Progress 09/01/06 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This Final Report covers the activities conducted during the grant period at the Lead Institution, Virginia State University (VSU) and its Sub-Awardees, Florida A & M University (FAMU), Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), and Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). The main goal of the project was to write case studies on global issues, train faculty members from all participating universities in writing case studies, offer the course on Global Seminar for training students in writing their reflections on case studies, and engaging them in discussions via videoconferencing. By having close collaborations between VSU, ECSU, FAMU, and VCOM-VT, a series of faculty development workshops have been hosted at all participating institutions, in fall, spring, and summer (2006-2011). At these workshops, Dr. Dean Sutphin, Director of International Global Seminar (www.globalseminar.org) made presentations on model case studies in the areas of Environment, Food Safety, Human Nutrition, Population, Sustainability, and Food Microbiology. In addition, the case study educators from Cornell University, Virginia Tech, University of Ottawa, University of Denmark, University of Austria, and Florida A & M University, provided their experiences in writing the case studies. To promote the participation of universities outside the Mainland US and International, the faculty members from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, University of Guadelajara, Mexico, and Cape Institute of Agricultural Training, South Africa, were invited to the workshops. The faculty development workshops resulted in training the faculty members in writing case studies in the areas of agricultural, environmental, and natural sciences. The discussion case studies were written on: Childhood Obesity, Genetically-Modified Organisms, Antibiotics in the Environment, Food Safety, Florida Orange Juice, Global Warming, and Climate Change related to India's Urbanization Problem. The case studies are discussion case studies, with Pro and Con Groups. The model cases were used for training students in writing their reflections on the case studies. The students were asked to present their reflection through Power Point Slides at the videoconference. Each institution introduced a 3-credit course on Global Seminar (2007-2011). The course was taught by the project director (Shobha Sriharan) and co-project directors/associate project directors (Dr. Verian Thomas and Dr. Neil James at FAMU; Dr. San Juan and Dr. Jeffrey Rousch at ECSU). The enrollment in this course increased at each institution. At VSU, the enrollment in the course, Contemporary Global Studies-AGRI 295, increased from 5 to 23 in 2007 to 2011. The videoconferencing facilities for students were established at each institution. The offering of the Global Seminar course facilitated developing linkages among the 1890 Institutions, HBCUs, and International Agricultural Universities. Further, the faculty members and selected students made presentations at national conferences. In essence, the project activities resulted in capacity building of VSU, ECSU, and FAMU. PARTICIPANTS: Faculty Development Workshops for Training Faculty members from lead and Collaborating Institutions The faculty development workshops were coordinated at Virginia State University (VSU) and its collaborators, Florida A & M University (FAMU), Elizabeth City State City University (ECSU), and Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia Tech (VCOM-VT). The Director of International Global Seminar from VCOM-VT, made presentations on model case studies in the areas of Environment, Food Safety, Human Nutrition, Population, Sustainability, and Food Microbiology. The faculty members wrote discussion case studies on: Childhood Obesity, Genetically-Modified Organisms, Antibiotics in the Environment, Food Safety, Florida Orange Juice, Global Warming, and Climate Change and India Urbanization Problem. The following faculty members were trained at: Virginia State University: Dr. Shobha Sriharan, Project Director, VSU, Petersburg, VA 23806, Mobile: (804) 712-7181, E-mail: sriharan@vsu.edu Ms. Debra S. Jones, E-mail: dsjones@vsu.edu Ms. Mable Edlow, E-mail: medlow@vsu.edu Dr. Oluwarotimi Odeh, E-mail: oodeh@vsu.edu Florida A & M University: Dr. Verian Thomas, Co-PI, Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, Florida 32307 E-mail: verian.thomas@famu.edu Dr. Neil James, Professor and Program Leader, E-mail: neil.james@famu.edu Dr. Mitwe Musingo, E-mail: mitwe.musingo@famu.edu Dr. Lurleen Walter, E-mail: Lurleen.walters@famu.edu Elizabeth City State University: Dr. Ali Khan, Co-Project Director, Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, NC 27909; E-mail: aakhan@mail.ecsu.edu Dr. Jeffrey Rousch, E-mail: jrousch@mail.ecsu.edu Dr. Francisco San Juan, Email:fcsanjuan@mail.ecsu.edu Dr. Hirendranath Banerjee E-mail: bhirendranath@mail.ecsu.edu Collaboratoring Institution: Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia Tech Dr. H. Dean Sutphin, Co-Project Project, Director, International Global Seminar Program Associate Vice President for International and Appalachian Outreach, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Virginia Campus, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060; E-mail: dean.sutphin@vcom.vt.edu Guest Participant: Bethune-Cookman University Dr. Valentina David, Bethune Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL; E-mail: davidv@cookman.edu High School Teachers from Southside Virginia The high school teachers from five high schools (Dinwiddie High School, Petersburg High School, Prince George High School, Colonial Heights High School, and Sussex High School) were trained in reading case studies, prepare their impressions, and present at the Closing Ceremony of the Summer Programs. Guest Speaker at Summer Workshop at Virginia State University and Elizabeth City State University To expose the faculty members, students, and high school teachers, a well-known environmental scientist and winner of 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, Professor Mohan Munasinghe, was invited to the summer workshops at Virginia State University and Elizabeth City State University. This created great enthusiasm among the participants. The high school teachers were thrilled to work on their independent projects under the guidance of Professor Munasinghe. