eXtension (www.extension.org) is an interactive on-line learning environment delivering "best of the best," researched-based knowledge from the top minds across the land-grant university system.  It is a space where university content providers can collaborate to gather and produce new educational and information resources on wide-ranging topics while continually interacting with their customers to help solve real-life problems in real time.  The works of faculty and other professionals in eXtension are based upon unbiased research and undergo a peer review process prior to publication on the public interface.

Work done in the eXtension environment is complex and challenging, as top faculty and professional minds collaborate virtually to develop educational works that best serve the needs of our clientele.  Successful scholarly works are products of top content minds, vetted by Community of Practice (CoP) members.


A cornerstone of content creation in the eXtension environment is collaboration by faculty and other professionals to jointly develop materials in a group effort. This is a major paradigm shift for university academics, moving from a “me” to “we” environment. In this setting of teamwork, it is recognized that numerous content experts jointly working on educational materials produce more in depth and higher quality products for the public.  Collaboration by communities of experts in content creation produces the “best of the best” educational materials and programs for customers.

The focus of this presentation is to discuss the multifaceted scholarly aspects of work done by faculty and other professionals in the eXtension environment.  The presentation will include: 1) published guidelines on the scholarship of eXtension, 2) how individuals working in eXtension and institutions have included eXtension efforts in their tenure and promotion processes, and 3) examples of cases where individuals have successfully included eXtension work in their tenure and promotion documents.