Source: UNIV OF HAWAII submitted to
THE WORLD OF AGRICULTURE: A COMPARISON OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY USING VIRTUAL REALITY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1027714
Grant No.
2022-69018-36297
Cumulative Award Amt.
$750,000.00
Proposal No.
2021-07210
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Dec 1, 2021
Project End Date
Nov 30, 2025
Grant Year
2022
Program Code
[A7801]- Food and Agricultural Non-formal Education
Project Director
Ooki, N.
Recipient Organization
UNIV OF HAWAII
3190 MAILE WAY
HONOLULU,HI 96822
Performing Department
Maui County
Non Technical Summary
The adoption of technology in agriculture has enabled farmers to make better decisions and work more efficiently yet understanding by the general public of its role and safety is limited. This four-year program provides high school youth in Alaska, Hawai'i, and Nebraska with skills needed to create educational virtual reality tours that inform viewers about unmanned aerial vehicles, automation, robotics, gene editing, and data science to build public confidence in the safe use of technology in agriculture and the food system.The program includes education on plant, animal, soil, and food sciences in addition to a history of technology in agriculture and traditional cultural practices to provide context for today's innovations. The 40-hour flexible delivery program will feature a final public showcase.College students in agriculture majors at land-grant universities will facilitate the programs and university faculty and agriculture technology professionals will serve as expert speakers that support education and career pathways in agriculture. The learning experiences incorporate positive youth development focused on leadership development and communication skills. Activities are hands-on with process discussions to deepen understanding.Curriculum will be developed using the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources standards (AFNR, 2018), which have been incorporated in the pathway systems of secondary and higher education in Nebraska, Alaska, and Hawai'i.Through products developed such as VR tours and videos, podcasts featuring expert interviews, educational social media posts, and a public website, to indirectly reach additional youth and adults.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90374103020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
7410 - General technology;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
Goal: Youth will gain the knowledge and skills needed to create their own virtual reality tour to build student and public confidence in the safe use of technology in agriculture and the food system.Objectives:Youth will explore agri-science through an historical lens to see the development of technology in agriculture while making connections to local cultural practices.Youth will place agriculture within the larger context of climate, weather, and environment and gain knowledge in potential careers in the field.The technology-focused learning experiences will provide youth with understanding of precision agriculture and the technology of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), automation, robotics, gene editing, data science, and virtual reality (VR).The STEM learning experiences will be delivered within the larger context of food systems and include information on plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition, and health; bioenergy, natural resources, and environment; and agriculture systems and technology.Youth-created virtual reality tours will teach about the practice and safety of the same technology topics for a wider consumer audience.Increased knowledge in agriculture literacy and agricultural technology and its historyIncreased understanding of Virtual Realty as an educational toolSkills to create a Virtual Reality TourIncreased interviewing skillsGains in Goal Management skillsGrowth Mindset increasedAg-literacy knowledge increasedEnhanced communication and leadership skills
Project Methods
The World of Agriculture program will provide youth with the knowledge and skills needed to create their own virtual reality tour to build student and public confidence in the safe use of technology in agriculture and the food system. Youth will oversee the design (researching topics, creating 360° panoramas and videos, photographing images, and writing scripts), execution (building and showcasing the tours), and evaluation (rubric contribution and collecting and analyzing data from showcase audiences, judges, and peer surveys) of their project. The programs will be delivered in flexible formats (after-school clubs, in-school enrichment, week-long day camps, etc.) to best meet the needs of the targeted youth at each site. The program covers 40 hours of content, which includes tour development time for the youth. In addition, a final 2-hour showcase will act as a capstone and dissemination point for the tours.The first half of the program will feature STEM activities focused on one chosen agriculture technology each day so that youth are exposed to a variety of technologies. In addition to how the technology works they will investigate its purpose and benefit to the