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences in this project were: Undergraduate students and faculty members from two 1890 Land Grant Institutions (Virginia State University-VSU and Florida A & M University-FAMU) and HBCUs (Elizabeth City State University-ECSU). The training in writing case studies and guidance in coordinating the faculty development workshops was provided by the Director of the International Global Seminar Program, Dr. Dean Sutphin. The educators and well-known case study writers serves as presenters at the faculty development workshops, class on Global Seminar at VSU, ECSU, and FAMU. Dr. Valentina David, Associate Professor and Chair, Science Department, Bethune-Cookman University was invited to the workshops. As a result of the faculty development workshops, the faculty members wrote case studies on: (i) Antiobiotics Use in Agriculture, (ii) Food Safety: Florida Orange Juice: debate over pasteurization and freshly-squeezed orange juice, (ii) (iii) Childhood Obesity, (iv) Global Warming, and (iv) Climate Change: Example of Urbanization in India. The faculty members from the lead and collaborating universities were trained by the well-known Case-Study Writers. They are: Shobha Sriharan, Debra S. Jones, Mable Edlow, and Oluwarotimi Odeh at VSU; Francisco San Juan, Jeffrey Rousch, and D. Banerjee at ECSU; Verian Thomas, Neil James, Mitwe Musingo, and Lureen Walter at FAMU; and Valentina David at Bethune-Cookman University. The students from VSU, ECSU, and FAMU were trained in writing their reflections on the case studies sued in the class, Global Seminar. They developed skills to survey the resources from Library and Internet and present their work via Videoconferencing. In addition, the high school teachers from five high schools (Dinwiddie High School, Petersburg High School, Prince George High School, Colonial Heights High School, and Sussex High School) were trained in reading case studies, prepare their impressions, and present at the Closing Ceremony of the Summer Programs (2008 -2010). To expose the faculty members, students, and high school teachers, a well-known environmental scientist and winner of 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, Professor Mohan Munasinghe, was invited to the summer workshop in 2009. This created great enthusiasm among the participants. The high school teachers were thrilled to work on their independent projects under the guidance of Professor Munasinghe. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Outcomes are the immediate or direct effects of the program on participants. An outcome is something that follows as a result (either intentional or unintentional); a measure of project effectiveness. The project activities at VSU, FAMU, and ECSU, resulted in developing model case studies which were used in the course, Global Seminar. These case studies are: (i) Florida Orange Juice: Debate Over Pasteurization and Freshly-squeezed Orange Juice, (ii) Antibiotics Use in Agriculture, (iii) Global Warming, (iv) Climate Change: Example of Urbanization in India, and (v) Childhood Obesity. The faculty development workshops facilitated writing of case studies by the faculty members: Shobha Sriharan, Debra S. Jones, Mable Edlow, and Oluwarotimi Odeh at VSU; Francisco San Juan, Jeffrey Rousch, and Hirendranath Banerjee at ECSU; Verian Thomas, Neil James, Mitwe Musingo, and Lurleen Walters at FAMU; and Valentina David at Bethume-Cookman University. These faculty members developed innovative case studies. The student enrollment in the Global Seminar Course increased as a result of successful implementation of project outcomes. The course, Global Seminar, has attracted students from the Schools of Agriculture, Science, Technology, and Liberal Arts. At VSU, the student enrollment in Contemporary Global Studies (AGRI 295) is approximately 20 in each semester. The facilities for hosting Videoconferencing were improved. New equipment was purchased for Videoconference and Web Cast. The project resulted in partnership between two 1890 Universities (VSU and FAMU), two HBCUs (ECSU and Bethune-Cookman University), 1862 University (VCOM-Virginia Tech); and Overseas Universities in South Africa and Maldives. The capacity building of the institutions have taken place due to the faculty development, enrichment of academic programs, student enrichment, publicity of the project outcomes through the fact sheets, brochures, publication/presentations at the conferences and workshops. The accomplishments made through the project were recognized by the partner institutions. In 2010, the project director (Dr. Shobha Sriharan) received the Outstanding Faculty Award and Fulbright Scholarship. The Co-Project Director at FAMU (Dr. Verian Thomas) served as the President of National MANRRS Program and promoted as the Associate Vice President for Sponsored Programs. The Co-Project Director at ECSU (Dr. Ali Khan) was promoted to the positions of the Dean of Science and Technology (2009) and Vice Chancellor (2010). The Associate Project Director at ECSU was promoted as the Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental and Marine Sciences. The case study approach impacted students in preparing themselves for questions to discuss global topics. The BRIDGE to connect universities in the United States and Overseas (South Africa, Maldives) was provided by the facilities at VCOM, Virginia Tech, with assistance from Dr. Dean Sutphin, Director, and International Global Seminar. All three collaborating institutions, VSU, ECSU, and FAMU were grouped into Cluster# 3 of the Global Seminar Program.
Publications
- Shobha Sriharan, 2012. Teaching with Technology for Improving Learning and Decision Making, The Interlink Alliance Second Faculty Development Conference, Teaching and Learning in the Twenty First Century, North Carolina Central University, March 9-10, 2012
- Dean Sutphin, Jessica Muller, Shobha Sriharan, Francisco San Juan, Jeffrey Rousch, Verian Thomas, and Neil James, 2012. Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy-Panel Discussions on Case Study Teaching Approaches for Improving Learning and Decision Making, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, February 8-10, 2012.
- Project Period: Shobha Sriharan, 2011. Case Studies on Food Safety, Global Warming, and Antibiotics used in Agriculture. An overview submitted to the Summer Academy on Social Vulnerability: Climate Change and Fragile States: Rethinking Adaptation, Munich, Germany, July 18-22, 2011. An abstract was sent to this meeting for presentation on the case Sriharan, S. 2011. High School Teacher Preparation: Introduction to the GLOBE Program and GLOBE Teacher Certification at the Annual Conference of International GLOBE Program, Washington, D.C., July 17-22, 2011. Shobha Sriharan, 2010: Collaborative Efforts for Student Training in Interactive Communications on Current Global Issues through Innovative Instruction: Faculty Writing Case Studies and Student Preparing Reflections of Case Studies and Exchanging with their Peers via Discussion Board, Videoconferencing, and Web Cast. USDA Project Directors Conference, Washington, D.C., November 29-December 2, 2010.
- Neil James, Mitwe Musingo, and Verian Thomas, 2010. A Discussion Case Study on the Florida Orange Juice: When and How the Public be Informed, USDA Workshop, FAMU, 2009.
- Shobha Sriharan, 2010. Case Study on Climate Change and Sustainability: Testing using Webcast in Spring, 2010, USDA Teaching Project Workshop, VSU, 2010.
- Alexander Olvido, 2010. Global Warming: Myths and Realities, Beta Kappa Chi and National Institute of Science, Atlanta, Georgia, March, 2010
- Dean Sutphin and Jessica Muller, 2009. Model Case Study Writing: Basics on writing case study, USDA Workshop hosted at Florida A&M University, Tallahasse, March, 2009.
- Debbie S. Jones and Mable Edlow, 2009. Writing Case Study on Human Nutrition at the USDA Subcontractors Workshop hosted at Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, March, 2009.
- Francisco San Juan and Jeffrey Rousch, 2009. Global Seminar: Interactive Discussion on the Impact Antibiotics, USDA Workshop at ECSU, 2009.
- Hua Shen, 2008. A Case Study on Food Safety: Example of E. coli in Spinach: Testing and Evaluation at the International Global Seminar Conference, University of Guadelajara, Mexico, May, 2008.
- Brenda Mellinausko, 2008. A Case Study on Pediatric Obesity: Testing and Evaluation, USDA Collaborative Project Workshop, University of Guadelajara, Mexico, May, 2008.
