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The College of Human Ecology, which houses Extension FACS, has such a person. However, since
he supports the whole college, his workload is enormous. To alleviate this load, he has appointed a staff
person within each College unit to support each unit.
Strategy 3: Retraining Support Staff
Redefining the role of existing staff is a continuing process. As staff gain access to new and better
equipment, especially easy-to-use HTML editors, this transition can be a major tool for creating Web-based
material. The most logical content area for existing staff is work that they already produce. Newsletters, factsheets,
and educational programs lend themselves to this type of work. However, it may be difficult to process
archived material into HTML documents due to time restrictions on staff.
An example of the successful utilization of this strategy is found at
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dep/fnut/ newslet.htm. This newsletter (Foods and Nutrition Digest) is a bimonthly
publication. The staff person responsible for setting this document in Aldus PageMaker can easily
convert it into HTML.
Strategy 4: Students as Web Resources
Using students appears to work very well in generating low-cost web pages. Students want to have
resume material and producing Web-pages seems to suit this purpose very well. FACS has had great success
with utilization of student workers. The use of students allows for project oriented work. The students are
highly motivated by the end result of having their name on a web page. The disadvantage of using students is
that they have to be trained and may have no familiarization with the subject matter material.
Using minimum-wage students has allowed for the creation of Web materials that were only available
in hard-copy. Student volunteers were responsible for the creation of an archive of fact-sheets from Extension
Foods and Nutrition dating back to 1993 (http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dep/fnut/timely/timely.htm). Since these
fact-sheets are produced on a bi-monthly basis, the departmental secretary will now be responsible for
converting these documents into HTML as she creates them. This is an example of how different strategies
can be coordinated into an overall strategic plan for designing web-pages.
Strategy 5: Students Work as Part of Curriculum
Students can also be used on a per-credit basis, either individually or within a classroom setting. This
strategy can produce material such as class projects, practicum projects, or special problems. Students in this
setting have a general familiarity with the material. However, students in a group setting have different levels
of technical ability which can present problems.
FACS has had great success with the use of a student practicum involving the creation of web-pages.
The outcomes of this practicum were all positive: 1) The student learned HTML and earned three credits for
her work; 2) FACS received well-done web-pages at essentially no cost; and, 3) The interaction between the
Extension and Resident faculty of the Department of Foods and Nutrition was strengthened.
Summary Comment
Overall, the retraining of existing staff and the use of students appear to be the direction that FACS will lean in
the continuing development of Web-pages. It has proved effective and should continue to be effective in the
future.