Presented by: Isabel M. Whitehead
University of Arkansas
Authored by: Isabel M. Whitehead | Karli Yarber | Lisa S. Wood
University of Arkansas | University of Arkansas | University of Arkansas

International Programs (IP) can contribute to students' personal growth, employability skills, and intercultural development when mindfully incorporated into the program design. The objectives of this study were to determine students' preferred qualities and types of experiences, and perceived barriers regarding IPs. Currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students were recruited by email and class visits to participate in an online survey utilizing closed and open-ended questions (n=199). Participants reported that IPs cost around $4,000-$5,000 (47.15 %) and the majority reported being able to contribute either less than $1,000 (32.95%) or between $1,000 and $2,000 toward an IP. <span class="normaltextrun">Most participants (71%) reported preferring countries very different from their home country while only 33% of students reported interest in studying abroad in locations similar to their home country. However, when asked to identify preferred locations, Italy, the United Kingdom/Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, France, and Spain were the most popular countries. Participants reported prioritizing skill development for future careers and personal growth, with many (78.57%) also seeking opportunities for learning about other cultures. Other factors, such as providing pathways to working abroad in the future, enhancing second language skills, and contributing to solutions for issues in low-income countries, were also shown preference, though barely representing the majority. Participants also reported needing assistance with applying for scholarships (78.83%, n=137) and desiring increased funding opportunities (83.94%, n= 137). Among the open-response questions regarding participants' perceived barriers to studying abroad, initial thematic analysis showed cost as the most prominent answer, along with some desire for virtual opportunities and possible family travel options. It is recommended that future studies explore what students consider to be similar or different from their home countries as well as the wants and needs of non-traditional students to determine if broader options should be considered to make IPs more widely accessible.

Presented by: Carson Letot
Pennsylvania State University
Authored by: Carson Letot | Daniel Foster | Melanie Miller Foster | Audie Cherry | Kasee Smith | Jeremy Falk | Gavin Voelckers
Pennsylvania State University | Pennsylvania State University | Pennsylvania State University | Clemson University | University of Idaho | University of Idaho | University of Idaho

The United Nations (UN) has called for the systematic education for sustainable development to be integrated at all levels of education to assist with the achieving the international development targets known as the Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDGs). Studies suggest potential for the UNSDGs to serve as a resource to guide instruction. Previous work exploring the use of the UNSDGs commented on the effectiveness of the UNSDGs as a component of pedagogical design capacity, but studies focused on the adoption of the UNSDGs as a tool for the advancement of agriculture education are sparse. A baseline description of perceptions and confidence of pre-service agricultural educators regarding the UNSDGs can help guide conversations on best practices in professional development programs and agricultural teacher education curriculum. Building upon a pilot program funded by the USDA Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants (SEPCA), a study was conducted with the second cohort (n=16) of pre-service agricultural education students from two land-grant universities. Survey research was utilized to address three objectives: (a) identify awareness, importance, and implementation of global issues framed by the UNSDGS, (b) measure mean discrepancies between importance and implementation of specific UNSDGs, and (c) identify levels of confidence participants have in their ability to teach global issues. Our research team found highest awareness, importance, and implementation of global issues related to UNSDG (4): Quality Education. Most study participants indicated a desire to integrate the UNSDGs into their instruction, but discrepancies were present between importance and implementation were found in three UNSDGs including: (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and (6) Clean Water. These results will lead to a discussion on UNSDG integration in post-secondary settings and help inform future efforts of agricultural teacher education.

Presented by: Maria Navarro
University of Georgia
Authored by: Maria Navarro
University of Georgia

Faculty with international experience are not necessarily successful translating their experience into their courses. We explored the types of knowledge and professional development that are necessary to support faculty interested in integrating global dimensions, content, and perspectives into their on-campus courses, and what would be some of the fundamental student learning outcomes to consider that an on-campus course has been "successfully internationalized."

The Global Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework (GPACK), based on the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge model (TPCK/TPACK) purports that acquisition of different types of knowledge is critical for successful internationalization of the curriculum and delves into the relationship among three knowledge dimensions: disciplinary content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and global knowledge. In this presentation, we first propose fundamental student learning outcomes for on-campus internationalized courses, and discuss in-depth the GPACK framework, particularly the Global Knowledge dimension, and its application in faculty development efforts. We then examine the fitness of the GPACK model with programs for faculty development intended to support the internationalization of the on-campus agricultural and environmental sciences curriculum in higher education institutions across the United States, and present the critical elements of each example and their potential impact on curriculum internationalization. Some of the programs addressed all three knowledge dimensions (content, pedagogical, and global-context), and the intersections between them, while other programs focused only in one of the dimensions of the GPACK model, or did not address the connections between them. Programs chosen for review range from series of 1-2-hour content-focused workshops to year-long faculty learning communities, group international/travel experiences, or teaching-oriented sabbatical opportunities.

In summary, we recommend using the GPACK framework to guide faculty development programs for the internationalization of on-campus curriculum, and propose strategies to address the integration, intersections, and acquisition of the three knowledge dimensions: content, pedagogical, and global knowledge.

