Presented By: Kameron Rinehart, Texas Tech University
Co-Authors: Jason Headrick, Texas Tech University

While most scholars agree that allyship is an integral practice, there is a wide variation of ideas as to who allies are and what behaviors make one an ally. Using a broad definition, allies are individuals who support a group or community of people (i.e., LGBTQ+, first-generation students, international students) and can assist them with access to resources and information. Being an ally is a lifelong process of learning and building relationships with underserved or marginalized individuals that impact inclusion and equity.

A focus has been placed on ensuring faculty are prepared to be inclusive of diverse individuals (Tindell et al., 2016). Through a nationwide survey, faculty and staff within colleges of agriculture (COA) were asked to define allyship and to discuss how they serve as an ally, the type of resources needed in trainings and workshops, and as a means to better understand the experiences of working with students across marginalized communities.

This session will focus on the creation of a definition of allyship based on the descriptions and behaviors reported by COA staff and faculty as derived from descriptive words and phrases. The data will also provide information on how individuals can serve as allies. Training on allyship showed to be a deficit in many departments, while colleges were reported to provide more related workshops for personnel. Participants were also asked to share difficulties they have experienced when working with marginalized students across agriculture.

While COA programs have an increased awareness of the need for diversity and inclusion (Elliot-Engel et al., 2020), there is still work to advance these efforts within colleges of agriculture across the country. Through this session, participants will learn how allyship emerges as practice and begin to understand the work and resources available to support and assist students (and colleagues) in the future.

Presented By: Cora Andrews, Mississippi State University
Co-Authors: Jessica Benson, Mississippi State University
Carley Morrison, No Affiliation
Josey Webb, No Affiliation

Throughout their academic journey, students have the opportunity to learn from a multitude of diverse individuals, with teaching faculty and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) being among the most common sources of learning. Educators play a significant role in impacting student learning, motivation, character development, and career readiness. Higher education places a clear emphasis on effective teaching, recognizing it as a cornerstone for student success. The purpose of this study is to explore undergraduate students’ perspectives of teaching practices and characteristics of faculty compared to GTAs. Thirty-nine undergraduate students enrolled in agricultural leadership, education, and communication courses participated in the study (N=39). Participants reported having as few as one (n=2) and as many as 12 (n=1) courses with a GTA. Participants were asked to associate several characteristics and teaching practices to either faculty or GTAs. Participants ranked faculty as being more experienced (n=39), wise (n=37), intimidating (n=32), strict (n=31), confident (n =30), timely (n=30) and challenging (n=30). Whereas GTAs were seen as more personable (n=30), relatable (n=28), unprepared (n=28), tech savvy (n=28), open-minded (n=27), and approachable (n=27). Participants had mixed perspectives when it came to compassion, empathy, and enthusiasm of faculty and GTAs. Participants expressed appreciation for the understanding nature and communication streamlining abilities of GTAs, but recommended they be more prepared and confident in their teaching approach. While faculty members were valued for their knowledge and resourcefulness, improving approachability was recommended. Participants found faculty teaching more satisfying than faculty experiences, whereas for GTAs, overall experiences were more satisfying than their teaching. This study provides insight on students’ perspectives, preferences, and expectations regarding the instructional approaches utilized by both faculty and GTAs. It offers a glimpse into what aspects of teaching styles students value, thereby guiding potential improvements in our role as educators.

Presented By: Cheryl Wachenheim, North Dakota State University

Widespread availability of artificial intelligence tools such as Chat GPT, Co-Pilot, and Dell E-2, and artificial intelligence tutors such as Khanmigo provide opportunities and introduce threats to our traditional instructional models. Our premise is that we should cautiously embrace the use of generative AI tools because they will be available and continue to improve in functionality for the remainder of our careers and for the rest of our students' lives. There has been considerable attention towards how to incorporate AI into student work, as well as how to mitigate inappropriate use of AI by students. This presentation will rather focus on how instructors can use AI to increase efficiency, build better instructional products, and make their classrooms more engaging. For example, we can quickly develop the first draft of a personalized letter of recommendation for a student by uploading the job, internship, or scholarship description and the student's resume and instructing Chat GPT to write a letter of recommendation. The draft can be refined iteratively by asking that the letter be rewritten with a focus on student experiences, academic accolades, or the fit of student experiences with the job in question, for example. Another example is using the AI product Co-Pilot to build strong and interesting PowerPoint presentations from text. Many other examples will be introduced to participants. Notably, the presentation will purposely not focus on discussion regarding whether particular uses of AI tools are appropriate or not. Should be great!

