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 of the General Information form showing the Program activity name, Program areas, Program group, and Action plans fields above the Methods used to deliver this program 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

On the Program Activities list page, click the Add 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 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.

There is no reporting period field on the form. PEARS assigns the reporting period(s) from the program areas you select and the reporting periods your organization currently has open. Program areas also determine which custom data sections will be required later in the workflow.

NOTE: The reporting period determines which fields appear on the form, and some fields are only available for reporting periods in 2023 and later. 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.

5

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 only available within certain organizations.

6

Select Action Plans (if applicable)

In the Action plans field, select the action plan(s) associated with this program activity. The available action plans are filtered based on the program area(s) you selected. The field appears for Extension users and requires a selection — if no action plan applies, select Not linked to an Action Plan, which cannot be combined with an actual action plan.

7

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 Methods used to deliver this program 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 Method used to deliver this program 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 Dates Content Available and Lessons or Modules sections.

8

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 the plus button at the end of the last row to add another session. To remove a session, check the Delete checkbox next to it.

Screenshot: The Methods used to deliver this program checkboxes and the Sessions section of the Add form with two session rows, each with Start Date, Start Time, Length (min), # Participants, the Virtual toggle and a red remove button, and the highlighted plus button at the end of the last row

If you selected Virtual, self-directed & interactive, enter the details for each module in the Lessons or 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 the plus button at the end of the last row to add another module.

9

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 in the Dates Content Available section:

• Virtual content start date — The date the content became available.

• Virtual content end date — The date the content was no longer available.

10

Select a Delivery Site

In the Delivery Site field, select the location where the program was delivered. Enter two or more characters to search the site list by ID, name, or address. You may also select an organization that includes multiple sites, such as a school district or grocery chain.

NOTE: The Delivery Site field is required if you selected In person as a delivery method, if the program activity falls in a reporting period before 2023, or if your organization requires a site for all program activities.

If you cannot find the correct site and your organization allows users to add sites, click Add Site in the search results to create one.

11

Select a Unit (if applicable)

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

12

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.

13

Enter Volunteer Information (if applicable)

In the Volunteers section, complete the following:

• Number — Enter the total number of volunteers.

• Total hours — Enter the total hours contributed by all volunteers.

• Youth Peer Volunteers Involved — Check this box if youth volunteers assisted with this program activity. This box is only available within certain organizations.

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.

14

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.

15

Select Crisis Impact (if applicable)

In the Crisis Impact field, select a crisis if this program activity was delivered in response to or impacted by a specific crisis event. This field is only available within certain organizations.

16

Add Comments and Uploads (optional)

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

In the File Attachments section, attach any relevant files or documents, such as pictures or handouts.

17

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.