Satellite Uplink vs. Videotape in Borrower Training

Background

The 1991 Farm Bill presented a unique outreach education opportunity for farm financial management training (Hanson, 1995). Upon finalization in February 1994 of the regulations for the mandated program "to improve the borrowers' production and financial management ability," the Cooperative Extension System faced the challenge of training U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm borrowers to become better business managers (Rules and Regulations, 1993). The catalyst for this unusual educational mandate was the budgetary impact of FSA's $10.2 billion farm loan losses during 1986-90. By comparison, the cooperative Farm Credit System, with more than twice the amount of outstanding loans, experienced only $2.2 billion loan losses in the same time period (USDA: Outlook and Situation, 1999).

The prescribed focus of the borrower training was on financial statements, financial ratios, cash flow budgeting, and strategic financial planning. The suggested guidelines called for approximately 40 hours of instruction, with each farmer-participant graded "pass," "fail," or "more training required" at the end of the session. The serious nature of the training is illustrated by the fact that until a passing grade is received, current borrowers may not receive additional loans or refinancing from FSA.

Initial Workshop Training Approach

The purpose of this study is to present the financial program developed by Penn State Cooperative Extension to enable farmers to meet FSA training requirements. The educators relate their experiences in developing and delivering a challenging financial training program through various media to a widely dispersed FSA borrower population of varying education levels. The data presented in this study are from evaluation surveys completed by Extension agents and participants at the close of individual workshops (1995-99).

The Penn State Cooperative Extension approach to the training included the following five components:

• Instructor presentation of core finance concepts via a satellite uplink
• A 200-page workbook on finance concepts
• Farmer videos discussing their experiences with financial problems
• Quizzes and problem-solving exercises
• Homework assignments developing own-farm financial statements and plans

A substantial number of FSA borrowers are limited resource farmers and/or have limited management expertise. In addition, Pennsylvania borrowers include a sizeable number of Amish and Mennonite farmers with only a primary-level education. This contributed to the ever-present challenge of producing a curriculum with a simplified format that was at the same time sufficiently challenging for participants at all education and experience levels.

To address these challenges a workbook was organized with one concept per page, limited narrative to minimize required reading, and use of FSA's familiar financial statement format. This educational approach worked well in terms of participant satisfaction and the impact of the training (Hanson, Parsons, Musser, & Power, 1998). However, the program coordinators found that the use of satellite uplinks to present the core financial concepts simultaneously to multiple sites (21 sites in 1995, 26 sites in 1996, and 17 sites in 1997) throughout Pennsylvania and neighboring states, had several unforeseen consequences.

Satellite Downlink Versus Pre-Taped Video Presentations

The advantages of the satellite transmission of an instructor's video image to geographically disparate sites were initially viewed to be:

• Efficient use of a live broadcast presentation to numerous geographically separate groups of participants,
• Enhanced logistical coordination through requiring all sites to begin and end training at the same time, and
• Live Q/A feedback through telephone and fax messages of participant questions to a live panel of experts.

Another key reason for selecting satellite communication was the need for consistent presentation of materials at all sites. A number of local Extension agents/site coordinators expressed the concern that they did not possess the financial background to feel competent to instruct a challenging 40-hour finance course. As one expressed it, there is a difference between the expertise needed to assist a farmer one-on-one on financial matters and standing in front of a group of 15 farmers and answering questions related to broad-ranging financial topics.

The decision made was to have the state Extension finance specialist provide satellite-uplink instruction with local assistance by the site coordinators. Participating agents were provided a 2-day workshop to familiarize themselves with the workbook, exercises, and workshop procedures. Thus the satellite communication was seen as a practical method to assure consistency while agents developed their financial expertise.

The program format was developed under the direction of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences Information Services Satellite Communications. Following their recommendations, site leaders were trained on the use of satellite communications and requirements for selection of local sites. However, following the first round of training workshops, the county agent site leaders identified the following problems as associated with use of satellite downlinks for distance education:

• Interruptions of satellite transmissions
• Difficulties in relocating satellite channels that changed daily
• Satellite format rigidity in terms of time of start, finish, and overall time allocation
• Cost of satellite time
• Inefficiency of live Q/A format for large groups characterized by diverse interests.

Extension agents viewed the satellite downlink Question/Answer sessions and expert panels less favorably than did the borrowers (Table 1, item 1, statistically significant; and item 2). Because of the above-indicated delivery problems with the satellite downlink, the agents were more critical in their mean evaluation scores. The instruction approach of the Extension agents benefited significantly from the use of pre-taped videos of topics such as "Explaining the Balance Sheet," which were viewed beforehand by many of the agents (Table 1, item 3). Use of pre-viewed videotapes contributed to increased knowledge and confidence on the part of the agents in assisting participants with questions on workbook concepts and exercises. From the view of the participants, the agents performed an important role in functioning as the on-site expert.

