Source: OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
EXAMINING AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD: IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE GLOBAL COMPETENCE OF AMERICAN STUDENTS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0223988
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2010
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2015
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078
Performing Department
Ag Education
Non Technical Summary
The pressing need for university students in the United States to be knowledgeable of cultural and global issues persists. Globalization, the integration of national economies into the international economy, necessitates the urgency to prepare university students adequately for emerging global challenges confronting them (Bok, 2006). If the United States is to maintain its leadership role in the global economy as well as remain competitive, prosperous, and secure, the country's higher education institutions have the crucial obligation to produce graduates who are knowledgeable regarding international and cross-cultural issues (NAFSA, 2000). So, higher education institutions must provide adequate global learning opportunities for students and prepare them to work effectively in the global economy. Improved cultural understanding enables students to interact well with individuals of diverse backgrounds and help them build connections with people in international settings. The U.S. model for preparing citizens for employment and leadership in ASNR has been guided largely by programs and services delivered through CoA in land-grant institutions. Teaching students, discovering new knowledge, and disseminating science-based information to stakeholders is the enduring mission of these institutions. However, if graduates are to be truly "society ready," they also must be globally competent, i.e., knowledgeable of, and prepared to use their understanding about, the plethora of dynamic international forces and actors impacting our nation. This need is especially acute regarding the trade, commerce, technology, and innovation that holds special importance for the agricultural, food, and natural resources (AFNR) sector (National Research Council, 2009). So, preparing human capital to face the myriad of socio-cultural-economic factors and challenges impacting the AFNR sector is essential to ensuring our nation's food security and future prosperity. Colleges of Agriculture must be committed to providing curriculum and learning experiences calibrated to develop globally ready graduates. However, little is known empirically or qualitatively about the global competence or "readiness" of most graduates who matriculate from CoA. So, examining the impact formal learning experiences have on student attitude formation and knowledge acquisition regarding salient international issues stands to improve the capacity of CoA to graduate students who are globally competent. Inquiries could include aspects of course content, disciplinary context, and varying modalities of course delivery (e.g., "face to face" instruction versus distance learning). Because of the ever increasing international aspects of direct and allied AFNR industries, trade, and commerce, it has never been more important to investigate the global awareness and competence of undergraduate students in our nation's CoA. This project would help faculty and administrators determine if their students are prepared to function as globally competent citizens, employees, and entrepreneurs. Findings could provide direction for addressing deficiencies and shortcomings in curriculum and instruction going forward.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
8026099302050%
8036099302050%
Knowledge Area
803 - Sociological and Technological Change Affecting Individuals, Families, and Communities; 802 - Human Development and Family Well-Being;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The 8 guiding objectives of the project are to 1) explore the literature describing the internationalization of undergraduate curriculum in CoA, especially related to increasing undergraduate students' international awareness (IA) and global competence (GC); 2) determine the IA and GC of students majoring in agricultural sciences and natural resources (ASNR) at a land-grant institution in the Midwest region; 3) compare the impact of course content on students' IA and GC, including issues, forces, and actors affecting the AFNR sector; 4) compare the impact of course delivery modality on students' IA and GC, including issues, forces, and actors affecting the AFNR sector; 5) determine how students at selected U.S. institutions, who are majoring in ASNR disciplines, compare regarding their IA and GC, especially as it relates to the AFNR sector; 6) determine how students, who are majoring in ASNR disciplines, compare to their peers in other developed countries as well as selected developing nations; 7) determine if programs and/or models exist in other countries that may be instructive for faculty and institutional leaders to examine, compare, and consider implementing; and 8) identify effective and efficient ways to collaborate with other institutions to improve the IA and GC of students preparing for careers in the AFNR sector. Phase I will be twofold: 1) continue a review of literature regarding the phenomenon under study, and 2) conduct an investigation of the IA and GC of students enrolled in international dimension (ID) undergraduate courses offered in the CoA at the researcher's institution. The review will assist the researcher in understanding the findings of other investigators, their implications and recommendations for future research, as well as what may be "gaps" in the literature supporting additional inquiry. The study will describe students' attitudes and knowledge on IA and GC. It will compare students' attitudes and knowledge on IA and GC, pre and post course. Further, the study will describe selected personal characteristics of students to examine relationships between their attributes and measures of IA and GC. Phase II will be twofold: 1) continue a review of literature regarding the phenomenon under study, and 2) conduct a comparative analysis of the IA and GC of students enrolled in ID undergraduate courses offered in the CoA at the researcher's institution. The review will assist the researcher in understanding the findings of other investigators, their implications and recommendations for future research, as well as what may be "gaps" in the literature which support additional study. The second phase will compare students' attitudes and knowledge on IA and GC depending on course content and mode of instruction delivery. The study will also describe selected personal characteristics of students to examine relationships between their attributes and measures of IA and GC. Phase III will depend on the findings derived from Phases I and II and attainment of funding to support multi-institutional/transnational studies.