- Michael Joshua, 2007. Orientation to Global Seminar Program at Virginia State University and its Collaborators: Academic Enhacement through Case Study Writing, International Conference of Global Seminar Partners, University of Florence, Italy, July, 2007. Conference hosted by the International Global Seminar.
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
The project activities were conducted at Virginia State University (VSU), Florida A & M University (FAMU), Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), and Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). During the academic year, 2009-2010, the collaborating institutions developed and tested three case studies, Florida Orange Juice (Food Safety issues), Climate Change and Sustainability, and Overuse of Antibiotics in Farming Practices. This led to using these three case studies in fall, 2009 and spring 2010 for training students enrolled in Global Seminar at FAMU and ECSU and Contemporary Global Studies (AGRI 295) at VSU. The student enrollment in the Global Seminar and Contemporary Global Studies increased each semester. The resources at FAMU and ECSU were upgraded. ECSU has established a well-structured videoconferencing facility. In order to coordinate effective communication mechanisms at FAMU and VSU, the IT personnel of FAMU and VSU visited the campuses. An optional communication system, Webcast was tested for connecting students for sharing their reflections on case studies mentioned above. A videoconference on Climate Change and Sustainability was coordinated using the BRIDGE for facilitating discussions between the students of VSU, FAMU, ECSU, and Maldives University, Indian Ocean. Though the time difference was 12 hours, the students from Maldives participated in the videoconference (8:00 AM in the US and 8:00 PM in Maldives). The uses of multimedia technologies and debating over global issues have served as an effective approach in training students for developing skills on communications. To streamline uniform delivery of instruction in the course on Global Seminar, the collaborating institution hosted faculty development workshops. FAMU focused on testing the fully-developed case study, 'Florida Orange Juice and Food Safety Issues. The case study, 'Climate Change and Sustainability' was tested by VSU. The project activities contributed towards publicity of the course, Global Seminar at each campus. More students received feedback on the course through fact sheets and advising by mentors and instructors teaching the course. The course, AGRI 295 (Contemporary Global Studies) has full classroom enrollment at VSU. The project received guidance from Dr. Dean Sutphin, Director of Global Seminar at VCOM-Virginia Tech. Dr. Sutphin provided his critique in reading the case studies written by the faculty members from VSU, FAMU, and ECSU. The access to the BRIDGE for videoconferencing with overseas universities in South Africa and Maldives was made available by VCOM-Virginia Tech. A summer workshop for undergraduate faculty members and high school teachers was hosted in June, 2010. The workshop speakers included food microbiologists and professional in food safety issues. The importance of food safety issues was explained to the teachers from five schools, Petersburg High School, Sussex High School, Governor's School in Petersburg, Colonial Heights High School, and Prince George High School. The teachers were provided feedback on the mechanisms for integrating these topics in science instruction. PRODUCTS: The products of the project are: (i) successful implementation of the course, Global Seminar by FAMU and ECSU; Contemporary Global Studies by VSU; (ii) compilation of case studies on Florida Orange Juice, Impact of Antibiotics on the Environment, and Climate Change and Sustainability; (iii) training of students at VSU, ECSU, and FAMU in using multimedia technologies (discussion board and videoconferencing) for facilitating communications between the students from USA and overseas; (iv) increasing the enrollment of students in the course, Global Seminar; (v) adopting Webcast as an alternative to videoconferencing; (vi) faculty development in writing case studies and testing the discussions approach; and (vii) strengthening partnerships between the collaborating institutions (VSU, FAMU, and ECSU). As a result of the project implementation, the course, Global Seminar received publicity at each campus. The students at VSU, FAMU, and ECSU had the opportunity to use multimedia technologies for demonstrating their comprehension of the subject matter. The enrollment in the course has increased during 2009-2010. OUTCOMES: Outcomes are the immediate or direct effects of the program on participants. An outcome is something that follows as a result (either intentional or unintentional); a measure of project effectiveness. The project outcomes are the innovative approach in teaching topics which include issues in the areas of agricultural and environmental sciences. The comprehension of the food safety issues, misuse of antibiotics in farming practices, and global warming was tested by direct observations by the faculty members teaching the course, Global Seminar. The faculty members of all the collaborating institutions reviewed the presentations by the students through their Power Point preparations, posting of the Power Point Slides on Discussion Board, and debating through the Pro and Con groups. This provided opportunities for students to get critique and make necessary revisions. The project activities provided the students to get feedback from their instructors prior to the debate via videoconferencing. The students became aware of global issues with emphasis on agricultural and environmental topics. The students developed skills to work in teams, develop leadership skills by serving as group leader at each videoconference, and undertake responsibility for submitting the group assignment prior to the videoconference. The faculty and student interactions led to continuing partnership between VSU, ECSU, and FAMU. The linkage with 1862 Institution, Virginia Tech enabled the project to coordinate videoconferencing with the countries as far as Maldives for communications between the students of US and overseas, with different cultural backgrounds. Further, the Global Seminar course received attention for coordinating future communications in fall, 2010. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The dissemination of the project was done at the workshops coordinated by the collaborating institutions (VSU, FAMU, and ECSU). The fact sheets of the project activities were circulated at each campus. This resulted in increased enrollment of the students in the Global Seminar course. The case studies were presented at the workshop coordinated by the Director of Global Seminar. The activities on writing of case studies and project activities were discussed among the participating institutions. The faculty members and students made presentations at the professional meetings, Annual Meeting of National Institute fo Science, New Orleans and Society of Wetland Scientsits, Salt Lake City, Utah. The students were recipients of the travel awards by these conferences. FUTURE INITIATIVES: In the next year, 2010-2011, the project initiatives will be to write the case studies on current concerns in agriculture: global agriculture and impact on global warming, challenges in global food production: biotechnology in developing countries, and biofuels: advantages and disadvantages (Pro and Con issues). The collaborating institutions will establish upgraded multimedia systems to overcome Fire wall issues. Occasionally the IT system at VSU and FAMU encounter obstacles for videoconferencing due to 'Fire Wall' in certain buildings. A centralized facility for hosting videoconferencing will be established in Doug Wilder Building (Cooperative Extension). The faculty members will write the case studies for publication and presentations at the professional meetings. The students will be asked to use Chat more often before videoconferencing.