While the satellite communication format provided a consistent, real-time presentation, there was a desire for knowledgeable on-site experts who could support and help participants digest the material. The participants' response to question four underscores the need for well-prepared workshop leaders at each site. So, despite the concern over limited financial expertise, the pre-workshop orientation provided useful training for the agents to coordinate activities at their individual sites. Consistent with the differences between student and leader opinions shown in Table 1, 21% of borrowers but a much higher 47% of the agents reported technical problems of poor picture quality, poor sound, and difficulties with telephone connections in relation to satellite uplinks.

Table 1.

Borrower and Extension Agent Satisfaction with Pre-Taped Video and Satellite Downlinks, 1995

Question: Satellite seminars can be designed in many ways. How important are the following components of a teleconference to you?*

Item	Not very important	Somewhat important		Moderately important	Very important	Mean score
	----- Percentage -----
1. Live call in to experts carried by satellite downlink
Agents (n=17)	29		29	24	18	2.29**
Borrowers (n=170)	10		24	35	31	2.88**
2. Live satellite panels
Agents	24		35	29	12	2.29
Borrowers	12		27	44	17	2.66
3. Pre-taped videos
Agents	6		6	31	56	3.41**
Borrowers	6		23	44	27	2.92**
4. Agent-expert on site
Agents	12		24	18	47	3.00**
Borrowers	4		9	20	66	3.49**

* Responses scored on a scale of 1 (not very important) to 4 (very important).

** Mean scores between agents and borrowers are statistically significant at p<0.05 level.

Technical difficulties had also been experienced by other Penn State satellite-based distance education programs. Peterson (1999) notes that the convenience afforded satellite teleconference participants seemed to be in inverse proportion to the complications for the faculty conducting the program. Although satellite systems have become more reliable over time, it is common for technical problems to keep one or more sites from receiving the signal despite competent, experienced staff. This lead to decisions whether to reschedule that site, refund fees, or rely on a video. These complications were compounded with a large number of sites and with multi-session programs (Peterson, 1999).

Other studies have also found scheduling difficulties to be a major problem for satellite transmissions as local Extension agents needed to find a downlink location with availability on the indicated date, adequate capacity for the class size, and a location within reasonable driving distance (Hiel & Herrington, 1997). Site leader concerns about scheduling are illustrated by one agent's problem with scheduling satellite workshops on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the days traditionally used during the winter months for Amish weddings. The same agent had to successively shift site location three times when enrollments increased from 15 to 30 to 45 participants. Use of the more flexible video format allowed this agent to schedule workshops on Wednesdays and to move the workshop from the county Extension office to a hotel meeting room that did not have a downlink capability.

Increased Use of Pre-Taped Videos

In addition to the concerns of Extension agents, two economic components led to a gradual shift from satellite downlinks to pre-taped videos. (Note that all operating costs for the workshops were self-financed.) First, the cost to purchase satellite time during 1995 per borrower-participant was $55, compared to only $25 for workbook materials. Second, the Penn State studio required the services of four to six technicians to mount a satellite uplink session, adding an additional overhead charge to the program.

During the first and second year of the workshops, most presentations of instructors and panels were carried live by satellite. But because of the above concerns and costs, only the satellite segments for two panel sessions were carried the third year. No satellite transmissions were carried the fourth year.

The borrower opinions presented in Table 2 indicate that instructor quality was viewed significantly more positively in years three and four, when the presentation was based on the Extension agent leading with use of the pre-taped videos. This finding, consistent with the heuristic concerns of the agents as indicated above, illustrates that equally successful workshops can be built with reliance on the more flexible video format as compared to live satellite uplinks. The improved ratings were also influenced by the instructors' increasing confidence and experience as they entered their second or third years of instruction. However, overall ratings were lower in 1999, perhaps because five sites were taught by new Extension agents.

Table 2. Borrower Opinions on Instructors

	1995	1996	1997	1999
Number of borrowers completing evaluations	195	265	211	339
	----- Percentage -----
1. The instructor was:
excellent	30*	55*	76*	63*
good	66	44	24	36
poor	4	1	0	1
2. Would you recommend this instructor to other individuals:
yes	74*	85**	92**	89
no comment	22	12	7	11
no	4	3	1	1

* Means are statistically different between each year at p<0.05 level.

** Means are statistically different between 1996 and 1997 at p<0.05 level.

Categorized Comments of Borrowers from 1999 Workshops

A notable problem found with the continued use of (the same) videotapes is that they can rapidly become dated. Prior to the 1999 workshops, the manual was updated to include several additional and revised exercises. However, the tapes were not redone to reflect the changes in the manual. The workshop participants had difficulty following along with the tapes because the page numbers in their manuals did not correspond to the pages being referenced on the tape. The concern this caused among the participants was shown by their open-ended comments when evaluating the workshop's strong and weak points (Table 3). This comment mentioned by 15% of the participants occurred nearly twice as often as the other negative comments. Criticism that the course was too short does not by itself reflect badly on the instructor, rather on the difficulty of scheduling 5 days for a specialized workshop with busy farmers and Extension agents. Again, the most positive comment recognizes the excellence of the instructors, who, over time, became more in control of the workshop environment with greater reliance on pre-taped videos.