Project Methods
Phase I of the inquiry will rely on survey questionnaires (interests and attitudes) (Ajzen, 1991; Bandura, 1995) and knowledge tests (competence) (Bloom, 1974; Glaser, 1963; Tyler, 1971) to collect data. It is anticipated that a criterion approach to subject inclusion (Patton, 2001) will be followed, i.e., all students enrolled in courses designated for receipt of international dimension credit would comprise the study's target population. Accordingly, it would be a census study. Data analysis may include descriptive parameters, such as t-tests and correlational analyses, and other empirical tests, e.g., regression analysis, ANOVA, and ANCOVA (Field, 2009). Results of this phase of the study will be reported at appropriate professional and scientific society meetings as well as in scholarly journals, as per scholarly peer review. Phase II of the inquiry will rely on survey questionnaires (interests and attitudes) (Ajzen, 1991; Bandura, 1995) and knowledge tests (competence) (Bloom, 1974; Glaser, 1963; Tyler, 1971) to collect data. It is anticipated that a criterion approach to subject inclusion (Patton, 2001) will be followed, i.e., all students enrolled in courses designated for receipt of international dimension credit would comprise the study's target population. Accordingly, it would be a census study. Data analysis may include descriptive parameters, such as t-tests and correlational analyses, and other empirical tests, e.g., regression analysis, ANOVA, and ANCOVA (Field, 2009). Results of this phase of the study will be reported at appropriate professional and scientific society meetings as well as in scholarly journals, as per scholarly peer review. It is anticipated that during Phase III, other than similar quantitative studies investigating undergraduate students' attitudes and knowledge at different institutions, interpretive studies involving personal interviews of students, faculty, and administrators as well as semi-structured focus group interviews of the same may occur (Creswell, 2005; Krueger, 2000; Merriam, 1998; Morgan, 1997; Patton, 1990). Interpretive studies would involve purposeful sampling (Creswell, 2005) and cross case analysis (Gall, Borg, & Gall, 1996) procedures. Results of this phase of the study will be reported at appropriate professional and scientific society meetings as well as in scholarly journals, as per scholarly peer review. In addition, results of this study will be made available to members of the Effective Teaching committee of the researcher's College and the administrative team who oversees undergraduate education in that unit. The same will be made available to similar officials of other institutions whose students and/or faculty may participate in various phases of the research project.

Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Undergraduate students enrolled in the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University; attendees of the NationalResearch Conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education; attendees of the annual conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education; consumers of research published in the Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, the Journal of Agricultural Education, and theJournal of International Agricultural and Extension Education. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three doctoral students in AGED at Oklahoma State University (OSU), Assoumane A. Maiga, Stephen C. Mukembo, and Jose M. Uscanga, assisted the PI in preparing and delivering the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension, during the reporting year. The researcher collaborated with Dr. Samba Moriba, Njala University, Sierra Leone, a former doctoral student and post-doctoral researcher, to publish a peer-refereed journal article derived from his dissertation study, which supported the PI's project. The researcher also collaborated with Stephen C. Mukembo, a former master's degree student of international agriculture at OSU and a current doctoral student of AGED, and Drs. Jon W. Ramsey (asst. prof. of AGED, OSU) and Shida R. Henneberry (prof. of AGEC, OSU) to publish two peer-refereed journal articles derived from a master's thesis study supportingthe PI's project. And the researcher mentored and collaborated with two former doctoral students in AGED, Dr. Fredrick N. Matofari and Dr. Assoumane A. Maiga, to present two peer-refereed posters derived from studies supportingthe PI's project. In addition, the researcher mentored and collaborated with three doctoral students in AGED, Stephen C. Mukembo, Richie Roberts, and Jose M. Uscanga, to make two peer-refereed, internationalconference presentations derived from investigations supportingthe PI's project. Much of the abovementioned involved significant mentoring in regard todata analysis and scholarly writing supporting the professional development of the co-researchersinvolved. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Publication of two peer-refereed journal articles, titled Attracting Youth to Agriculture: The Career Interests of Young Farmers Club Members in Uganda and Intentions of Young Farmers Club (YFC) Members to Pursue Career Preparation in Agriculture: The Case of Uganda, respectively, in the Journal of Agricultural Education. Publication of one peer-refereed journal article, titled Examining the General Global Competence of Students Enrolled in an International Dimension Course: An Attempt to Internationalize Undergraduate Education in a College of Agriculture, in the Journal of Human Sciences and Extension. Two peer-refereed presentations made at the 2015 conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education:An International Service-Learning Opportunity in Uganda: What Were the Lived Experiences of Six University Agriculture Students? and Increasing Female Enrollment for Agricultural Programs of Study in Sub-Saharan Africa: What Motivates Women to Pursue Careers in Agriculture?Presentation of two peer-refereed posters, titled Providing an International Learning Experience for Undergraduate Students Without Leaving Home and Creating International Awareness and Global Competence Among Undergraduate Students: Using International Students as Authentic Learning Resources, respectively, at the 2015 conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education. Communities of interest included consumers ofthe respective peer-refereed journals and proceedings as well as conference attendees, which, other than university researchers, teaching faculty, and students, included public school teachers, practitioners of international agricultural development, U.S.agricultural industry advocates and related officials, and other stakeholders What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Fifty-two undergraduate students, of which 49 were agriculture majors, enrolled for the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension, during the reporting year. Findings from the project were used to develop, guide, and deliver the course. Forty-six students received passing grades, i.e., they demonstrated increased awareness and knowledge of international food and agricultural issues as well as improved global knowledge and competence. The AGED 4713 students demonstrated their application of knowledge and learning by successfully completing a variety of course assignments: cross-cultural interaction reports of interviews with international students, including aspects of global agriculture; international current events and information source presentations; individual reaction papers on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; paired, oral reactions and dialogues with supporting annotated bibliographies on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; personal growth and development plans for improving students lifelong global competence; and group presentations describing proposals for agricultural development projects in Feed the Future nations, as specified by USAID. Three peer-refereed journal articles published, two peer-refereed, international conference presentations made, and two peer-refereed posters presented at a national conference.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Mukembo, S. C., Edwards, M. C., Ramsey, J. W., & Henneberry, S. R. (2014). Attracting youth to agriculture: The career interests of young farmers club members in Uganda. Journal of Agricultural Education, 55(5), 155-172. doi:10.5032/jae.2014.05155
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Moriba, S., & Edwards, M. C.(2015).Examining the general global competence of students enrolled in an international dimension course: An attempt to internationalize undergraduate education in a college of agriculture. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 3(1). ISSN 2325-5226
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Mukembo, S. C., Edwards, M. C., Ramsey, J. W., & Henneberry, S. R. (2015). Intentions of young farmers club (YFC) members to pursue career preparation in agriculture: The case of Uganda. Journal of Agricultural Education, 56(3), 16-34. doi:10.5032/jae.2015.03016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Roberts, R., & Edwards, M. C. (2015). An international service-learning opportunity in Uganda: What were the lived experiences of six university agriculture students? Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education 31st Annual Conference, April 26  May 1, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Mukembo, S. C., Uscanga Aguirre, J., Edwards, M. C., & Brown, N. R. (2015). Increasing female enrollment for agricultural programs of study in Sub-Saharan Africa: What motivates women to pursue careers in agriculture? Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education 31st Annual Conference, April 26  May 1, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Edwards, M. C., Sitton, S., Maiga, A. A., Uscanga, J. M., Mukembo, S. C., Taylor, L. K., Maroney, B., & Cartmell II, D. D. (2015). Providing an international learning experience for undergraduate students without leaving home. (Poster). 2015 Conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education, May 19 - 22, San Antonio, TX, USA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Matofari, F. N., Maiga, A. A., & Edwards, M. C. (2015). Creating international awareness and global competence among undergraduate students: Using international students as authentic learning resources. (Poster). 2015 Conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education, May 19 - 22, San Antonio, TX, USA.


Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Undergraduate students enrolled in the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University; attendees of the annual Southern Region Research Conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education (Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists); attendees of the annual conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education; consumers of research published in the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Dr. Nicholas R. Brown, formerly an instructor in the Department of AECL, OSU; research associate and co-author (data analysis and scholarly writing). Assoumane Maiga, AGED graduate student, Department of AECL, OSU; research associate and co-author (data analysis; scholarly writing and presenting). Stephen Mukembo, AGED graduate student, Department of AECL, OSU; research associate and co-author (data analysis; scholarly writing and presenting). Stephen Tillinghast, AGED graduate student, Department of AECL, OSU; co-author (scholarly writing and presenting). Katie Vaz, formerly an AGCM undergraduate student, Department of AECL, OSU; co-author (scholarly writing). Ashton Mese, formerly an AGCM undergraduate student, Department of AECL, OSU; co-author (scholarly writing). Undergraduate students enrolled in AGED 4713 at OSU (see abovementioned goals). Consumers of the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education; attendees of the Southern Region Research Conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education;attendees of the annual conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Publication of three research abstracts, titled Students' Perceptions of Their Learning after Completing an International Dimension Course: A Phenomenology Study, Attracting Youth to Agriculture: An Embedded Case Study Describing the Career Interests of Young Farmers Club (YFC) Members in Uganda, and Intentions of Young Farmers Club (YFC) Members to Pursue Career Preparation in Agriculture at the Post-secondary Level: An Embedded Case Study in Uganda, respectively, in the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education. (The three abstracts were research presentations at the 2014 conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education.) Presentation of a peer-refereed poster, titled Blogging through Uganda: A Way for Undergraduate Agricultural Students to Reflect on a Learning Experience in International Agricultural Development, at the 2014 conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education. The poster's abstract was published in the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education. Presentation of a peer-refereed paper at a regional research conference, titledAttracting Youth to Agriculture: An Embedded Case Study describing the Career Interests of Young Farmers Club Members in Uganda. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? During an extended and final year of the project, it is anticipated that preparation and publication of two additional peer-refereed journal manuscripts will occur: a) impact of an international dimension course on undergraduate students' general global knowledge, including objects of agriculture and food; and, b) findings in regard to students' intentions to pursue post-secondary education in the agricultural sciences in a developing country.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Findings from Maiga et al. (2014) research study on the impact of an international dimension course on students' attitudes informing their international awareness and global competence, including views on agricultural and natural resources issues, cultural awareness, and diversity, were used to further develop the course AGED 4713. Fifty-seven undergraduate students, of which 56 were agriculture majors, enrolled for the course during the Spring and Fall semesters of 2014. Fifty-five students completed the course with 53 receiving passing grades, i.e., demonstrating increased awareness and knowledge of international food and agricultural issues as well as improved global knowledge and competence. Fifty-three students enrolled in AGED 4713 demonstrated their application of knowledge and learning by successfully completing a variety of course assignments: cross-cultural interaction reports of interviews with international students, including aspects of global agriculture; international current events and information source presentations; individual reaction papers on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; paired, oral reactions and dialogues with supporting annotated bibliographies on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; personal growth and development plans for improving students lifelong global competence; and group presentations describing proposals for agricultural development projects in Feed the Future nations, as specified by USAID. Three peer-refereed presentation abstracts and one peer-refereed poster abstract were published in an internationally themed journal. (The same were presented at an international conference.) One peer-refereed regional conference paper presentation was made.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Maiga, A. A., Brown, N. R., & Edwards. M. C. (2014). Students perceptions of their learning after completing an international dimension course: A phenomenology study. (30th Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, April 27  May 1, Miami, FL, USA.) Published as a peer-refereed abstract in the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 21(2). doi:10.5191/jiaee.2014.21207