community. To provide content, experts from collaborating universities will be guest speakers or record presentations. College students in agricultural majors will be hired to facilitate the activities and answer youth questions during the program. Local professionals currently working with the technology will record interviews discussing the benefits of the field and why the technology is good for the community. During this section, youth will view relevant virtual reality (VR) tours to understand its format and potential use as an educational platform.The evolution of technology in agriculture will be demonstrated, beginning with early tools and progressing to modern technology practices. Building on this discussion by integrating a cultural-context, youth will examine how indigenous peoples locally practiced agriculture and compare them with similar information from the other collaborator states. This will allow for an understanding of general themes and decision-making factors (water supply, soil texture, etc.) in agriculture. Expanding on those themes, activities will focus on the environment and weather, connecting the previous ideas to today's science.During the second part of the program, youth select a technology from those introduced in the program (unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), automation, robotics, gene editing, and data science) and then create a consumer-friendly educational VR tour. Youth will work individually and collaboratively to develop storyboards, film VR panoramas, stage and shoot close-up photos, create interview questions, film experts (if needed), write scripts and assessment questions, and compile their projects. Youth can work together to update the judging rubric (see Appendix), if needed. These rubrics include sections on mechanics addressing sound quality, accuracy of information, transformative learning content, prompts for metacognition, understandability by public, engagement with guided exploration content, and level of trust inspired. Youth share their VR tours with each other and provide critical peer reviews. Based on those reviews, youth will analyze rubric data and adjust their tours. Once reviewed and finalized youth will upload their tours to the website for greater outreach to the public. The tours will be presented in a final showcase format, with the general public and knowledgeable guests invited to view and judge the final products using the same rubrics. Youth will plan and serve as emcees for the event in addition to presenting their tour. The learning experiences incorporate positive youth development focused on leadership development and communication skills. Activities will follow the 4-H experiential learning model with hands-on learning complemented with discussion of the process as a means of deepening understanding. Built into the 4-H Thrive Model for positive youth development (PYD) are opportunities for youth to have a safe and consistent environment with clear expectations for participation and interactions with others that help build supportive relationships and allow youth to develop a sense of belonging. Programs under this model include possibilities for youth to take responsibility and to develop skill mastery including social and emotional resiliency. Connections to family, school, and the community, including potential education and career opportunities, serve as both a support system and ladder to the future (Arnold and Gagnon, 2020). Developing the World of Agriculture program with these concepts in mind allows for a focus on the whole child. Activities begin with opportunities for connections as a group, following PYD best practices. Utilizing curriculum content with a sequential order allows for knowledge building and greater understanding. Using technology-components to facilitate active learning supports an immersive environment that increases engagement. Including guiding questions in the VR tours supports youth demonstration of understanding and ability to explain the content. Allowing for peer review and collaborative projects provides youth with opportunities to learn from one another, reflect, and apply content to real life (their own creation). Through social peer interactions, youth can begin to counteract potential feelings of isolation developed during the pandemic. The predictive 4-H Thrive Model will provide a guide for PYD best practices with a career pathway in agriculture and data sciences. To provide scaffolding for youth to develop tours, present their product, and revise rubrics for evaluating the content, the curriculum will be developed using the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources standards (AFNR, 2018), which have been incorporated into the pathway systems of secondary and higher education in Nebraska, Alaska, and Hawaii. The educational tours will focus on strands CS.01 (analyze how issues, trends, technologies and public policies impact) and CS.05 (describe career opportunities and means to achieve those opportunities). By aligning with relevant standards, the program increases sustainability by reaching new audiences in public schools through Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators in the future.

