# Create a Program Activity

This article walks through the steps to create a new program activity in PEARS. A program activity tracks a direct education meeting or intervention, including its sessions, delivery methods, and participants.

![Screenshot: The top portion of the Create Program Activity form showing the Program activity name field, Reporting Periods selector, Program Areas multi-select, and Delivery Methods checkboxes](/files/JV3yCqKFhOUekHROkA1I)

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**TIP:** The red asterisk **\*** next to the heading of a field indicates that the field is required. Required fields must be completed before you can save the record.
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#### Navigate to Program Activities

From the PEARS homepage, hover over the **Engage** menu in the top navigation bar and click **Program Activities**.
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#### Click Add Program Activity

On the Program Activities list page, click the **Add Program Activity** button to open the program activity form.
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#### Enter a Program Activity Name

In the **Program activity name** field, enter a name for this program activity. This is a name you give the program activity for your reference.

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**TIP:** Choose a descriptive name that will help you identify the program activity later, such as the topic, audience, or location.
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#### Select Reporting Periods

The **Reporting Periods** field displays the available reporting periods for your organization. Select the reporting period(s) that apply to this program activity.

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**NOTE:** The reporting period you select determines which fields appear on the form. Some fields are only available for reporting periods in 2023 and later.
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#### Select Program Areas

In the **Program Areas** field, select the program area(s) that apply to this program activity. At least one program area is required.

The options listed change based on the reporting period(s) selected. Program areas also determine which custom data sections will be required later in the workflow.

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**NOTE:** Changing program areas on an existing program activity may remove associated custom data or demographics if the new program areas no longer require those sections.
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#### Select a Program Group (if applicable)

If the **Program Group** field is available, select the group that describes the target audience or specific subject for this program activity.

<details>

<summary>GLOSSARY: Program Group</summary>

A **program group** describes a target audience or specific subject for a series of related program activities. Program groups help organize and report on activities that share a common theme. This field is currently only available within certain organizations.

</details>
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#### Select Action Plans (if applicable)

In the **Action Plans** field, select any action plans that are associated with this program activity. The available action plans are filtered based on the program area(s) you selected.
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#### Select Delivery Methods

Choose how the program was delivered to participants.

**For reporting periods in 2023 and later**, select one or more options from the **Delivery Methods** checkboxes:

* **In Person** — The program was delivered face-to-face.
* **Virtual, live & online** — The program was delivered through a live virtual session (e.g., Zoom, Teams).
* **Virtual, self-directed & interactive** — Participants accessed the program on their own through interactive online content.

**For reporting periods before 2023**, select a single option from the **Delivery Method** dropdown.

{% hint style="info" %}
**TIP:** Your delivery method selection determines which session fields appear below. Selecting **In Person** or **Virtual, live & online** displays the Sessions section. Selecting **Virtual, self-directed & interactive** displays the Virtual Modules section.
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#### Enter Session Details

If you selected **In Person** or **Virtual, live & online** as a delivery method, enter the details for each session in the **Sessions** section.

For each session, complete the following fields:

* **Start Date** — The date the session took place.
* **Start Time** — The time the session began (optional).
* **Length (min)** — The duration of the session in minutes.
* **# Participants** — The number of participants who attended.
* **Virtual** (2023+) — Check this box if the session was delivered virtually.
* **Using IM** (pre-2023) — Check this box if interactive multimedia was used during the session.

Click **Add More** to add additional sessions. To remove a session, check the **Delete** checkbox next to it.

![Screenshot: The Sessions section of the Program Activity form showing a table with columns for Start Date, Start Time, Length, Number of Participants, Virtual checkbox, and Delete checkbox, with an Add More button below](/files/OIVoyoV0TCkDzIGW6jjr)

If you selected **Virtual, self-directed & interactive**, enter the details for each module in the **Virtual Modules** section:

* **Description** — A brief description of the virtual module.
* **Avg. Time (min)** — The average time in minutes to complete the module.
* **# Participants** — The number of participants who completed the module.

Click **Add More** to add additional modules.
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#### Enter Virtual Content Dates (if applicable)

If you selected **Virtual, self-directed & interactive** as a delivery method (2023+ reporting periods), enter the date range during which the virtual content was available:

* **Virtual Content Start Date** — The date the content became available.
* **Virtual Content End Date** — The date the content was no longer available.
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#### Select a Delivery Site

In the **Delivery Site** field, select the location where the program was delivered. Start typing to search for an available site.

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**NOTE:** The **Delivery Site** field is required if you selected **In Person** as a delivery method, or if your organization requires a site for all program activities.
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If you cannot find the correct site, you may enter a location in the **Other Site** field and select the **Nearest City** from the dropdown.
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#### Select a Unit (if applicable)

In the **Unit** field, select the extension unit where the program activity was delivered.
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#### Indicate Youth Programming (if applicable)

If the **Did this program activity deliver any programming to youth?** field appears, select **Yes** or **No**. Selecting **Yes** will require you to complete the Youth Programming custom data section later in the workflow.
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#### Enter Volunteer Information (if applicable)

If volunteer fields are available, complete the following:

* **Youth Peer Volunteers Involved** — Select **Yes** if youth volunteers assisted with this program activity.
* **Number of Volunteers** — Enter the total number of volunteers.
* **Total Volunteer Hours** — Enter the total hours contributed by all volunteers.

<details>

<summary>EXAMPLE: Calculating Volunteer Hours</summary>

If 3 volunteers each contributed 2 hours, the total volunteer hours would be **6**. Enter the combined total for all volunteers, not the per-person amount.

</details>
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#### Select Languages (if applicable)

In the **Language(s) used to deliver this program** field, select all languages that were used to deliver this program activity.
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#### Select Crisis Impact (if applicable)

In the **Crisis** field, select a crisis if this program activity was delivered in response to or impacted by a specific crisis event.
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#### Add Comments and Uploads (optional)

In the **Comments** field, enter any additional notes about this program activity.

In the **Uploads** section, attach any relevant files or documents.
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#### Save and Continue

Click the **Save and Continue** button at the bottom of the form. PEARS saves the program activity and takes you to the next step in the workflow: the [Collaborators](/engage/program-activities/collaborators.md) page.

To save without continuing, click the **Save** button instead.
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