Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The proposed project will improve food and agricultural science capabilities of students at the University fo Puerto Rico at Utuado. The University of Puerto Rico at Utuado (UPRU) is a 2-year and 4-year undergraduate institution located in the central mountain region of Puerto Rico. Chemistry knowledge and skills are of foundational importance to food and agricultural sciences education. The proposed project goal is to improve student motivation and critical skills in Chemistry through the study of medicinal plants of cultural importance. The project's objectives are to: 1) train two UPRU Faculty in Horticulture and Human Health (HHH) topics; 2) develop three new courses about medicinal plant chemistry and HHH; 3) organize a medicinal plant workshop series; 4) establish a medicinal plant accessible garden at UPRU; and 5) evaluate changes in student motivation and Chemistry skills in UPRU students.The proposed project will target the following Educational Need Areas: 1) Curricula Design, Materials Development, and Library Resources; 2) Faculty Preparation and Enhancement for Teaching; and 3) Scientific Instrumentation for Teaching and Research. The proposed project will be of value locally, but also nationally and internationally, as it will serve as an example to other food and agricultural sciences academic departments. ?
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The project major goal is to improve student motivation and critical skills in Chemistry through the study of medicinal plants of cultural importance. The project's objectives are to: 1) train two UPRU Faculty in Horticulture and Human Health (HHH) topics 2) develop three new courses about chemistry and HHH 3) organize a medicinal plant workshop series4) establish a medicinal plant accessible garden at UPRU5) evaluate changes in student motivation and Chemistry skills in UPRU students.
Project Methods
1) Objective 1. Train two UPRU Faculty in Horticulture and Human Health (HHH) topics.During the first year of the project, the PD and Co-PD will receive training to improve their knowledge and skills in HHH topics. Dr. Ramos will enroll in the Horticulture and Human Health Graduate Certificate offered online by Colorado State University. The HHH Graduate Certificate has four required courses and can be completed in less than a year. Dr. Lopez will enroll in the Medicinal Plants Certificate Program offered online by Cornell University. This program requires the completion of six short courses, and can be completed in three months. UPRU will provide Dr. Ramos and Dr. Lopez the necessary time to complete the certificates.2) Objective 2. Develop three new courses about HHH and medicinal plant chemistryDuring the first year summer the PD and Co-PD will create three new courses to be offered at UPRU. The first course will be Introduction to Horticulture and Human Health. This introductory course will cover how plants and plant cultivation can impact human health, including medicinal plants, human nutrition and horticulture therapy. The second course will be Introduction to Medicinal Plant Chemistry. This second course will be a preparatory chemistry course that introduces basic principles of general chemistry and organic chemistry of medicinal plants. The third course will be Medicinal Plant Production and Evaluation. This course will be an advanced level course that will examine the commercial production of medicinal plants and quality control techniques. The courses will be officially created at UPRU and offered for the first time in Year 2 (two introductory courses) and Year 3 (advanced course) of the project.3) Objective 3. Organize a medicinal plant workshop series at UPRU During the second year of the project, the PD and Project Coordinator will organize a Medicinal Plant Workshop Series at UPRU. Every month, a workshop about different aspects of medicinal plants will be offered at UPRU, for a total of 10 workshops. The workshops will be open to the community and advertised through UPRU social media. They will be facilitated by local experts on medicinal plants, including faculty from other UPR units, retired faculty, industry experts, traditional herbalists, and community leaders working with medicinal plant gardens. Workshop participants will be offered a Professional Development Certificate if they participate in all workshops in the series.4) Objective 4. Establish a medicinal plant accessible garden at UPRU During the first year of the project, the PD and the Project Coordinator will design and establish a medicinal plant accessible garden at UPRU. The garden will be located next to the DAT building and will have 50 feet by 50 feet dimensions. It will be designed considering the accessibility of students with disabilities, with guidance from the Office of Reasonable Accommodation. The garden will be an essential component to be used in the new courses to be developed by the project.5) Objective 5. Evaluate changes in student motivation and Chemistry skills in UPRU students in response to new medicinal plant courses. During Year 1 of the project, a survey will be distributed among DAT-UPRU students by the PD, Co-PD and Project Coordinator. The survey will include demographic, chemistry knowledge, chemistry anxiety and medicinal plant interest questions. The same survey will be given after students take each of the new three courses. Changes in student motivation and skills will be determined by comparing student responses in each of the four time periods (before, after course 1, after course 2, and after course 3) through quantitative and qualitative analyses.