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Mukembo, S. C., Edwards, M. C., Ramsey, J. W., & Henneberry, S. R. (2014). Attracting youth to agriculture: An embedded case study describing the career interests of young farmers club (YFC) members in Uganda. (30th Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, April 27  May 1, Miami, FL, USA.) Published as a peer-refereed abstract in the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 21(2). doi:10.5191/jiaee.2014.21207
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Mukembo, S. C., Edwards, M. C., Ramsey, J. W., & Henneberry, S. R. (2014). Intentions of young farmers club (YFC) members to pursue career preparation in agriculture at the post-secondary level: An embedded case study in Uganda. (30th Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, April 27  May 1, Miami, FL, USA.) Published as a peer-refereed abstract in the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 21(2). doi:10.5191/jiaee.2014.21207
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Tillinghast, S., Vaz, K., Mese, A., Ramsey, J. W., Edwards, M. C., Cartmell II, D. D., Sitton, S., & Naile, T. (2014). Blogging through Uganda: A way for undergraduate agricultural students to reflect on a learning experience in international agricultural development. (30th Annual Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, April 27  May 1, Miami, FL, USA.) Published as a peer-refereed poster abstract in the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 21(2). doi:10.5191/jiaee.2014.21208
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Mukembo, S. C., Edwards, M. C., Ramsey, J. W., & Henneberry, S. R. (2014). Attracting youth to agriculture: An embedded case study describing the career interests of young farmers club members in Uganda. (2014 Southern Region Research Conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education, Dallas, TX, USA, Feb 1-4, 2014.)


Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Undergraduate students enrolled in the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University; attendees of the 2013 southern region and national conferences of the American Association for Agricultural Education; consumers of research published in the Journal of Agricultural Education. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Dr. Samba Moriba: a former post-doc in the Department of AECL, OSU and now a lecturer at Njala University, Sierra Leone; co-principal investigator and co-author. Dr. Moriba was mentored on data analysis and scholarly writing for publication. Dr. James C. Bunch: a former doctoral student in the Department of AECL, OSU and now an assistant professor, LSU; research associate and co-author.Dr. Bunch was mentored on data analysis and scholarly writing for publication. Dr. Alexa Lamm, an assistant professor in the Department of AEC, UF; co-researcher and co-author. Dr. Lamm was mentored on data analysis and scholarly writing for publication. Stephen Tillinghast, AGED undergraduate student, Department of AECL, OSU; co-author. Mr. Tillinghast was mentored on scholarly writing for publication. Undergraduate students enrolled in AGED 4713 at OSU. (See explanation under "What was accomplished.") How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Consumers of the Journal of Agricultural Education; attendees of the annual southern region and national conferences of the American Association for Agricultural Education; undergraduate and graduate students at OSU. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Review of literature, data analysis, and scholarly writing for publication and/or presentation will continue.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Two peer-refereed journal articles were published; and, two research conference poster presentations were delivered. A review of literature supporting the project's goals continued. Findings from Samba Moriba’s dissertation research on the impact of international dimension courses on students’ attitudes informing their international awareness and global competence, including views on agricultural and natural resources issues, regardless of mode of instruction delivery, were used to further develop the course AGED 4713. Findings from the Bunch et al. study were used, as well. Thirty-eight undergraduate students, of which 37 were agriculture majors, enrolled for the course during the Spring and Fall semesters of 2013. Thirty-six students completed the course with 33 receiving passing grades, i.e., demonstrating increased awareness and knowledge of international food and agricultural issues as well as improved global competence. Thirty-three students enrolled in AGED 4713 demonstrated their application of knowledge and learning by successfully completing a variety of course assignments: cross-cultural interaction reports of interviews with international students, including aspects of global agriculture; international current events and information source presentations; individual reaction papers on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; paired, oral reactions and dialogues with supporting annotated bibliographies on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; personal growth and development plans for improving students lifelong global competence; and group presentations describing proposals for agricultural development projects in Feed the Future nations, as specified by USAID.