University of Georgia Saves $21,562, 46,595 miles of travel, and the Earth by using Wimba for Training Sessions
Since 2006, the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Cooperative Extension Service has been using Wimba Classroom to deliver training sessions in a live online environment. By holding training sessions online instead of at face-to-face sites, its staff has been able to overcome common constraints such as limited travel budgets, rising fuel costs, and time spent away from county offices and local clientele. In fact, by using Wimba Classroom, UGA Cooperative Extension has seen significant economic benefits in terms of travel dollars and travel time gained, as well as environmental impact savings by reducing statewide travel.
In 1914, Congress established the Cooperative Extension Service to deliver information from land-grant colleges and universities to all Americans, particularly those who lacked access to formal education. Although agriculture and society have changed dramatically during the past 90 years, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension continues to fulfill its basic mission. County Extension agents help keep farmers abreast of the latest agricultural technology, research and marketing strategies. Some agents help parents cope with the pressures of balancing home, work and children; others help keep families healthy with information on nutrition and food safety.
Wimba Classroom to the Cooperative Extension Service
Although the University of Georgia had been using Wimba Classroom since 2001 for live online instruction in numerous subjects, its Cooperative Extension Service met at face-to-face sites through 2006. Janet Sylvia of the Office of Information Technology in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences provides IT support for UGA’s Athens, Griffin and Tifton campuses. And thanks to a great deal of cooperation between UGA’s Enterprise Information Technology Services, Sylvia was able to give access to 900 extension personnel work in UGA county-based offices throughout the state, all of whom regularly get trained to keep their skills current. When their trainings were held at regional offices in Athens, Griffin, or Tifton, the average face-to-face training session typically had 35 staff personnel in attendance, required a total of $1,000 of travel reimbursement, and incurred 100 hours of personnel travel time. Now, via Wimba Classroom, these live online training sessions save travel dollars, travel time, and personnel hours.
For example, Dennis Hancock, Forage Extension Specialist at the UGA Athens campus, conducted two 1.5-hour training sessions with 14 participants from nine counties via Wimba Classroom. He enjoyed the following benefits by using Wimba Classroom instead of having his participants drive to the on-site training facility:
Economic Benefits:
- $700 mileage reimbursement
- 84 hours of personnel time
Environmental Benefits:
- 1,555 miles less traveled
- 78 less gallons of gas consumed
- 429 less pounds of carbon
- 1,560 less pounds of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere
Similarly, Todd Hurt, Training Coordinator for the Center for Urban Agriculture at UGA’s Griffin campus, held four 1-hour live online sessions with 349 participants from 18 counties via Wimba Classroom. He too enjoyed economic and environmental benefits:
Economic Benefits:
- $6,000 mileage reimbursement
- 200 hours of personnel time
Environmental Benefits:
- 12,344 miles less traveled
- 617 less gallons of gas consumed
- 3,400 less pounds of carbon (1.7 tons)
- 12,340 less pounds of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere (5.5 tons)
Throughout 2007, in addition to these training sessions held by Hancock and Hurt, UGA held numerous County Extension Coordinator (CEC) orientation sessions, CEC staff meetings, Agent Trainings in agronomist grains, and agricultural Agent Trainings. Overall, the Cooperative Extension Service conducted 35 live online sessions and had 633 participants from 82 counties across the entire state for tremendous savings:
Economic Benefits:
- $21,562 mileage reimbursement
- 1,004 hours of personnel time
Environmental Benefits:
- 45,595 miles less traveled
- 2,328 less gallons of gas consumed
- 12,804 less pounds of carbon (6.4 tons)
- 46,560 less pounds of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere (23.3 tons)
“The 46,595 less miles traveled represents approximately 17.5 trips driving coast-to-coast across the United States,” says Sylvia. “There will be several additional benefits as well. Extension had more training opportunities, could conduct more frequent trainings, have shorter training sessions, and training could be conducted as needed or on-the-fly. Extension personnel spent more time in office than on the road.”