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Professional Development
Discover Professional Development opportunities tailored to your role within Extension. This section features skill-building workshops, trainings, and other learning experiences drawn from across the University of Illinois System and trusted external partners. It’s your go-to place for discovering new ways to strengthen your expertise, expand your knowledge, and stay connected to emerging trends and tools in your field.
Extension Foundation Opportunities
Extension Skills: Building Online Courses for Adult Learners: A Practical Introduction
June 26 | 1 to 2 PM
Designed for Extension professionals new to online course creation, this session covers the basics of adult learning, course design, and content delivery—including how to set goals, organize material, and choose the right format. You'll also get an introduction to the Extension Foundation’s Campus platform, a free tool for members to host and manage courses, plus quick tips for making your content marketable, engaging, and easy for broad audiences to consume and apply.
Hosted by: Lisa Linfield, Extension Foundation.
Fundraising & Grant Development For Extension Professionals: Structuring Effective Proposals Part 2
June 25, | 1 to 2:15 PM
Refine and elevate your proposals with expert guidance. This follow-up session offers tips on integrating compelling data, ensuring consistency between numbers and narratives, and crafting proposals that clearly communicate outcomes. You’ll also develop an end-to-end grant writing framework to save time and focus on fine-tuning your details. Move beyond the basics to deliver proposals that stand out and succeed.
Hosted By: Nate Birt, Extension Foundation
Forging Connections, Increasing Partnerships and Producing Results
August 28 |1 to 2 PM
This webinar focuses on strengthening current program partners, identifying and making new connections, and increasing community relationships. Using examples from their own programming at county and state levels, the presenters will share their successes in working with community partners to create impactful programs. Participants will have the opportunity to evaluate their own partnership needs, engage in conversations around how to approach their situation with an open frame of mind, and use strategies and ideas gained in the webinar to help them replicate success in their own communities to shape future work.
Hosted by: Matt Fisher, University of Idaho Extension
Program Center Stage: EXCITE & EFNEP: Power of Utilizing the EFNEP Network for Immunization Education
June 23 | 1 to 2 PM
Join Dr. Jackie Wilkins and Diane Oliver as they share how EFNEP teams successfully wove COVID-19 vaccine education into their programming—reaching over 17 million people. Discover how staff engaged underserved communities, adapted to shifting public health needs, and used innovative tools to deliver trusted health messages. This session will also introduce a new EFNEP immunization education working group developing curriculum that blends nutrition, health, and vaccine education—supporting Extension’s whole health approach.
Hosted By: Jackie Wilkins, EXCITE EFNEP Project Director and Diane Oliver, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension
Leadership and Team Development: Crucial Conversations
June 17, 26, & July 8, 15, 22 | 1 to 3 PM
Backed by 30 years of social science, Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue represents the standard in effective communication and the marker of high-performance individuals & organizations. The course teaches 9 powerful skills for working through disagreement to achieve better results. $500.00 per participant - link for payment will be in the confirmation email.
Hosted By: Karl Bradley, Leadership Development Specialist, Extension Foundation
Leadership & Team Development: Crucial Influence
August 5, 12, 19, 26 |1 to 3 PM
Crucial Influence is rooted in 50 years of social science research and teaches the renowned Six Sources of Influence model. The course reveals the personal, social, and structural sources that shape behavior and teaches a method for using these sources to influence people and results. $500.00 per participant - link for payment will be in the confirmation e-mail.
Hosted By: Karl Bradley, Leadership Development Specialist, Extension Foundation
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Summer of AI at Illinois - CITL
The Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL), in collaboration with campus partners including the University Library, Technology Services, NCSA, ATLAS, and the Siebel Center for Design, is launching the Summer of AI at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This summer-long series offers faculty and staff the chance to engage in hands-on workshops, guest lectures, and thought-provoking conversations exploring the evolving role of AI in teaching and learning.