Impacts
The impact of the project was on strengthening the Global Seminar Course by the Department of Agriculture at VSU and FAMU, and Division of Natural and Applied Sciences at ECSU. This course enhanced students' comprehension of global issues in the areas of agriculture, food, and environment. The students developed skills in writing their own reflections by reviewing journals, using Internet, and team work. The impact is also seen from the contributions by students during videoconferencing. Further, the students developed rapport with their peers at the universities with similar cultural backgrounds (VSU, FAMU, and ECSU) and overseas (South Africa and Maldives). The faculty members developed and tested the case studies which were very helpful due to the question/answer for debating. The faculty members received training from the Case Studies Curriculum Writers during the workshops hosted at VSU, ECSU, and FAMU. The use of videoconferencing and Webcast facilitated interactions between the IT personnel at all the three partners. This led to the capacity building of all the stakeholders. The project activities resulted in the publicity of the course, presentations by the students and faculty members at the professional meeting. The overall impact is on the enrichment of the science curriculum at each institution.The high school teachers were exposed to the importance of current topics of concern to the USDA. The topics included food safety, food microbiology, and environmental pollution. Therefore, the project activities contributed to the community outreach program of VSU.
Publications
- Patrick Ostei and Shobha Sriharan, 2010. Health Disparity: Relationship between Obesity and the Socioeconomics in Virginia, Annual Meeting of National Institute of Science and Beta Kappa Chi, New Orleans, March 24-28, 2010.
- Neil James, Mitwe Musingo, and Verian Thomas, 2010. A Discussion Case Study on the Florida Orange Juice: When and How the Public be Informed, USDA Workshop, FAMU, 2009.
- Shobha Sriharan, 2010. Case Study on Climate Change and Sustainability: Testing using Webcast in spring, 2010, USDA Workshop, VSU, 2010.
- Francisco San Juan and Jeffrey Rousch, 2009. Global Seminar: Interactive Discussion on the Impact Antibiotics, USDA Workshop at ECSU, 2009.
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Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/09
Outputs
This report covers the project activities at Virginia State University (VSU) and its collaborating institutions, Florida A & M University (FAMU), Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), and Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). The cooperating institutions, Bethune Cookman University (BCU) and University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM), participated in the faculty development workshops and videoconferencing. During the academic year, 2008-2009 and summer, 2009, the project activities were focused on: (i) writing case studies that were used in the courses, Contemporary Global Studies (AGRI 295) and Independent Study-Global Seminar (AGRI 401) at VSU, and Global Seminar and Human Sustainability (AGG4420_002) at FAMU, (ii) increasing faculty capacity to teach team building and critical thinking skills in students and preparing students to fully capitalize on the power of teamwork for meeting the needs of agricultural and environmental professionals/employers, (iii) increasing the enrollment and retention of the students in the above-mentioned courses, (iv) ensuring student success through teamwork and critical thinking skills, and exchanging their reflections on case studies via discussion board on Blackboard and videoconferencing, (v) establish resources such as access to common site for posting students' reflections/assignments and videoconference rooms at each campus, and (vi) strengthening of linkages between the collaborating institutions (VSU, ECSU, FAMU, and VCOM-VT). The draft of the case studies were written at the faculty development workshops hosted at each of the campuses. An overview for writing the case study was finalized under the guidance of Dr. Dean Sutphin, Director of Global seminar at VCOM-VT. The case study on Antibiotics in the Environment was tested for students' debate by the faculty members teaching the course on Global Seminar at FAMU and ECSU; Independent Study at VSU. The project activities led to increase in number of students taking the courses at VSU, ECSU, and FAMU. The students were provided training in building teamwork and critical thinking skills, independent and group assignments, leadership skills, writing reflections on global issues and exchanging their reflections via discussion board on Blackboard and videoconferencing. The faculty members at each partner institution were instrumental in coordinating the students work on discussion board and videoconferences for the case studies (4-case studies/semester). The students' reflections were documented through written assignments and power point slides, and pictures of videoconferences. Each campus established resources for the posting of students' reflections/assignments at the common site, http://FAMU.Blackboard.com. The project activities led to strengthening of partnerships/linkages between the VSU, ECSU, FAMU, VCOM-VT, and UPRM. PRODUCTS: The project activities led to writing the case studies, Food Safety -Florida Orange Juice, Antibiotics in the Environment, and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Debate on Acceptance of Golden Rice in India. Under the leadership if Dr. Neil James (FAMU), a draft was prepared to include the methods used to produce orange juice for public consumption and compare and contrast the methods that are used to produce orange for sale in (i) a New York Supermarket and (ii) for use in an area suffering from a natural disaster, and (iii) what factors should a consumer consider before purchasing raw fruit juices The details on testing of this case study were prepared by Dr. Mitwe Musingo and Dr. Verian Thomas (FAMU). Guidance was provided by the Food Safety Inspectors from the Florida Department of Health (Tallahassee) and Food Safety Coordinator from Jacksonville. To include the monitoring agencies' role in food safety issues, the feedback was taken from the Law enforcement Officers at the Border Control Site in Tallahassee. The workshop participants from VSU and ECSU had the opportunity to visit the Food Safety and Food Microbiology Laboratories of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers, and Border Control Post. A Draft on the Case Study on GMOs was prepared under the leadership of Dr. Shobha Sriharan. This draft includes the preliminary case study on GMOs by Dr. Dennis D. Miller, Professor, Food and Human Nutrition, Cornell University. The case studies were tested for preparing the students to debate on the Pro and Con issues. The students prepared their reflections and posted on the Blackboard (http://famu.blackboard.com). The students at VSU, FAMU, ECSU, and UPRM gained skills in sharing their viewpoints by chat and videoconfercing. The enrollment of students in the courses, AGRI 295 (VSU) and Global Seminar at ECSU and FAMU increased during 2008-2009 academic year. The numbers of students who completed the course AGRI 295 in fall, 2008 and spring 2009 were 14 and 17, respectively. Approximately 5 upper-level undergraduates completed the Global Seminar course at ECSU and FAMU. The project activities resulted in presentations of the case studies at the workshops and improvements in procuring resources from case study writers. Guidance was available from Dr. Dean Sutphin, Director, Global Seminar and Case Study Writers from University of Buffalo, New York. In addition, assistance was available from the Food Safety Monitoring Staff from Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The project directors and faculty members worked on writing the final drafts for case studies on food-borne diseases. The project activities led to the productive networking and partnership between land-Grant Institutions and HBCUs. OUTCOMES: These project activities prepared students for communications on global issues such Global Warming and Climate, Organic Farming, GMOs and Fortification of Cereal Crops, Salinity in the Kenang Region of Australia, and Antibiotics in the Environment. Each participating institution (VSU, FAMU, ECSU, and UPRM) developed the course, Global Seminar for the undergraduates. The course number at each institution was different to meet the academic requirements. The students developed skills in writing their reflections on global topics, prepare Power Point slides, and post them on the Blackboard. Each case study was discussed via videoconferencing during the semester. The outcome of this project generated interest among the undergraduates, which in turn led to gradual increase in student enrollment. The retention rate in these courses was approximately 95%. The number of faculty members involved in writing the case studies and team teaching has increased at each institution. The faculty member at Cape Institute for Agricultural Training (CIAT), Elsenburg, South Africa made several efforts for students' participation in videoconference. However, due to limitations in using IP system in South Africa, the interactions of overseas students were not available. During the academic year, 2009-2010, the institutions will make efforts to include the students of CIAT. At VSU, a new videoconference room (302) was equipped for videoconference in Doug Wilder Building. Dr. Shobha Sriharan was recognized with a Plaque for her Oral Presentations on USDA Capacity Building projects at the Conference, Agricultural Extension Directors/ Agricultural Research Directors, Memphis, Tennessee, June 8-11, 2008. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The project activities were disseminated on campus through brochure and announcement on the Internet. The students were recruited in the classes by circulating fact sheets and brochures for summer programs. The students, who made impressive presentations at the Mock Session, were asked to prepare a details class assignment. Therefore, the students were asked to speak about the program with instructors. The draft case studies written by the faculty members are being finalized for publication. The project director and co-directors participated in professional meetings and workshops on Writing of Case Studied. The summary of the student training activities on case study writing, was presented at Annual ARD Conference, in Memphis, Tennessee The students who completed the course forwarded good comments to their peers. This resulted in increased enrollment from varied disciplines. The project activities were presented as posters and power point presentation by tithe students. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Global agriculture is vulnerable to bio-security threats that undermine confidence in food supplies or disrupt the agricultural economy. No integrated multidisciplinary program currently exists that provides agricultural science professionals with the concepts and skills to prevent, detect, and respond to security issues. To address this crucial need, VSU and its partners, FAMU, ECSU, UPRM, CIAT, and VCOM-Virginia Tech will continue writing case studies with focus on bio-security of agricultural commodities. The faculty members at the collaborating institutions will develop an innovative approach to involve undergraduates from multidisciplinary backgrounds in reviewing the technical and economic aspects of food-borne diseases and suggest appropriate approach to resolve the issue. The project activities will deliver professional development activities that enable faculty to provide quality instruction using new technologies. The project activities will enhance collaborative multidisciplinary education initiative for serving the community. The project will enhance the quality of food and agricultural sciences education, by providing students a forum to use their critical thinking for debating on discussion case studies. The students will be asked to present their reflection on issues such as the outbreak of Salmonella I serotype Hartford infections associated with unpasteurized orange juice. The draft case study, "Florida Orange Juice" will be completed as a manuscript after the classroom discussion on the case-control evaluations. The students will get an opportunity to understand the epidemiology, field investigations, problems in investigating the causes of disease, and when the public be informed. Similarly, 2-3 case studies which will be of interest to professionals in agricultural and environmental sciences. The Global Seminar activities will be strengthened to provide students with international and multicultural perspectives, engaging in learning and discovery essential to being a citizen of the world thus becoming globally competent students able to participate in international markets.
Impacts
Project impacted student preparation for higher education. Training students to write their reflections on important & current global issues gave students opportunities in teamwork, critical thinking skills, discussing subject matter & disseminate results at a Mock Videoconference. Faculty & students interacted in satisfactorily, producing effective dialogue with peers at other HBCUs. The project impacts approximately 30 undergraduates per academic year in developing a pool of shared classes with common theme -case study- for collective discussion. Writing case studies on global issues, faculty members expanded teaching roles & were role model professionals offering advice to students. Activities involved approximately 4-6 faculty members in planning & execution of project goals. Case studies on Food Safety & Human Nutrition were written by a group of faculty members with similar backgrounds at VSU, FAMU and ECSU. Case studies were reviewed in detail by the Director of Global Seminar & staff. Faculty members were guided on Blackboard use, role playing of case student sessions, pedagogy utilizing E-Learning Environmental, model case studies & strategies on writing case studies on food safety, environmental safety & global warming. Activities resulted in developing & offering core courses, Contemporary Global Studies-AGRI 295 & Global Seminar-AGRI 401 at Global Seminar at ECSU, UPRM. As noted there had been an increase in the number of students taking the courses, AGRI 295 & AGRI 401 at VSU. Facilities for videoconferencing were updated & made available during the semester.
Publications
- San Juan, F., Rousch, J., and Banerjee, H. (2009). Antibiotics in the Environment and the Impact on Human Health, Awareness of Food-borne diseases, Myth and Social Dilemma, USDA Workshop on Writing Case Studies coordinated by Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia Tech, fall, 2008.
- Sriharan, S. and Ozbay, G. (2008). Food Security and Agrisecurity: Tracking of Food Distribution by the Use of Geographic Information System and Global Information Systems, ARD Conference, Memphis, Tennessee.
- Malinauskes, B. and Sanchez, O. (2008). Testing of the Pediatric Case Study, Fall Workshop on Case Study Writing, University of Buffalo, New York.
- Sriharan, S. (2009). Draft Case Study on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Debate on Golden Rice Acceptance in India, USDA Workshop on Writing Case Studies.
- James, N. Musingo, M, and Thomas V. (2009). When will the Public be informed The Case of a Salmonella Outbreak in Florida, USDA Workshop on Case Study Writing, Florida A & M University, June 28-July 2, 2009.
