Presented By: Logan Britton, Kansas State University
Co-Authors: Matthew Melchor, Kansas State University

Student engagement has been an important priority of instructors and shown to enhance student learning. In other academic disciplines, such as English, psychology and management, contract grading has been used as an avenue for student assessment. With contract grading, students agree to a set of activities or requirements for their grading criteria. This assessment technique has been shown to focus more on learning and less on the outcome. In a senior-level agricultural finance course at a land-grant university, around 40 students across two semesters were assigned a case study assignment to further develop their critical thinking skills. This assignment required students evaluate an investment decision by analyzing the financial, management and marketing aspects of the same agribusiness with a group of their peers. A portion of the students' grade for the case study assignment were allocated to their level of engagement in accomplishing the case study. Student groups were randomly assigned to either peer-grading or contract grading for this engagement score. Students were given pre- and post-test surveys to assess knowledge gained from the case study as well as gauge perceptions of their learning experience. Using analysis of variance methods, the data are analyzed among treatment groups. Initial results show that students in contract grading groups enjoyed the experience more as well as performed better on their post-test assessments. Further analysis will examine the difference in overall score on the case study, individual contribution to the assignment, perception of teammates' contributions, and fairness of engagement assessment methods.

Presented By: Angel Cruz, North Carolina State University

Climate change, food insecurity, and environmental degradation are complex challenges that require innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to research and education. In addition to attracting and training more students to agricultural careers, there is a need for targeted recruitment of under-represented groups. To meet the demand for skilled professionals and increase minority participation in the agricultural workforce, NC State University developed the Agroecology Scholars Program In Research and Extension Internship (ASPIRE). The goal of this research was to evaluate the learning and the potential impact on long-term plans of the participants. The research consisted of descriptive surveys conducted with 36 students who completed the program. We used one group pre-test and post-test design to collect program outcome data. Survey instruments consisted of 5-point Likert scales to document participants' perceived knowledge about careers available in agriculture and knowledge gains. We included participants' intended career choice changes, skill and knowledge changes, their level of satisfaction with the training, what they like the most, their suggestions to improve the program, most significant learning outcome, and one thing they plan to apply in their degree program at the post-test. More than 60% of participants were from underrepresented minority groups. Comparison of pre and post-tests confirmed that all participants increased knowledge and skills. Looking at potential practice changes, 73% of interns said they plan to seek future internships or other professional development opportunities to expand their agricultural knowledge and experience, whereas only 19% reported that they were already planning on this. Additionally, 54% of interns reported that as a result of the program they intend to pursue a career in agriculture. By engaging these diverse undergraduates in hands-on, cutting-edge agriculture and food systems research while providing structured professional development and mentorship, we have increased both student interest and capacity to pursue careers in agriculture.

Presented By: Delphine Iradukunda, Purdue University
Co-Authors: Aster Bekele, Felege Hiwot Center
Theoneste Nzaramyimana, Kentucky State University
Kathryn Orvis, Purdue University
Nathan Shoaf, Purdue University

Urban agriculture initiatives developed for youth have the capacity to motivate learning, include minority groups, and allow participation in activities that foster self-growth, community engagement, and entrepreneurship. This pilot study builds on a partnership between a midwestern university and the Felege Hiywot Center's (FHC) successful youth urban farming program, now focusing on how that programing could contribute to developing life skills, sustainable agriculture knowledge, and entrepreneurial skills. A mixed methods approach was utilized, including pre/post surveys, student presentations, and observations. Participants were twenty-eight high school aged youth, of which 91% self-identified as African American. Main foci of the project were participants' life skills, entrepreneurial skills and mindset, sustainable agriculture content, and community collaborations. Key findings from the summer pilot post survey (n=23) indicate that 48% of participants could define sustainable agriculture, 55% understood its significance to their community, and 52% recognized the advantages of crop rotation. Sixty five percent of participants could identify the three sustainability pillars: economics, environment, and social. The program's influence on participants' future plans was notable, with 52% experiencing a change in their outlook. This impact is attributed to the collaborative efforts of volunteers, professionals, sponsors, and the structured nature of the FHC program, which also emphasizes the importance of individual backgrounds. The potential to impact and enhance life skills, foster self-awareness, improving family communication, and opening avenues for future education and career opportunities will allow for a broader development and expansion of this project. This pilot contributes to the broader discourse on youth programs in urban agriculture by highlighting the integrative approach of experiential learning, farm-based education, and student-centered learning within a youth development framework. While early in the project, this pilot shows promise in underlining the critical role of urban agriculture programs in shaping the lives and future prospects of minority youth.