Presented By: Monica VanKlompenberg, University of Maryland, College Park

Many Animal Science faculty members receive limited training in curriculum development and student-centered teaching pedagogies during their graduate training. Yet, they are expected to develop and teach undergraduate courses that receive positive student evaluations for their career progression. Studies have shown that student-centered teaching practices increase student learning, retention, motivation, and skill development. These approaches can improve the potential for success in the classroom for students from marginalized identities and first-generation students. However, faculty can be hesitant to try new approaches for various reasons. The presenter aims to highlight the lessons learned in developing a department-based Faculty learning community focused on teaching practices to enhance student learning outcomes in one department. The Animal Science Faculty Learning Community was established at a Land Grant Institution in the 2023-2024 academic year. Members of the community included both professional-track instructional faculty and tenure-track faculty. Participation in the group was voluntary for all participants. The presenter will discuss the approaches taken during the year, modifications made, and future ideas related to establishing and maintaining the community within the department. The group varied their approaches during the year, including activities such as reading and discussing journal articles, informal discussions based on current classroom scenarios, and member-led tutorials on different teaching approaches. The presenter also plans to highlight some of the success stories of participants in the group. Lastly, the presenter will share ideas about how to start your own discipline-based faculty learning community.

Presented By: Heather Butler, Virginia Western Community College
Co-Authors: Ben Casteel, Virginia Highlands Community College
Eric Kaufman, Virginia Tech
Adam O'Neal, Virginia Western Community College
Mallory White, Virginia Western Community College

According to data published by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), a significant disconnect exists between students' perceived workplace skills and their employers' perceptions of the students' skills. Based on this, Virginia Tech's Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education faculty have partnered with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) under the Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership (AWT4CL) project, and this session will highlight insights gained from the partnership. Under the five-year USDA-NIFA grant, which began in 2020, agriculture faculty at three community colleges within the VCCS have been incorporating teaching strategies and activities that bridge workforce and academic skills. With guidance from supporting faculty at Virginia Tech, the VCCS agriculture faculty have created and implemented Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) activities addressing eleven employability skills identified by the APLU study. Students work in teams through problem-based activities addressing such skills as effective listening, communicating accurately and concisely, asking effective questions, workplace conflict resolution, and building professional relationships. Students are also able to earn digital badges in each of the eleven employability skills using the Open Badges platform, that may be downloaded and used on the students' LinkedIn profiles, Indeed, and other digital portfolios. Through consistent use of PDSA strategies and learning badges, faculty have been able to track and improve retention in their agriculture programs. As a result of this partnership, the participating faculty have created a sustainable, state-wide VCCS Agriculture Peer Group to continue sharing strategies that advance workforce skills in agricultural courses. Participating faculty have been encouraged by the positive results based on student feedback and translation of workforce skills into subsequent courses. In the remaining year of this partnership between the VCCS and Virginia Tech, participants will develop long-term objectives to maintain and strengthen these new partnerships, producing graduates with both strong academic and durable workplace skills.

Presented By: Megan Pietruszewski Norman, Pennsylvania State University
Co-Authors: Daniel Foster, Pennsylvania State University
Jessica Gall Myrick, Pennsylvania State University
Melanie Miller Foster, Pennsylvania State University

Encouraging people to attend professional development events can be a challenge, especially when events are held online and are targeting audiences across multiple time zones. In this study, we apply gain and loss framing to recruitment messages to encourage participation in an online community dedicated to global agricultural educator empowerment to better understand what message designs may encourage participation by attending to features of the message design itself. Nearly 1200 members of an online community of practice representing educators from diverse contexts, disciplines and geographic locations were invited to complete an online survey, which randomly assigned them to view either a gain or loss framed email message about a real, upcoming community event. Both messages included the same content about the upcoming event but used different words to promote the event. Applying prospect theory to communication, loss frame messages emphasized what participants would miss out on if they did not attend. Conversely, the gain frame highlighted the benefits of attending the event. In line with calls from other gain and loss frame communication studies to study moderators and mediating variables, we measured if previous involvement in the organization affected participants' intentions to attend the event and attitude toward the event. We asked about participants' efficacy perceptions and stress levels resulting from viewing the message to see if efficacy and stress affected intentions to attend and attitudes toward the event. Measures were adapted from previous studies for improved reliability. Finally, we observed actual event participation to see if the type of invitation influenced event attendance. Results of this experiment shed light on what communication strategies encourage people to attend professional development opportunities by focusing on how the event invitations are composed and processed by community members. Applications of findings can be applied to formal, informal, and non-formal agricultural education programming.