Progress 12/01/22 to 11/30/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Professionals in the agriculture industry and experts in local culture as part of the advisory group and educational site visits. A pilot program with high school students was implemented. Teachers were contacted to discuss possibilities for implementing the program. Changes/Problems: Challenges finding faculty or staff to serve as evaluator Continued COVID supply chain issues Continued COVID staffing shortage issues Wildfire disaster on Maui impacted PI time availability to dedicate to project and availability of schools and students to participate in the program due to relocation of Lahaina students throughout the island Integration into Career and Technical Education pathways was hindered due to conflict of timing with other established CTE program classes at Oahu schools What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Educators from Alaska, Hawaii, and Nebraska participated in educational training related to local agriculture and indigenous knowledge, in addition to training on using virtual reality equipment. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A website was developed to house products and disseminate results. Program information was presented at the Nebraska Educational Technology Association conference in March 2023. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Implement project curriculum in a variety of sites all three states Meet with the advisory group for feedback on curriculum Work with students to develop virtual tour showcase events Collect and analyze evaluation data Finalize virtual tours for Alaska and Nebraska to be used as teaching aides Record cultural and local agriculture experts to incorporate into program delivery

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Youth will explore agri-science through an historical lens to see the development of technology in agriculture while making connections to local cultural practices. Youth will place agriculture within the larger context of climate, weather, and environment and gain knowledge in potential careers in the field. During the first quarter, Nebraska and Alaska Educators attended the training in Hawaii in January to learn more about the agricultural practices, indigenous knowledge, and the history of Hawaiian agriculture. During the third quarter, Nebraska and Hawaii Educators attended the educational training in Alaska in June to learn more about the agricultural practices, indigenous knowledge, and the history of Alaskan agriculture. Upon completion of both trainings, the group debriefed and created framework for integration into lessons, which was finalized with the concepts developed from the educational training in Alaska and built on commonalities and differences with explanations of decision-making and applications. The project also held a multi-state advisory group meeting to get shared input on adding cultural and local agriculture components as well as career connections that meet local needs but are also somewhat universal to keep curriculum consistent in the program in all locations. The technology-focused learning experiences will provide youth with understanding of precision agriculture and the technology of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), automation, robotics, gene editing, data science, and virtual reality (VR). In the second quarter an Agriculture Technology lesson plan was developed and reviewed to include the history and use of specific technologies and its benefits. The STEM learning experiences will be delivered within the larger context of food systems and include information on plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition, and health; bioenergy, natural resources, and environment; and agriculture systems and technology. The program's goals were presented at a professional development program in which 39 Nebraska ag teachers were present. After the presentation, 92% of Nebraska ag teachers were somewhat/very satisfied with the direction of the ROOTED in Ag project and in the fourth quarter the Plant Science lesson was piloted to 5 youth who provided feedback on it. Program Progress Three additional University professionals from different parts of Alaska were hired to learn and help pilot curriculum, as well as assist with evaluation needs. In Hawaii, the project assistant was hired to develop ARC GIS Storymaps and virtual tours, as well as manuals for VR equipment, and creating virtual tours.

Publications


    Progress 12/01/21 to 11/30/22

    Outputs
    Target Audience:Nebraska - Pieces of curriculum were piloted to 12 youth within Agricultural Education Classes within two different school districts. Changes/Problems:Timeline Issues Co-Pi change at University of Alaska at the beginning of grant COVID supply chain issues COVID staffing shortage issues Challenges in the state education systems from lost schooling and a renewed focus on core academics, which has limited access to students for school-enrichment programs Families re-defining their schedules and priorities has made it challenging for scheduling and getting commitments for participation Planned and organized site visits will help clarify the vision and opportunities for moving the program forward. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Planned the site visit to Hawaii for professional development around cultural practices and technologies. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A website has been drafted and will house updates on the project in addition to discussions with stakeholders on intended results. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will debrief on the site visit to Hawaii to help solidify the approach for the comparison and contrast structure amongst the 3 states for the overall curriculum in addition to finalizing how to incorporate the discussion of local agriculture, cultural/historical connections and context, and how these impact technology in agriculture. We will plan for the site visit to Alaska and the information we learned from the Hawaii visit. We are working with our universities to procure the VR equipment, which has been delayed due to shipping/supply chain issues and staffing shortages. Once equipment is received we will schedule training for program staff on using the equipment to teach and to teach youth to create their own tours. We will finalize the lesson plans and curriuclum and deliver the program in all 3 states. We will finalize our evaluation instruments with the input of an evaluation specialist.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Youth will explore agri-science through an historical lens to see the development of technology in agriculture while making connections to local cultural practices. Included cultural knowledge bearers on advisory committees in each state, researched current practices and historical context when developing curriculum. Youth will place agriculture within the larger context of climate, weather, and environment and gain knowledge in potential careers in the field. Included professionals in the field of advisory and students on advisory to guide curriculum development. Animal science lesson plans include analysis of climate. The technology-focused learning experiences will provide youth with understanding of precision agriculture and the technology of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), automation, robotics, gene editing, data science, and virtual reality (VR). Curriculum includes use of VR in the learning process along with other technology demonstrations and hands-on learning. Curriculum will provide opportunity for youth to create their own VR tours. The STEM learning experiences will be delivered within the larger context of food systems and include information on plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition, and health; bioenergy, natural resources, and environment; and agriculture systems and technology. Two animal science lessons, two plant science lessons and an agricultural technology lesson were piloted in two agricultural education classrooms with 12 students. Youth-created virtual reality tours will teach about the practice and safety of the same technology topics for a wider consumer audience. Due to supply chain issues and staff shortages VR equipment was not purchased during the first year but is in process for delivery soon. Learning Objective (1-8) Developed a survey based on the learning objectives and 4-H Thrive Model but have not implemented it yet.

    Publications