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Progress 09/01/07 to 08/31/08
Outputs
The project activities were coordinated by Dr. ShobhaSriharan (Project Director) at Virginia State University (VSU) and its collaborating institutions, Florida A & M University (FAMU), Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), and Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). These institutions shared their experiences with the cooperating institutions, Bethune Cookman University (BCU) and University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM). During the academic year 2007-2008, the project activities were focused on recruitment of students for the courses, Independent Study also referred as Global Seminar (AGRI 401); and Contemporary Global Studies (AGRI 295). In fall, 2007, seven (7) upper-level undergraduate-level students completed the course AGRI 401. The lower-level undergraduate students (3) successfully completed the course, AGRI 295. In spring, the student's enrollment increased in these courses. Thirteen (13) students were successful in completing the course, AGRI 295. The enrollment in the upper-level course, AGRI 401 was similar to fall 2007. Six (6) students earned 3 credits upon successful completion of the course. Approximately 30 students were trained in reading the case studies to gain in-depth understanding of the subject matter which includes the background, history, and technical understanding of the science-based global case study. The majority of the students worked on the case studies from Cornell University's Curriculum. Examples of few case studies selected for fall 2007 and spring 2008 were: Organic Farming, Population, Global Warming, Use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and Fortification of Cereal Crops. Each case study was discussed for its background and history, the technical aspects of the global issue, impact on the environment and community, and suggestions for drawing conclusions. The case study discussion required 3 teams. Each team had a leader to lead the preparation of view points, development of Power Point slides, and interpretation of views. The team leaders directed the groups to post the final reflections on Discussion Board of the Common Website. In this case, the website was at Florida A & M University (http://Famu.Blackboard.com). The faculty members (12) from VSU, FAMU, and ECSU were trained in guiding students for videoconferences. The faculty development workshops were coordinated at the campuses of FAMU in Tallahassee in February 2008. At this workshop, the faculty received feedback from Dr. Dean Sutphin for developing the case studies in the following areas: Environmental Health (ECSU responsibility) Food safety (FAMU responsibility) Human Nutrition and Obesity Prevention (VSU) These draft case studies were reviewed in May, 2008, at the workshop coordinated by VCOM. The faculty members from all participating institutions submitted the revised version of the case studies to Dr. Sutphin (Director, Global Seminar), in May 2008. PRODUCTS: The project activities resulted in the implementation of the Global Seminar Program at VSU and its collaborating institutions, FAMU, ECSU, UPRM, and CIAT. This program was offered through the courses, AGRI 401 (Independent Study) for upper-level undergraduates; and AGRI 295 (Contemporary Global Studies) to lower-level undergraduates. The students were trained to review model case studies on global issues in the areas of agricultural and environmental sciences. After in-depth review, the students were trained to write their reflections for communications. These summaries of the reflections were presented in the form of Power Point slides. The successful presentations with full information and summaries were posted on the Discussion Board of Florida A&M University, at the website: http://Famu.Blackboard.com. The summaries of the reflections were read by the students at all participating institutions. These summaries were discussed via videoconferences by all the stakeholders from VSU, FAMU, UPRM, CIAT, and ECSU. The students enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the videoconference. Approximately 30 students completed the course on Global Seminar during 2006 and 2007 academic year. The project facilitated the participation of successful students making presentations in workshops and conferences. The faculty members were trained in writing case studies. In 2007-2008 academic year, both lower-level and upper-level undergraduates from varied disciplines gained experiences in review of the case studies and their interpretations via videoconference. The faculty members (9) wrote case studies on Florida Orange Juice (food safety), Human Nutrition and Prevention of Obesity, and Use of Antibiotics via Internet (Environmental Health). These case studies were written by the team efforts of the faculty members from VSU, FAMU, ECSU, UPRM, and BCU. OUTCOMES: Outcomes are the immediate or direct effects of the program on participants. An outcome is something that follows as a result (either intentional or unintentional); a measure of project effectiveness. This collaborative USDA Capacity Building Teaching Grant prepared students to gain global perspectives on issues by their participation in class and web-based discussion. The students were engaged in writing reflections on assigned readings and model case studies developed through the international program, Global Seminar, located at Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), Virginia Tech. By using the concepts of Global Seminar, the faculty was mentored in global teaching, creating and accessing the virtual libraries, and integrating case studies as electives in agricultural and food sciences. Each institution had developed the course, Global Seminar, for the undergraduates. At VSU, the Global Seminar was offered to lower-level undergraduates (AGRI 295) and upper-level graduates (AGRI 401). The students prepared their power point presentations for exchanging their viewpoints via discussion board, chat, and videoconferences at Virginia State University (VSU) and its partner institutions, Florida A&M University (FAMU), University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM), and Elizabeth City State University (ECSU). The outcome of this project are: (i) increased interest among the undergraduates to enroll in the course on Global Seminar through the course, AGRI 401-1 (Independent Study), (ii) student presentations of case studies in the areas of organic farming, global warming, fortification of staple food crops taught by the faculty members from all stakeholders, (iii) faculty members from all partner institutions (VSU, FAMU, ECSU, and VCOM-VT) writing new case studies: (a) environmental pollution due to excessive use of antibiotics, by human beings, (b) food safety issues due to the use of Florida Orange Juice, and (c) Pediatric Obesity. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The outcomes of the project activities were disseminated at professional meetings in Washington, D.C., University of Guadalajara, and Florida A&M University. The faculty members associated with Global Seminar developed case studies on Food Safety, Food Microbiology, Nutrition and Prevention of Obesity, through faculty development workshops at partner institutions in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and Mexico. The successful results of the Global Seminar project activities were presented by the project director and co-directors at the Annual Planning Meetings in Washington, D.C. (2005), Mexico (2007), and VCOM-VT (2008). The project activities were presented by Dr. Shobha Sriharan at the Agriculture Directors of Extension and Research Conference in Memphis (June 8-10, 2008) and the National Annual Conference for Teachers of Agriculture, Logan (June 10-15, 2008). Dr. Sriharan's oral presentation was selected among the 32 presentations at the Agriculture Director of Extension and Research Conference (June 2008). She was awarded a plaque for her oral presentation. The collaborators from partner institutions (ECSU, VCOM-VT, and FAMU) were presented Certificates. Two (2) students who completed the course on Global Seminar (Independent Study) made poster presentations at the Beta Kappa Chi/National Institute of Science (2008). For dissemination of project activities, project funds were used to support travel of students and faculty members to conferences. The hosting of workshops at the campuses of VSU, FAMU, ECSU, Virginia Tech, publicized the project outcomes and future activities. The case studies are in review for posting in Cornell University Library of Case Studies. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The future initiatives are: to write innovative case studies in the areas of Food Safety (Agrisecurity), Prevention of Obesity, and Food Safety. These case studies will be written by the faculty members from VSU, FAMU, UPRM, and ECSU. The case studies will be tested by using survey forms. Efforts will be made by the project director and her staff to increase the enrollment of undergraduates in courses on Global Seminar (Independent Study-AGRI 401) and Contemporary Global Studies (AGRI 285). The students will be trained in more intensive review and discussions for videoconferencing the case studies suitable for the institution will be held with the faculty members during workshops at ECSU and VSU. Accordingly, the students will have access to the resources and facilities. At VSU, the focus will be on the case studies on Human Nutrition and Prevention of Obesity. Environmental Health will be written by the faculty members from Teaching and Extension. The videoconferencing room will be procured by installing the equipment in The Doug Wilder Building. This work will be completed by the spring of 2008. The Global Seminar activities will be strengthened to provide students with international and multicultural perspectives, engaging in learning and discovery essential to being a citizen of the world, thus, becoming globally competent students able to participate in international markets.
