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This three-year integrated project builds upon the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture's (COA) long-time partnership with the University of Lampung and Syiah Kuala University in Indonesia to enhance the curricula of agricultural education at the secondary and post-secondary levels and agricultural education programs conducted by community organizations (e.g., 4H, FFA). <P>
Three groups of agricultural educators will be trained in international agriculture- and food-related issues and global perspectives through two overlapping steps. First, to increase the number of undergraduate courses with the international content, faculty members in the COA will develop five on-line learning modules of global agriculture and food on: Regulations and Certifications in International Trade; Food Safety and Health; Sustainable Agriculture and Resource Management; Local Community Development; and World Hunger and Food Justice. Second, besides the COA curricula, these learning modules will be also incorporated into a professional development program for agricultural education teachers and community agricultural educators, titled "KyAg: Growing Global Ideas." <P>
Scholars from our partner universities in Indonesia will provide their expertise in training these agricultural educators in global perspectives. At the end of each project year, a study tour to Indonesia will be organized to participate in an experiential short course developed by faculty members of the University of Lampung. <P>
Through the implementation of the proposed activities, the project team will examine the experiential learning processes through which agricultural educators acquire global awareness and global competence. <P>
The project expects five long-term outcomes. First, this concerted effort to internationalize the agricultural education program from the secondary to post-secondary levels will make the UK a national leader in international science education of agricultural teachers and educators. <P>
Second, the proposed development of on-line learning modules and training program will significantly improve COA faculty's capacity for internationalizing the existing undergraduate and graduate curricula. <P>
Third, in the process of planning and executing the training program, the project team will have opportunities to systematically collect and catalogue past and present collaborations between individual faculty members and overseas scholars and develop a plan for the university to expand these individual-based linkages to build institutional relationships with key overseas organizations.<P>
Fourth, through an integrated approach to the internationalization of teaching, research, and extension programs by COA, the proposed project will enhance UK's ability to meet its land grant mission by offering knowledge and learning, solidly grounded on global perspectives, to prepare Kentuckians for operating effectively in global societies.<P>
Fifth, the development of models for effective experiential learning in international agricultural issues will significantly contribute to actualizing the USDA's goal of strengthening the global competence of students, faculty, and staff in agriculture and related areas.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This three-year integrated research, instruction, and outreach project builds upon the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture's long-time partnership with the University of Lampung and Syiah Kuala University in Indonesia. The project aims to enhance the curricula of agricultural education at the secondary and post-secondary levels and agricultural education programs conducted by community organizations (e.g., 4H, FFA). To achieve this aim, three groups of agricultural educators will be trained in international agriculture- and food-related issues and global perspectives through two overlapping steps. First, to increase the number of undergraduate courses with the international content, faculty members in the COA will develop five on-line learning modules of global agriculture and food on: (1) Regulations and Certifications in International Trade, (2) Food Safety and Health, (3) Sustainable Agriculture and Resource Management, (4) Local Community Development, and (5) World Hunger and Food Justice. Second, besides the COA curricula, these learning modules will be also incorporated into a professional development program for agricultural education teachers and community agricultural educators, titled "KyAg: Growing Global Ideas." Scholars from our partner universities in Indonesia will provide their expertise in training these agricultural educators in global perspectives. At the end of each project year, a study tour to Indonesia will be organized to participate in an experiential short course developed by faculty members of the University of Lampung. Through the implementation of the proposed activities, the project team will examine the experiential learning processes by or through which agricultural educators acquire global awareness and global competence.
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APPROACH: The following four activities will be carried out in this project. 1. Research on the Learning of Global Awareness and Global Competency: To answer our research question of how educators acquire global awareness and global competency through this project, we will use three research methods, including: Survey of Knowledge and Attitudes among students and educators; Teaching Evaluation; Case Studies of Educators. In Year 1, we will develop our own means of assessing the global awareness and competency of various groups of participants in this project. By targeting different audience groups, we will be able to assess the effectiveness of the five learning modules (see 2 below) in different delivery methods and to identify key barriers to knowledge and skill acquisition in the areas of international agriculture and food issues. 2. Learning Modules of Global Agriculture and Food: In Year 1, this project will fund up to five faculty members in the COA to participate in the 12-month curriculum development program. Using a $1,000 grant from this project, each participant will develop one of five learning modules, including: Regulations and Certifications in International Trade; Food Safety and Health; Sustainable Agriculture and Resource Management; Local Community Development; and World Hunger and Food Justice. Each module will contain at least one commodity-based and one country-based case. In Years 2 and 3, these modules will be incorporated into the existing courses and teaching workshops offered by the UK-COA. The faculty participants in the curriculum development program will help the project team design a training program, titled "KyAg: Growing Global Ideas," to be offered in Year 2. 3. "KyAg: Growing Global Ideas": This training program targets agricultural educators in the community. In Year 2, up to 6 participants will be selected from pools of agricultural education teachers and community educators, including Extension agents and education professionals in agriculture-related and youth leadership organizations. The program will run for between 8 and 12 weeks. It will consist of on-line training modules, three two-day professional development workshops to facilitate curriculum development, faculty mentoring, and a study-tour to Indonesia. 4. Study Tour to Indonesia for UK-COA Faculty, Agricultural Educators, and Agricultural Education Students: At the end of each year, a 10-day study tour to Indonesia will be organized to participate in an experiential short course developed by faculty members of the University of Lampung. In order to design a course appropriate for each group of participants - UK-COA faculty members in Year 1, agricultural educators in Year 2, and undergraduate agricultural education students in Year 3 - each year, two members of the project team from the University of Kentucky will visit partner universities in Indonesia and two members from these partner universities will visit UK. While in Kentucky, partner scholars from Indonesia will visit schools and organizations for agricultural education across state and participate in the "KyAg: Growing Global Ideas" training program as trainers.