Recipient Organization
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
108 M. WHITE SMITH HALL
AUBURN,AL 36849
Performing Department
Animal Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Agriscience education in Alabama is faced with declining enrollments in higher ed and loss of teachers in secondary schools. The Matrix is a proactive framework of activities that will embed knowledge, skills and abilities throughout Agriscience programs in the state, enabling and catalyzing opportunities for beneficial change. The Matrix begins through the use of Premier Agriculture Workshops (PAWS) to connect to secondary school students and Agriscience educators throughout the state. Approximately thirty, rising eleventh grade students and their Agriscience teacher mentor will be provided an opportunity to apply to the COA Agriscience Leadership & Education Academy (ALEA). ALEA participants will spend 5 days and four nights in a sequence of programs. During the school year, students will be expected to practice leadership and teaching through projects and modules designed for integration of agriculture concepts into other classes on their campus. Participating faculty will be responsible for coordinating the dual-enrollment distance education courses from AU. We will develop new courses, workshop modules, expanded and improved high school curricula, enhanced competencies of students and teachers.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Our overarching goal is to promote and strengthen agriscience education which will help ensure the existence in the United States of a qualified workforce to serve the food and agricultural sciences system. The specific objectives for the proposed project are as follows: 1. Develop and implement a leadership training / equipping seminar for secondary level students and teachers throughout three Alabama FFA regions; 2. Develop and implement the Agriscience Leadership and Education Academy designed to build leadership capacities in students and educators, enhancing curricula, and ultimately stimulating student interest in agriscience education; and 3. Develop and implement distance education coursework in agricultural disciplines administered through Auburn University that will be delivered to secondary Agriscience students in the state of Alabama. Overall Impact: The overall impact of our project will be improved quality of agricultural sciences education in the following areas: Enhancing Agricultural Education Through Curriculum Improvements, Increasing Faculty Teaching Competencies, Integrating Agricultural Education into the Curriculum.
Project Methods
We will develop and implement a leadership training seminar for student and teacher regional leaders. The topics for the workshops will include: personal leadership skills, group leadership techniques, dealing with conflicts in organizations, communicating effectively, becoming catalysts of change, and becoming a life-long learner. We will also develop and implement the Agriscience Leadership and Education Academy. During the academy, secondary students and teachers (30 from each category) will be housed in Auburn and brought together, as two separate groups, daily for instruction in various content areas. The secondary teachers will spend the days interacting with university faculty and developing plans to implement laboratory assignments for the distance delivered dual enrollment courses that will be implemented in the 2010-2011 school year. The secondary students will spend 5 days in a pre-agriscience education career course. Topics for secondary students will include: developing a resume and cover letter, practicing interview skills, learn about community resources, developing curriculum plans, developing lesson plans, delivering lesson plans, planning a member banquet, developing a professional network, and developing a teaching philosophy. Each evening of the ALEA will include an educational tour of a research facility on the Auburn University campus. Secondary students and teachers will have the opportunity to interact with research scientists in their laboratory setting. In order to develop and implement distance education coursework administered through Auburn University that will be delivered to secondary Agriscience students in the state of Alabama, a process has been identified. Agriculture professors will develop introductory courses in seven different disciplines that will be implemented during the 2010-2011 school year as distance delivered dual credit coursework. These courses must be approved by the university curriculum committee, therefore, the professors will have time in 2009 to prepare and submit the appropriate documentation for approval from the committee.