Impacts
The USDA Grant activities were implemented at the collaborating institutions by Dr. Sriharan, and co-directors, Dr. Dean Sutphin (VCOM-VT), Dr. Verian Thomas (FAMU), and Dr. Ali Khan (ECSU). The students were trained in writing their reflections on selected case studies The case studies were written on current topics of global importance.. These case studies were investigated in detail by the students enrolled in the courses: AGRI 295 and AGRI 401. The institutions, VSU, FAMU, and ECSU coordinated the hosting of the videoconference (VCs) via The Interportal Platform. This facility was extended by the collaborator, VCOM-Virginia Tech. The case studies on Food Safety and Human Nutrition were written by a group of faculty members with similar backgrounds, at VSU, FAMU, and ECSU. The case studies were reviewed in detail by the Director of Global Seminar and his staff. The faculty members were guided on the use of Blackboard, role playing of case student sessions, pedagogy utilizing E-Learning Environmental, model case studies, and strategies on writing case studies on food safety, environmental safety, and global warming. The implementation of the project generated enthusiasm among the students at all the collaborating institutions through the course offerings (AGRI 401 at VSU) and Global Seminar at other institutions. In fall 2007, the course AGRI 295 was listed as a science Elective Course at VSU. Similarly, FAMU, ECSU and FAMU introduced the course as "Global Seminar". The grant activities provided visibility of the course on Global Seminar.
Publications
- Malinauskas, B., Otto, S., Sutphin, D., and Sriharan, S. 2007. Student Survey for Testing the Case Study: Pediatric Case Study. USDA Workshop on Case Study Writing at Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, February 26-March 1, 2008.
- Sriharan, S., Sutphin, D., Thomas, V, Bloem, S.V. and Khan, A. 2008. Cooperative Learning through the Case Study and Group Discussion in Understanding of Biological and Environmental Factors for Obesity among Youth, National Agricultural Directors of Extension and Research, Memphis, Tennessee, June 8-10 2008.
- Sriharan, S., Jones, D.S., Sutphin, D, Thomas, V., Khan, A., 2008. A Case Study on Obesity in the United States: Mapping with Geographic Information System, at the National Annual Conference of Teachers for Agriculture (NACTA), June 10-13, 2008.
- Johns, D. and Sriharan, S. 2008. Genetically Modified Organisms: Advantages and Disadvantages, at the National Institute of Science and Beta Kappa Chi 65 Annual Meeting, March 12-15, 2008, Dallas, Texas.
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Progress 09/01/06 to 08/31/07
Outputs
This project was implemented under the direction of Dr. Shobha Sriharan, project director since fall, 2006. Dr. Sriharan has taken over the project after the retirement of Dr. Michael Joshua from Virginia State University. Dr. Sriharan coordinated the project activities at Virginia State University (VSU) and its collaborating institutions, Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), Florida A & M University (FAMU), and Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia Tech (VCOM-VT). The goals of this project are to develop case studies in the areas of Food Safety, Food Microbiology, and Food Biosecurity, Nutrition and Prevention of Obesity, and Environmental Health. The case studies were written by the collaborating institutions under the direction of the project director and co-directors: Dr. Dean Sutphin (VCOM-VT), Dr. Verian Thomas (FAMU), and Dr. Ali Khan (ECSU). By using the model case studies from the Global Seminar, a uniform course outline was prepared at VSU,
FAMU, ECSU, and UPRM. At VSU, Dr. Sriharan and Dr. Joshua (until fall 2006) initiated the course, Global Seminar. This was done by using the seminar course (Independent Study AGRI 401). The course was offered since fall 2006. Each semester, approximately 10-12 students are enrolled in this course. In order to involve lower-level undergraduates in Global Seminar, a General Education course, Contemporary Global Studies-AGRI 295 was offered since fall 2007. The Global Seminar course is offered by FAMU and ECSU. The students enrolled in this course were drawn from the Departments of Agriculture and Human Ecology, Psychology, and Social Sciences. The students were provided model case studies on global topics, Organic Farming, Global Warming, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), Fortification of Cereal Crops, and Salinity in Kenang Region of Australia due to Irrigation, and Mad Cow. Each semester, three case studies were used for training students at VSU, ECSU, FAMU, UPRM, and CIAT (South
Africa). The students reviewed the case in detail and write their reflections, prepared Power Point slides, and posted it on the Blackboard. Each case study was discussed via chat and videoconference. The faculty members participated in faculty workshops which resulted in interactions and networking with the educators in international clusters of Global Seminar. Dr. Dean Sutphin, Director, Global Seminar (VCOM-VT) provided guidance on implementing the project activities (selection of case studies, writing reflections on case studies, and providing the BRIDGE for the videoconference, through Virginia Tech. The faculty members and students made presentations at professional meetings. The case studies on Spinach Incidence and Pediatric Obesity were written by Dr. Hua Shen and Dr. Brenda Malinauskas. The workshop hosted by FAMU in February 2008, resulted in the preparation of draft case studies on: environmental health (overuse of antibiotics), nutrition and adult obesity, and food safety
(Florida Orange Juice).
PRODUCTS: The project activities resulted in developing partnerships between the lead institution, VSU and the collaborating institutions, FAMU, ECSU, UPRM, and VCOM-VT. In addition, the communications between the faculty members and students (enrolled in Global Seminar course) lead to communications on global issues between the students from the US institutions and overseas (South Africa). The faculty members developed new case studies in the areas of Food Safety and Food Microbiology (Spinach: Incidence of E. coli contamination) and Nutrition and Obesity (Pediatric Obesity), and Environmental Health (Concerns over Florida Orange Juice). The collaborating institutions (VSU, FAMU, ECSU, and UPRM) are offering an innovative course, Global Seminar, which prepares the students for comprehension of global issues via discussion board, chat, and videoconference. At VSU, the courses, Independent Study-Global Seminar (AGRI 401) and Contemporary Global Studies (AGRI 295) are offered to the
upper-level undergraduates and lower-level undergraduates, respectively. The course, Global Seminar is taught through the School of Engineering, Agricultural and Natural Sciences by FAMU. ECSU offers the course through its School of Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology. The overall products of the project in student development are: (i) students' developing skills in writing reflections on case studies which are of global importance, (ii) students' involvement in communications with their peers at the institutions in the U.S. and overseas (South Africa) with similar curriculum offerings, (iii) students gaining knowledge, abilities, and skills in agricultural and environmental sciences, (iv) students' working in teams to discuss case studies which have Pro and Con positions, thereby facilitating students debate via discussion board, chat, and videoconference, and (v) students from various disciplines interacting with each other to understand the problems which are global in
nature.