Presented By: Aaron Giorgi, West Virginia University
Co-Authors: Jordon Masters, West Virginia University
Elizabeth Shorrock, West Virginia University

Production of apparel for Fast Fashion enterprises has been documented as a resource intensive and environmentally unfriendly industry. To increase pressure to change practices, many counter movements developing sustainable production practices have emerged. Fashion programs associated with colleges of agriculture are beginning to explore and research sustainability driven production methods through agriculturally centered lens. While positive efforts have been made to re-shore domestic Textile and Apparel Industry (TAI) jobs in the United States, the return has been slow. Dissemination of practices into the workforce for utilization, coupled with increasing recruitment efforts targeting youth to become the next industry leaders will be key for the sustainability movement to retain efficacy. We sought to explore the impacts of a traditional extension workshop model for dissemination on knowledge change and influences on academic plans of high school students related to fashion and textile industry careers. Study was guided by Azjen’s Theory of Planned Behavior, whereas influencing knowledge and intentions can have downstream effect on outcome behaviors. Participants (n = 13) were high school aged children who were attending a state level, agricultural youth organization competition who self-selected to participate in a sustainable dyes workshop. Participants in the workshop were surveyed asking them to describe their level of knowledge change and influence on potential future career decisions related to participation in the workshop. Participants reported the workshop strongly increased their level of knowledge about sustainability practices in TAI (μ = 4.31) and relationship of TAI to agriculture (μ = 4.23). Participants reported neutral feelings about influence on likelihood to pursue a career (μ = 3.38), major (μ = 3.38) or courses (μ = 3.69) in TAI. It was concluded a stand-alone workshop model can only influence knowledge about practices. Further work should be done to influence changes in the practices and workforce recruitment efforts.

Presented By: Saifur Rahman, North Carolina State University
Co-Authors: Audie Cherry, Clemson University
Joseph Donaldson, North Carolina State University

The Studies of Occupations, Culture, and Innovations toward Agricultural Literacy (SOCIAL) initiative is a collaboration of faculty from two colleges of agriculture. The SOCIAL goal is to support middle school teachers in becoming better-informed food and agricultural advocates who will foster student career interests across agriculture and the allied sciences. Middle school is a particularly important time for youth to explore careers, build self-awareness of occupational interests, and set academic and career goals. SOCIAL provides professional development for South Carolina's eighth grade social studies teachers to integrate agriculture into the history curriculum. As a part of this initiative, 13 teachers engaged in a SOCIAL Studies Academy ”a statewide tour of the Clemson Research Education Center (REC) System highlighting agricultural faculty, history, modern technologies, and career opportunities. After the tour, participants were surveyed using a retrospective post-then-pre assessment of knowledge, instructional practices, and personal practices in the food and agricultural sciences. More than 70% of teachers reported gaining knowledge in precision agriculture, integrated pest management, turf production, and agricultural research. Regarding instructional practices, all teachers reported their intentions to provide agricultural resources to students and encourage students to consider agricultural careers. Notably, none of the teachers reported these practices prior to the tour. To a lesser extent, teachers reported that the tour prompted them to adopt personal practices such as shopping for locally grown food and producing their own food. The overall findings demonstrate that the tour was an effective method for increasing awareness of agricultural career opportunities among the teachers, and the REC System is an important continuing education tool. Key recommendations from the teachers for future professional development were to: (a) provide more extensive marketing to attract additional teachers to the program, and (b) engage science and agricultural teachers in building local support for agricultural career exploration.