Recipient Organization
LAKE LAND COLLEGE
5001 LAKE LAND BLVD.
MATTOON,IL 61938
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Over 68 percent of the job growth in Illinois is agriculturally related and a 9 percent growth is projected in the next decade, but many of these jobs require skills not currently taught in area high schools. This project will give high school teachers and students experience in GPS technology, which is becoming pervasive in the agricultural industry and in many high growth career fields.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
In addressing the challenge of interesting the next generation of workers in a career in agriculture and educating them in the latest technology, this project will largely impact two of the USDA identified Educational Need Areas for 2005. With the first, Enhancing Agricultural Education Through Curriculum Improvement, Lake Land College will develop an active learning curriculum module focused on precision agriculture and Global Positioning System technology. This curriculum module and the accompanying GPS handheld equipment will be packaged into a Mobile Precision Agriculture Education, MPAE, learning kit for use by district high schools. The College will hire a MPAE coordinator to introduce the learning kits to secondary students, and teachers will be trained in various ways to utilize the kits with their individual classes in order to sustain the project. Regarding the second need area, Increasing Faculty Teaching Competencies, this project will incorporate a train
the trainer professional development activity to improve teacher knowledge of GPS technology and help teachers use this technology as a tool for learning in the classroom. As a direct outcome of this project, at least 1,500 high school students in the Lake Land College district will receive training in GPS technology and precision agriculture directly through efforts of the MPAE coordinator; 20 to 25 high school teachers in the Lake Land College district will be trained in GPS technology and the accompanying curriculum module; and high schools and community colleges throughout the state will be informed of the project. Consequently, district high school student will have a better understanding of sustainable and precision agriculture as well as active learning with GIS/GPS technology used in many high-growth industries; an increased number of students will consider agriculture as a career option; and an increased number of high school teachers will incorporate GPS training in their
instruction and will disseminate information about sustainable agriculture practices. Also, a statewide educational organization, Facilitating Coordination in Agriculture Education, will have a model for GPS instruction in the high schools to implement in other parts of the state. This project will also encourage further inquiry into and involvement with precision agriculture practices and will enable secondary teachers to take this knowledge back to the classroom. They will also be able to refer to the Colleges existing Sustainable Agriculture website for updated information and can monitor the crop progress through the web cam and utilize the interactive features such as the sustainable agriculture quiz with their students. This dissemination of precision agriculture strategies can have far reaching economic, social, and environmental impacts on the farming, extension, and agriculture education communities and their constituencies.
Project Methods
To further agricultural awareness among the districts secondary school students and interest a new generation in pursuing agricultural careers, LLC will develop Mobile Precision Agriculture Education, MPAE, learning kits and provide onsite instruction to high schools within the LLC district. Project methodology is supported by research indicating that effective agricultural education should include experiential learning in realistic situations, and that up to15 percent of farmers currently use tractors or combines equipped with GPS precision control. Therefore, it is an important technology for students to experience. LLC will employ a MPAE coordinator on contract to visit all 32 district high schools to introduce the MPAE kits in relevant courses, such as agriculture, horticulture, and science. MPAE kits will contain instructional materials for precision agriculture and will engage students in hands on learning with portable GPS devices. With this GPS background,
incoming LLC students will be educated on the most common uses and advantages of GPS in agriculture, such as reducing the application rate of pesticides and fertilizers and further enhancing water and soil quality. These GPS principles will become the basis for soil and grid mapping, variable rate application of fertilizer and pesticides, and, ultimately, yield monitoring as a link between inputs and production levels. Upon request, the MPAE kits will be loaned to the individual schools for several days following the demonstration to provide additional learning opportunities. Through prior USDA Challenge grants, LLC has established successful partnerships with several organizations to deliver agricultural education to secondary students and to conduct professional development activities for high school teachers. As part of this project, secondary teachers will be trained to use the MPAE kits and will be given additional resources to assist them in developing curriculum with the kits.
Two innovative elements are woven into the project design. First, the development of learning kits for loan to district high schools has not been implemented previously at LLC. It is anticipated that this novel program will have widespread application at our college. Second, GPS is not only an innovative technology lauded by numerous industries for its problem-solving capabilities, it is a documented tool for enhancing critical thinking skills in a learning environment. While the primary beneficiaries of this grant project are secondary school students and teachers, this project will strengthen the teaching and learning at LLC as well. By preparing high school students to use GPS technology, those students who enroll in LLC to pursue careers in agriculture, civil engineering, or Geographic Information Systems will require less time to become proficient in the GPS techniques taught in these curricula and can assist other students in the learning process. The curriculum developed by the
MPAE coordinator, as well as the equipment purchased, will be documented and shared with other institutions that are interesting in replicating the project.