Using Logs
The Logs feature within e-data provides volunteers with their own personal activity logs which are used to keep track of all of the volunteer time, training, and other Extension activities in which they participate. There are two types of Logs:
- The Advanced Training Log, or ATL, is used to keep a record of all training completed by a volunteer.
- The Volunteer Activity Log, or VAL, is used to track all Extension activities except training.
Because Extension follows the federal program year (October 1st to September 30th), logs are organized by program year. Volunteers may review their log entries by year in summary or detailed form. The can also view the total hours logged for a program year as well as the total lifetime hours logged to date. Volunteers who use logs for the first time are often surprised to see how much time they have actually contributed to Extension.
There are two ways in which entries are made in an individual’s personal logs. The first is automatic. Whenever you register to participate in an Extension activity, such as a meeting, event, or training session that has been posted under Upcoming Activities in e-data, the system will automatically add that activity to your log. If you later decide that you will be unable to attend that event, you can click Un-Register, and it will be removed from your log. If, after the activity has occurred, you need to remove it from your log, you can simply go into your log and delete it.
The second way to add something to your log is to make an individual entry. This is done by selecting the log you want to use (either Advanced Training or Volunteer Activity) from the e-data menu and clicking the Add New Log Entry button. Then follow the prompts on the screen to enter all of the information about that activity.
