Source: JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
DEEPER LEARNING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR HIGH SCHOOL AGRICULTURE TEACHERS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031718
Grant No.
2022-67037-41639
Cumulative Award Amt.
$221,381.42
Proposal No.
2023-11778
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 15, 2023
Project End Date
Nov 14, 2025
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[A7501]- Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy
Recipient Organization
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY
800 S MAIN ST
HARRISONBURG,VA 22801
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The concept of deeper learning is a "transfer" process where students apply the content knowledge to new contexts andsituations. Deeper learning echoes the new science education standards by reinforcing the importance of deep understanding ofacademic knowledge and the development of competencies for students to become college and career-ready. The goal of thisproject is to develop adeeper learning institute that will bring 20high school agriculture teachers together in a focusedcommunity of practice to receive training in the selected deeper learning instructional and assessment practices to (1) improvestudents' educational experience and deeper learning outcomes, (2) prepare students to become college and career-ready withdeeper learning competencies, and (3) enhance teachers' beliefs in student-centered approaches and self-efficacy.This deeper learning institute consists of training in (1) the content knowledge in agriculture systems and technology, (2) thedeeper learning instructional practice project-based learning, and (3) the portfolios to evaluate student outcomes. This hybridprofessional development program will provide an immersive learning experience for the participating teachers in both contentknowledge and deeper learning instructional and assessment practices. In addition, the leadership skills required by AFRI EWDprojects such as critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, communication skills, etc. are well aligned with the competenciesdeveloped through deeper learning opportunities provided in classrooms implementing deeper learning instructional andassessment practices. This deeper learning institute aims to recruit 20teachers in Virginiaand will indirectly impactapproximately 400 high school students.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90372103020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
7210 - Remote sensing equipment and technology;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this project is to develop a one-year deeper learning institute that will bring 20Virginia high school agriculture teacherstogetherin a focused community of practice (COP) to receive training in the selected AFRI Priority area (i.e., agriculture systemsand technology) coupled with deeper learning instructional and assessment practices to (1) improve student educationalexperiences (i.e., opportunities to engage in deeper learning), (2) prepare students for college and career pursuits by developingdeeper learning competencies before high school graduation, and (3) enhance teachers' perspectives about student-centeredapproaches and self-efficacy.
Project Methods
This deeper learning institute consists of training in (1) the content knowledge in agriculture systems and technology, (2) thedeeper learning instructional practice project-based learning, and (3) the portfolios to evaluate student outcomes. This hybridprofessional development program will provide an immersive learning experience for the participating teachers in both contentknowledge and deeper learning instructional and assessment practices. The expected outcomes will be evaluated by the datacollected from products/outputs by using rigorous quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Progress 10/15/23 to 10/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:To enhance the recruitment process, we distributed a survey to all members of the Virginia Association of Agricultural Educators, seeking to gather input on professional development needs and gauge interest in attending our 2024 Deeper Learning Institute (DLI). We received over 60 responses. Additionally, we presented at the monthly CTE director meetings to raise awareness about our program among agriculture teachers, particularly new teachers. Ultimately, we selected nine highly motivated agriculture teachers to participate in the 2024 DLI. Changes/Problems:During the recruitment process, our goal was to recruit 20 teachers. While over 20 qualified teachers expressed interest, scheduling proved to be the biggest challenge, as it was difficult for teachers to attend a full week of in-person training. To address this, we restructured the program into three components: a virtual orientation meeting, a virtual assessment training, and a 3-day in-person training. With this adjustment, we selected nine highly motivated teachers to participate. Their level of engagement exceeded our expectations. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We provided PD in Project-based Learning and formative assessment practices. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through the teacher survey and participation in CTE director meetings, we shared the accomplishments of this project with agriculture educators across Virginia. Additionally, one of our peer-reviewed journal articles has been accepted, and another is currently under review. We have also submitted proposals to both a national and an international conference to further disseminate our results to a broader audience. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?After collecting both teacher and student data from the third cohort, we will integrate the data from all three cohorts to evaluate the extent to which the proposed objectives have been achieved. The findings will be disseminated through regional, national, and international channels.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We successfully launched the 2024 summer DLI with nine highly motivated teachers participating. All are actively engaged in professional development activities, and at least six have either implemented their project-based learning (PBL) unit plans in Fall 2024 or will implement them in Spring 2025. This represents a significantly higher implementation rate compared to the past two years.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jin, Y., & Mosley, C. (2024). Development of a concept inventory of inheritance for school-based agricultural education. Journal of Agricultural Education.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jin, Y., & Mosley, C. (submitted). Deeper Learning through project-based learning: evidence in school-based agricultural education. Journal of Career and Technical Education Research.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jin, Y., & Mosley, C. (submitted). Deeper Learning Through Project-based Learning: Evidence in High School Agricultural Education. Paper submitted to 2025 American Educational Research Association Conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2024 Citation: Jin, Y., & Mosley, C. (submitted). Deeper Learning Through Project-based Learning: Evidence in High School Agricultural Education. Paper submitted to 2025 Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education Conference.