Presented by: Carson Letot
Pennsylvania State University
Authored by: Carson Letot | Daniel Foster | Kevin Curry Jr. | John Ewing | Melanie Miller Foster
The Pennsylvania State University | The Pennsylvania State University | The Pennsylvania State University | The Pennsylvania State University | The Pennsylvania State University

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been cited as conduits for preparing students to think globally, thus assisting in the achievement of international development targets like United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Recent studies have asked if HEIs in the US are appropriately equipping the next generation of graduates to address sustainability challenges and global issues through evolving curriculum and programs. Despite sporadic exploration of curriculum at HEI's, there has not been documented holistic integration of global learning in the specific area of agricultural teacher education. The research team surveyed pre-service university students in US agricultural education programs to explore the effectiveness of university programming in: (a) increasing awareness of the UNSDGs, (b) increasing integration of the UNSDGs in instructional design, and (c) increasing confidence in pre-service teacher candidates in teaching with the UNSDGs. Results showed a moderate awareness of the UNSDGs and a majority of the population willing to integrate global issues into their instruction. Significant differences were present in the study population based on the demographic variable of those who enrolled in a university course focused on international topics versus those who did not. Pre-service candidates may not necessarily become more aware of the UNSDGs because of enrollment in a course, but pre-service candidates may be more likely to integrate the UNSDGs into their instructional design and may be more confident delivering content related to global issues. Future work exploring this line of inquiry is encouraged to describe the differences in abilities and integration of the UNSDGs because of participating in global learning curriculum. Impacts from similar studies will offer better insight into best practices for encouraging global learning as well as means for providing professional development for current in-service educators who seek to cultivate global competency in themselves and in their learners.

Presented by: Megan Greenwood
Texas A&M University
Authored by: Theresa Pesl Murphrey | Megan Greenwood | Manuel Pina Jr. | Danette Philpot | Audra Richburg
Texas A&M University | Texas A&M University | Texas A&M University | Texas A&M University | Texas A&M University

Future agriculture leaders must be gender-sensitive to promote change and address inequities. Gender-focused curriculum is a valuable tool for students, practitioners, and faculty who seek to address gender-focused gaps in their careers, communities, and classrooms. The Gender Lensed Curricula for Development (GLCD) project aims to bring awareness to roles that women play in international development by providing educational materials produced by subject experts. Virtual seminars, lasting 60 minutes, hosted by topic experts have been conducted from September 2021 through current date and are open to the public. Pre-survey and post-survey data were collected from seminar participants to capture change in topic proficiency. Survey data was analyzed across seven seminars, each consisting of a pre-survey and post-survey. One hundred nine surveys were completed by 63 individuals. Across all completed presurvey instruments, respondents averaged 67.73% correct answers. After attending the seminar, respondents averaged 74.09% correct answers, revealing an improved understanding of the topic by slightly over 6% following attendance of the seminar. These findings support the use of expert-led discussions regarding the roles of women in development to serve as valuable educational opportunities. Agriculture is embedded across international development; thus, the importance of agricultural practitioners, faculty, and students being aware of the role that women plan in international development, as well as nationally within the U.S., is critical. This presentation will include an overview of the curriculum studied and provide guidance on how to freely access it.

Presented by: Stanley F. Kelley
Sam Houston State University
Authored by: Stanley F. Kelley | Marcy M. Beverly | Evan Speckman
Sam Houston State University | Sam Houston State University | Sam Houston State University

Undergraduate animal science majors (n=49) enrolled in a junior-level animal science course were asked to gauge their level of informativeness about state/national/world news (NEWS) and animal agriculture (AA) on a 5-point Likert scale (1=uniformed, 5=highly informed). Additionally, they were asked to provide their primary source of information for each sector. On average, they were more informed about NEWS than AA (2.8 vs 2.3, respectively). Over 67% identified themselves as informed, very informed, or highly informed about NEWS, but only 18% felt the same regarding AA with even more (20%) selecting ‘uniformed’ about AA. Sources of information for each sector, differed. Most identified sources for NEWS were social media (55%) outlets (Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), network news and media (32%) outlets (NBC, CNN, Fox News, newspaper sources), followed by family/friends/peers (13%). Information sources for AA relied heavily on Ag Industry/Professionals/Professors/Organizations (50%), with social media remarkably lower at 24%. Friends/family/peers and network news and media were considerably less of an information source (10%, for each). Therefore, extrapolating the students’ thought of being informed to highly informed indicates the sense of comfort and value placed with social media outlets as their primary source of information for NEWS. It was enlightening, to know that social media sources were less of an informant for AA, students highly regarded professionals in the field for information. Nonetheless, the students ranked their level of informativeness as “low to uninformed” in this area. This, lower status, aligns with the trend that current students are more removed from agriculture than generations before and rely on professionals for information more so than social networks and family. Even so, they do not deem themselves as being well informed about AA. Consideration should be given to undergraduate curriculum to include current happenings in AA to improve student’s level of informativeness.

Presented by: Judith M. White
University of New Mexico
Authored by: Judith McIntosh White | Jeffrey C. White
University of New Mexico | Independent Researcher

For the past 10 years or so, regenerative agriculture practices have gained ground among activists, farmers, producers of agricultural products, and consumers to promote farming and grazing operations that promise to "reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity - resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle (https://regenerationinternational.org/why-regenerative-agriculture). However, many sectors of the public, including some agricultural scientists, teachers, and students, remain largely uninformed about regenerative agriculture or reject its claimed benefits. To build awareness and transfer knowledge about these practices, proponents of regenerative agriculture techniques use internet sites and YouTubes as auxiliary information channels. This presentation will share the results of a content analysis of a purposive sample of these sites, emphasizing recurrent themes, delivery modalities used, and suggestions for use of such sites in education contexts.

This study examined 10 such sites, selected based on a cross sectional sample of static internet sites, interactive internet sites, and YouTubes and taking into account the types of organizations creating such sites. Using the lens of Habermas' conceptions of the public sphere, as well as McLuhan's theory of media ecology, the communication theory of relational dialectics 2.0, and Rogers' and Singhal's work on entertainment education, the authors sought to identify salient themes in the sites, pinpoint the modality used, and how the site creators did or did not visualize educational uses of their sites. The authors' talk will provide a window into the content and potential efficacy of internet published material and internet videos, seeking to elaborate how scientists, teachers, students, and practitioners use new media to build common ground within the public sphere concerning the science behind regenerative agriculture.