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The proposed project seeks to encourage study and improve curricula in four of the five NIFA priority areas by creating contextually-based supplemental teaching materials for broad use in agricultural leadership classes. Specifically, the project seeks to update soft skill instruction by pairing it with technical curricula related to food security and hunger, climate change, sustainable energy, and food safety. The proposal is a joint project between Oklahoma State University, Texas Tech University, and the University of Georgia. <P>The project objectives are: (1) to create agricultural leadership curriculum contextually based in four of the NIFA priority areas: food security and hunger, climate change, sustainable energy, and food safety; (2) to rigorously examine the newly developed curriculum through a process of peer review and field tests; (3) to revise and subsequently publish the newly developed curriculum based upon examination results; and, (4) to disseminate the newly developed curriculum to faculty through a national workshop and web-supported systems. <P>Products will include: (1) rigorously examined curriculum materials based on NIFA priority areas for broad use in the agricultural leadership classroom at universities across the country, (2) a national-level workshop for agricultural leadership faculty designed to disseminate the newly developed curriculum, (3) a project report that includes peer reviews of the curriculum and results of field tests, and (4) a project website that will host the new curriculum for use by the broader community and potentially serve as a clearinghouse for future agricultural leadership curriculum contextually based in NIFA priority areas. <P>Results will include: (1) the development of new curriculum for use in the agricultural leadership classroom, (2) the collaboration of, not only the co-pds, but agricultural faculty across the country as we work to peer review and field test the new curriculum, (3) the introduction of the new curriculum to undergraduate students at eleven different institutions , (4) the coming together of faculty at the national workshop to discuss the new curriculum and strategies to improve teaching and learning in the agricultural leadership classroom. <P>Outcomes/Impacts include: (1) enhanced student learning in four of the five NIFA priority areas, (2) agricultural students prepared as leaders for the food and agricultural sciences workforce, and (3) the adoption of the contextually-based curriculum in agricultural leadership programs across the nation.
Non-Technical Summary:<br/>
Curriculum materials currently available in the discipline of leadership are not contextually based in agriculture. However, agricultural leadership programs and majors serve increasing numbers of students in colleges of agriculture. The purpose of this project is to encourage study and improve curricula in four of the five NIFA priority areas by creating contextually-based supplemental teaching materials for broad use in agricultural leadership classes. Specifically, the project seeks to update soft skill instruction by pairing it with technical curricula related to food security and hunger, climate change, sustainable energy, and food safety. The intended project audience is baccalaureate seeking students enrolling in agricultural leadership coursework across the nation. During the tenure of the three year project, students at eleven institutions will be directly impacted by the newly developed curriculum. The joint project will be lead by faculty at Oklahoma State University, Texas Tech University and the University of Georgia. Each of the lead institutions will be directly responsible for curriculum development. Additionally, co-project directors will be responsible for coordinating peer review and field testing of newly developed curriculum, hosting a national-level workshop for agricultural leadership faculty, and coordinating an overall project evaluation. Products will include: (1) supplemental materials based on NIFA priority areas for broad use in the agricultural leadership classroom at universities across the country, (2) a national-level workshop for agricultural leadership faculty designed to disseminate the newly developed curriculum, (3) a project report that includes peer reviews of the curriculum and results of field tests, and (4) a project website that will host the new curriculum for use by the broader community. Potential outcomes include: (1) enhanced student learning in four of the five NIFA priority areas, (2) agricultural students prepared as leaders for the food and agricultural sciences workforce, and (3) the adoption of the contextually-based curriculum in agricultural leadership programs across the nation.
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Approach:<br/>
Three institutions, Oklahoma State University, Texas Tech University, and the University of Georgia, will be responsible for the development and implementation of the project. Oklahoma State University will serve as the lead institution and Penny Pennington Weeks, Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University, will serve as the Project Director. The lead institution will be responsible for overall project coordination including project evaluation. The lead institution will also host a project website and coordinate announcement of the project. The project website will support communication amongst the co-pds, peer reviewers, and institutions responsible for field testing the curriculum materials. The project website will be posted in the start-up phase of the project and will be maintained beyond the project's end. At the end of the project, the website will be used as a tool to disseminate agricultural leadership curriculum contextually based in NIFA priority areas. Each of the co-pds will be responsible for creating agricultural leadership curriculum for one of four NIFA priority areas: hunger and food security, sustainable energy, food safety and climate change. Priority areas have been assigned to co-pds based upon resources at co-PD institutions and access to technical experts. Each co-PD is academically trained in agricultural education, teaches agricultural leadership, and is highly qualified to prepare new curriculum. After the curriculum is created, it will be rigorously examined (and subsequently revised) through a process of peer review and field tests. UGA will coordinate peer reviews and Texas Tech will coordinate field tests. The curriculum developed as a result of this project will be shared with agricultural leadership faculty at a national-level workshop. The workshop will be hosted as a pre-conference to the 2015 meeting of the Association of Leadership Educators (a letter of support from ALE is provided as an attachment). The lead institution has successfully hosted two pre-conferences at ALE for agricultural leadership faculty as part of a USDA sponsored project titled the Leadership Education Institute for Faculty in Colleges of Agriculture. The workshop will provide an opportunity to not only share the curriculum but to forge new partnerships related to the creation of agricultural leadership curriculum materials contextually based in NIFA priority areas. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for faculty to discuss the appropriate use of such materials and future needs of agricultural leadership as we strive to meet the demands of the agriculture workplace. Evaluation of the curriculum developed as a result of this project will be ongoing and rigorous. Four curriculum units will be created, each aligned with one of four different NIFA priority areas, each designed to create contextually-based curriculum for agricultural leadership. The curriculum will be used in the undergraduate classroom and will not only encourage study in the NIFA priority areas, but also enhance the quality of instruction which will ultimately help prepare students for the agricultural workforce.