OUTCOMES: The project activities resulted in developing partnerships between the lead institution, VSU and the collaborating institutions, FAMU, ECSU, UPRM, and VCOM-VT. In addition, the communications between the faculty members and students (enrolled in Global Seminar course) lead to communications on global issues between the students from the US institutions and overseas (South Africa). The faculty members developed new case studies in the areas of Food Safety and Food Microbiology (Spinach: Incidence of E. coli contamination) and Nutrition and Obesity (Pediatric Obesity), and Environmental Health (Concerns over Florida Orange Juice). The collaborating institutions (VSU, FAMU, ECSU, and UPRM) are offering an innovative course, Global Seminar, which prepares the students for comprehension of global issues via discussion board, chat, and videoconference. At VSU, the courses, Independent Study-Global Seminar (AGRI 401) and Contemporary Global Studies (AGRI 295) are offered to the
upper-level undergraduates and lower-level undergraduates, respectively. The course, Global Seminar is taught through the School of Engineering, Agricultural and Natural Sciences by FAMU. ECSU offers the course through its School of Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology. The overall products of the project in student development are: (i) students' developing skills in writing reflections on case studies which are of global importance, (ii) students' involvement in communications with their peers at the institutions in the U.S. and overseas (South Africa) with similar curriculum offerings, (iii) students gaining knowledge, abilities, and skills in agricultural and environmental sciences, (iv) students' working in teams to discuss case studies which have Pro and Con positions, thereby facilitating students debate via discussion board, chat, and videoconference, and (v) students from various disciplines interacting with each other to understand the problems which are global in
nature.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The project activities were disseminated by the project director (Dr. Shobha Sriharan) and co-directors (Dr. Verian Thomas, FAMU, Dr. Ali Khan, ECSU, and Dr. Skip van Bloem, UPR) at the professional meetings. The students presented their case studies at conferences and workshops in spring 2007 and spring 2008. The workshops in North Carolina (Beta Kappa Chi/NIS), Maryland (HBCU Day at UMES), and Virginia (NSF-UP) provided a forum for all stakeholders (faculty, undergraduates, and administrators) to exchange ideas on enhancing Global Seminar Program. The students' posters were published in the Conference Proceedings of 2007 NSF-UP (Virginia State University) and 2007 Beta Kappa Chi/National Institute of Science. For dissemination of project activities, project funds were used to support travel of students and faculty members to conferences. The hosting of workshops at the campuses of VSU, FAMU, ECSU, Virginia Tech, publicized the project outcomes and future
activities. The case studies written on Food Safety, Food Microbiology, and Nutrition were discussed at the Global Seminar meetings. This led to improving the contents of the case studies and preparing the cases for inclusion in the Cornell University's Curriculum on Case Studies.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: The future initiatives as a result of this project's outcomes are to increase the enrollment of undergraduates in the course on Global Seminar (Independent Study-AGRI 401 and AGRI 295 at VSU) at the collaborating institutions (ECSU, FAMU, and UPR). The case studies which are focused on agricultural and food sciences will be developed by the educators at all stakeholders. The students enrolled in the Global Seminar class, will be trained to review the newly-formed case studies and exchange their view points with their peers. The Schools of Agriculture and Natural Sciences at the partner institutions will enhance the science and GE curricula to attract students to the academic programs. The students will be prepared to develop skills in global communications for availing themselves career opportunities in international relations. The resources for Global Seminar instruction will be expanded. This will include videoconference facilities.
Impacts
The implementation of the project has resulted in strengthening the curriculum at VSU and partner institutions (FAMU, ECSU, and UPRM) by introducing the course on Global Seminar. The faculty members involved in teaching of this course have availed opportunities to write case studies on current topics of concern to the USDA. The infrastructure and capacity building of the institutions have improved as a result of resources such as Videoconference Room and classroom facilities, involvement of staff from the Information Technology for coordinating videoconference and posting of discussion board on the Blackboard. The involvement of professionals from varied backgrounds at each partner institutions, has led to a good working relationship between all stakeholders. The students who completed the course on Global Seminar expressed their satisfaction for the unique opportunity to communicate with their peers via questionnaires. The enrollment of students in Global Seminar has
increased at all campuses. At VSU, the Global Seminar is offered to two groups of students: (i) upper-level undergraduates (AGRI 401) and lower-level undergraduates (AGRI 295). The faculty members and students made presentations at national conferences, thereby contributed to the publicity of the project activities. The linkages with VCOM-Virginia Tech and overseas institutions were strengthened as a result of videoconferencing at regular intervals. The faculty members had the opportunities to interact closely during the conferences hosted by the Global Seminar clusters in other countries.
Publications
- Sriharan, S. Global Warming and Kyoto Treaty: Debate over Ratification of the Treaty by the United States, 2007. National Conference In Case Study Writing at the University of Buffalo, N.Y., October 6-7 2007. Malinauskas, B., Otto, S., Sutphin, D., and Sriharan, S. 2007. A Module for Pediatric Case Study, Testing in the Classroom for Student Feedback. National Conference on Case Study Writing at the University of Buffalo, N.Y., October 6-7, 2007.
- Shen, H. 2007. Spinach Case Study: Incidence of E. coli Contamination. Oral Presentation at the Planning Conference of Global Seminar at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, June 23-26, 2007.
- Johns, D. and Sriharan, S. 2008. Genetically Modified Organisms: Advantages and Disadvantages. Poster Presentation at the National Institute of Science and Beta Kappa Chi 65 Annual Meeting, March 12-15, 2008, Dallas, Texas.
- Booker, R. 2007. Global Warming: Roles of Developing and Developed Countries. HBCU Day, University of Maryland at Eastern shore, Maryland, April 4, 2007.
- Leonard, K., Chatmon, L., Sriharan, S. 2007. Videoconferencing as a Learning Tool for Understanding Global Climate Change. HBCU Day, University of Maryland at Eastern shore, Maryland, April 4, 2007. Mickle, K, Chatmon, L., Leonard, K. and Sriharan, S. 2007. A Case Study and Videoconferencing on Global Warming , Annual Conference of Beta Kappa Chi/National Institute of Science Annual Conference, Greensboro, North Carolina, March 14-18, 2007.
- Booker, R, Lowe, A., and Sriharan, S. 2007. Fortification of Cereal Crops versus Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). NSF HBCU UP Undergraduate Research Workshop at Virginia State University, April 6, 2007
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