Create a Program Activity

Learn how to create a new program activity record in PEARS, including session details, delivery methods, and general program information.

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

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.

1

Navigate to Program Activities

From the PEARS homepage, hover over the Engage menu in the top navigation bar and click Program Activities.

2

Click Add Program Activity

On the Program Activities list page, click the Add Program Activity button to open the program activity form.

3

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.

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

4

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.

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.

5

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.

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.

6

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.

GLOSSARY: Program Group

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.

7

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.

8

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.

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.

9

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

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.

10

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.

11

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.

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.

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.

12

Select a Unit (if applicable)

In the Unit field, select the extension unit where the program activity was delivered.

13

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.

14

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.

EXAMPLE: Calculating Volunteer Hours

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.

15

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.

16

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.

17

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.

18

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 page.

To save without continuing, click the Save button instead.