extension and a group of more than one external agencies, businesses, or organizations with shared purpose for planning, developing or delivering programs, or implementing/adopting policies or practices. Enter in PEARS Coalitions module.
• Partnerships and coalitions should be entered only once per reporting year.  Coordinate timely entry with Extension collaborators, being sure to tag all collaborators.
• PEARS Partnerships and PEARS Coalitions entries can be copied from a prior reporting year if the collaboration is ongoing. See PEARS instructions for how to copy one or more partnerships and how to copy one or more coalitions from a previous reporting year.

Resources

• Download the PEARS External Collaborations Quick Guide FY24 for detailed instructions to enter a PEARS partnership and a PEARS coalition. This guide applies to reporting Partnerships and Coalitions by 4-H, AAB, CCI, CED, IHD, and NREE program areas.  For FCS reporting, refer to the FCS specific instructions. 

Enter all impact success stories for the reporting year 10/1/2022 - 9/30/2023 by November 30, 2023.  Each educator should contribute to or individually submit at least one impact success story for outreach conducted during the 2023 reporting year (October 2022-September 2023). This applies to 4-H, AAB, CED, CCI, FCS/N&W, FCS/CE, FCS/Family Life, IHD, and NREE educators.

What should I report?

One specific reporting need is to share information about those outreach efforts that result in changes or outcomes among people, systems, or communities; otherwise known as impacts.  Impact success stories may be reported as a team or by an individual. There are three parts to an impact success story:

• Situation (what is the underlying need or rationale that we were trying to address?)
• Response (what was done in terms of a programmatic response?)
• Results/impact (how were users/audience members/stakeholders positively affected and how do these changes benefit those beyond who participated – public value?)

Why do we track it?

Impact success stories are used to support unit, state, and federal reports to stakeholders. Demonstrating Extension's impact and value provides evidence to stakeholders that Extension outreach makes a measurable difference. 

Where and how do I report it?

• Report impact success stories in the PEARS Success Stories module.  

Resources

• Download the Impact Success Stories Guide FY23 for detailed instructions to enter a PEARS Impact Success Story. These instructions apply to all program areas EXCEPT SNAP-Ed and EFNEP.