Session moderated by Kimberly Moore

Presentation 1 - Identifying Factors Contributing to the Reputation of a College of Agriculture    
Will Doss    
University of Arkansas    

Reputation has been reported as a major factor influencing students' decision to attend certain universities. With college enrollment becoming more competitive, colleges of agriculture should consider their reputation. However, many measures of college reputation exist, and no common definition of nor factors contributing to reputation have been established. Based on a review of literature, the following definition of reputation was established for this study: Attitudes and perceptions held by various stakeholders formed over time based on the institution's past, present, and expected ability to create value and meet the needs of stakeholders. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to determine factors contributing to the reputation of a college of agriculture. We conducted a modified Delphi study with students who were ambassadors in colleges of agriculture at six land grant universities in the Southern U.S. Participants were asked to list the characteristics of a college of agriculture contributing to reputation based on the aforementioned definition. Responses were compiled and like responses combined. Next, participants were asked to rate their level of agreement with each statement from the first round of the survey. In the final round participants indicated their agreement for each remaining statement to establish consensus. Findings revealed that numerous factors contribute to the reputation of a college of agriculture including: professors and faculty who are experts and leaders in their field; opportunities for students to gain experience; faculty members who care for teaching and students; faculty members who are passionate about their field; and opportunities for hands-on learning, among others. Based on these findings, colleges of agriculture should be cognizant of how they can contribute to or detract from their reputation. Furthermore, researchers should develop an instrument to assess the various factors contributing to the reputation of colleges of agriculture.
 

Presentation 2 - Black Students' Doctoral Socialization at a Predominantly White Institution    
Torrie Cropps    
University of Texas at Dallas    

Doctoral socialization is the process in which students learn the behaviors associated with their area of expertise and the values attached to those behaviors (Taylor & Antony, 2000). Many graduate students leave their graduate programs feeling unprepared for their future careers. Engaging in activities that encourage career preparedness is crucial to post-graduation success. Graduate students who experience positive and effective mentoring, socialization, positive student-faculty interactions, and diverse peer interactions tend to graduate at higher rates than those who do not. Doctoral socialization is essential to Black students' intent to persist to degree completion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at Predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Positive doctoral socialization experiences through mentoring, advising, academic preparation, and interactions with diverse peers can enhance Black students' sense of belonging and mitigate potential barriers to degree completion. Doctoral socialization is a process where students experience socio-academic integrative experiences, including learning the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values of a discipline and field. Bertrand Jones and colleagues (2015) posited that doctoral socialization includes three components: 1) academic preparation, the acquisition of research skills; 1) mentoring, the development of faculty-student and student peer-to-peer relationships; and 3) professional development, including formal and informal opportunities that contribute to professional growth. This study highlights doctoral students' success stories from the researcher's agricultural sciences education research lab at a research-one PWI. Data include reflections and interviews with students, alums, and the research lab's advisor. The researchers report on doctoral socialization experiences that contributed to personal and professional growth and success, such as attendance at regional/national conferences, presenting research, conducting workshops, writing manuscripts and opinion pieces, internships, assistantships, and developing networks. These experiences have prepared doctoral students to acquire academic careers as faculty, researchers, and administrators. 
 

Presentation 3 - Comparison of Students' Performance Before, During, and After COVID-19    
Shyam Nair    
Sam Houston State University    

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted academia in several ways. There is higher demand for online and hybrid classes in the post COVID era. Anecdotal evidence suggests that students spent less time on campus and their participation in clubs and organizations also decreased. The sudden change from face-to-face classes to online and hybrid formats resulted in lower student performance during COVID-19. The students who were seniors in high school during COVID-19 are mostly sophomores in college now, and it will be interesting to assess their performance relative to those in college before and during COVID-19. The objective of this study is to compare student performance before (2018 Fall and 2019 Spring), during (2020 Spring and Fall), and after (2022 Spring and Fall) the pandemic. We used unexcused absences and average quiz, homework, and exam scores in a sophomore level course on agricultural economic principles in [UNIVERSITY] during these semesters (n=504) as indicators of student performance. We conducted Ordinary Least Squares regression with dummy variables Before (base), During, and After (independent variables), and the four indicators of student performance as dependent variables. The results showed that unexcused absences were significantly lower During COVID-19 (p=0.004), possibly due to the acceptance of COVID as an excuse for absences without evidence. There was no significant difference in absences between Before and After COVID-19. The homework scores were not significantly affected by the time periods. The After quiz scores were six points higher than Before (p=0.002), but there was no significant difference in quiz scores between Before and During. Compared to Before, exam scores were 3.1 (p=0.048) and 6.6 (p<0.001) points lower During and After COVID-19, respectively. Students who were in high school during COVID-19 are not performing as well in the university setting and faculty should be aware and respond appropriately.


Presentation 4 - Gain in Research Ability Test (GRAT)    
Zhiyong "Drew" Cheng    
University of Florida    

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are being increasingly incorporated into undergraduate programs across disciplines. However, how to effectively assess students' gains in research abilities is an open question, and a universal assessment instrument is lacking for CUREs. In this project, we developed and implemented a universal Gain in Research Ability Test (GRAT) in CURE lab courses across disciplines (Nutritional Sciences, and Animal Sciences). On a 100-percentile scale, we aligned the anticipated learning outcomes (ALOs) with seven areas of competencies in experimentation: Identify (ALO1), Question (ALO2), Plan (ALO3), Conduct (ALO4), Analyze (ALO5), conclude (ALO6), and Communicate ALO7), setting the universal milestones for GRAT in CURE lab courses beyond disciplines. GRAT served as the framework for a twofold backward design of lab courses by (i) guiding the design of teaching activities, and (ii) navigating the administration of research activities and scientific practice, where students were immersed in literature research, question and gap identification, study design and planning, protocol development and troubleshooting, data acquisition and analysis, and presentation. GRAT for an upper-division lab courses demanded extensive cross-disciplinary knowledge from students to understand and examine the literature, to formulate rationales and hypothesis, and to decide on the right methods, measurements, and alternatives (i.e., ALO1, ALO2, and ALO3). GRAT for a lower-division lab courses skip ALO1-3, and the instructor directly introduced the research question (or knowledge gap) and hypothesis to students but focused the class on ALO4, ALO5, ALO6, and ALO7. A lower-upper transition course may ramp up by including ALO3 and engage student to plan a study depending on students' prior knowledge and experiences. Therefore, our GRAT framework is adjustable and shows the flexibility to meet the ALOs for both lower - and upper-division courses.