Table 3. Summary of Participants' Written Comments on the Finance Program, 1999*

	Interpretation
Comment category	Positive or negative	Percentage of negative comments	Number total comments
Videos need to be updated	(-)	32	15
Excellence of instructors	(+)	29	13
Helpful treatment of statements and ratios	(+)	27	12
Needed emphasis on record-keeping	(+)	24	11
Course of general educational interest	(+)	21	10
Course was too short	(+/-)	18	8
Helpful treatment of general lending issues	(+)	16	7
Course was too long	(-)	15	7
Material needs some changes/improvement	(-)	14	6
Some instruction could be stronger	(-)	13	6
Course material was too advanced	(-)	10	5
Total comments		219	100%

* Categories with more than 10 comments. Participants were asked to comment on program strengths and weaknesses.

User-Friendly Video Technology for Workshop Leaders

The experience acquired during 4 years of borrower training workshops has contributed to important changes to the instruction approach and overall success of the mandated program. Foremost among these changes has been the gradual transition from satellite to pre-taped video instruction. From an economic perspective, the use of satellite uplinks would be more consistent with regional or national workshops or presentations where the variable and fixed costs of satellite purchase time and studio production costs can be spread over large numbers of participants, or in programs where uplinks can be limited to a few hours instead of several days. Eliminating satellite costs was a major factor in reducing the tuition (excluding meals) from $200 to $90 per participant during 1995-99. The lower tuition costs made the workshops more attractive to farm borrowers, many of whom had experienced low profitability during the 1990's.

Use of pre-taped videos also eliminated the live studio production costs (other than in the year the videos were made). Use of videos rather than satellite uplinks also reduced scheduling issues for Extension specialists. A key workshop delivery issue related to the use of pre-taped presentation videos was enhanced site leader comfort with the teaching structure. Use of videos places the site leader more in control of time-use, scheduling and pace of instruction. This flexibility is highly valued. Further, the videos place more accountability on the site leader who manages their delivery, thus providing an added incentive to become an expert on the subject matter area.

The above-cited drawback regarding the problem of outdatedness or obsolescence of pre-taped videos warrants a final comment. Problems of outdated or inconsistent videos can be reduced by not including specific page numbers in the videos that over time may cease to correspond to the participant manual and by trying to describe general rather than recent economic events. This approach permits making additions to participant manuals without diminishing the videos' usefulness.

Because of joint cost and inflexibility difficulties, satellite uplinks at Penn State Universities are increasingly used for outreach education programs that are fully funded by grant monies and that are directed toward nationwide audiences. As G. Peterson notes, "Penn State's Agricultural Information Service coordinates about 18 satellite video conferences annually. These are all funded by grants or contracts and do not involve collecting fees or complicated distribution of materials" (personal correspondence, July 8, 1999).

The evolution in instructional methods for the borrower training workshops, from use of satellite uplinks to pre-taped videos, illustrates the continued importance of cost-control and flexibility issues in distance education programs despite technological advances. New Internet distance education technology that provides live interaction between Extension specialists and participants may soon fulfill the need for tight cost-control and flexibility in innovative distance education workshops. However, the above experience suggests that the use of videos in providing high-quality educational programs will likely remain a mainstay until more flexible teleconference technology becomes available and familiar to the majority of Extension agents and their clientele (Trede & Whitaker, 1998).

References

Hanson, G. (1995). A distance-learning approach to borrower training. Agricultural Finance Review 55, 133-146.

Hanson, G., Parsons, R., Musser, W., & Power, L. (1998). Impact analysis of farm finance workshops. Journal of Extension [Online]. 36(3). Available: <http://www.joe.org/joe/1998june/rb2.html.>

Hiel, E., & Herrington, D. (1997). Plausible uses and limitations of videoconferencing as a tool for achieving technology transfer. Journal of Extension [Online]. 35(4). Available: <http://www.joe.org/joe/1997august/rb1.html>.

Rules and Regulations. (1993). Federal Register. 58 (no. 249) 30 December:16190-98.

Trede, L., & Whitaker, S. (1998). Beginning farmer education in Iowa: Implications to Extension. Journal of Extension [Online]. 36(5). Available: <http://www.joe.org/joe/1998october/a3.html>.

USDA: Situation and outlook report. (1999). Lenders' financial performance strong. Agricultural Income and Finance. AIS-71 (February: 9).