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Moriba, S., & Edwards, M. C. (2013). The learning outcomes of students meeting their international dimension requirement through courses offered in a college of agriculture: Did student learning differ depending on mode of instruction delivery? Journal of Agricultural Education, 54(2), 232-247.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Bunch, J. C., Lamm, A. J., Israel, G. D., & Edwards, M. C. (2013). Assessing the motivators and barriers influencing undergraduate students choices to participate in international experiences. Journal of Agricultural Education, 54(2), 217-231.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Tillinghast, S., Vaz, K., Mese, A., Ramsey, J. W., Edwards, M. C., Cartmell II, D. D., Sitton, S., & Naile, T. (2013). Blogging through Uganda: A way for undergraduate agricultural students to reflect on a learning experience in international agricultural development. (2013 AAAE National Conference, May 22  24, Columbus, OH.)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Tillinghast, S., Vaz, K., Mese, A., Ramsey, J. W., Edwards, M. C., Cartmell II, D. D., Sitton, S., & Naile, T. (2013). Blogging through Uganda: A way for undergraduate agricultural students to reflect on a learning experience in international agricultural development. (2013 AAAE Southern Region Conference, February 2  5, Orlando, FL.)


Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities: Taught the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension during Spring semester 2012; 25 undergraduates, of which 24 were agriculture majors. The researcher mentored Dr. Samba Moriba, a post-doctoral researcher, to completion of two peer-refereed journal submissions derived from his dissertation study, which supported the PI's project. The researcher also mentored James C. Bunch, a doctoral student, to completion of a peer-refereed journal submission in which the perceptions of undergraduate agriculture students on barriers and motivators to their participation in international learning experiences at two land-grant universities were compared. Products: Further development of syllabus and teaching materials, including a D2L course website with more than 100 downloads and web links, for the course AGED 4713. One of three courses offered for international dimension credit in CASNR at OSU. Course description: This course is designed to enhance students awareness and appreciation of systems, agencies, actors, and other resources that support the agriculture sector and related aspects of food sufficiency around the world, including an understanding of issues, problems, challenges, opportunities, and related career possibilities. Some specific topical aspects of the course include the root causes of world poverty and hunger; functions of international agencies, government organizations, philanthropic foundations and NGOs in improving the quality of life for people in developing nations; and roles of agricultural education and extension/advisory services in enhancing the effectiveness of development, education, and training programs targeting youth and adults. Aspects of cultural diversity, multiculturalism, and cross-cultural communication and understanding in the context of improving agriculture and food sufficiency are also part of the course. Students also gain awareness of numerous opportunities to participate in other international learning experiences. Select course objectives include: discuss world poverty and hunger and its root causes; discuss globalization and internationalization as it relates to developing human capital for the agricultural, food, fiber, and natural resources system worldwide; identify and discuss the roles of agencies, governmental organizations, philanthropic foundations and NGOs, and other entities engaged in international agricultural education and extension/advisory service programs; describe the roles of AGED and EAS in enhancing international development. Publication of the paper titled, Investigating the International Awareness of Students Meeting Their International Dimension Requirement through Course Offerings in a College of Agriculture, in the Journal of Agricultural Education. Presentation of the poster titled, Leveraging an International Exchange Project to Provide an International Experience for U.S. Undergraduate Students Studying Agriculture: Traveling Without Leaving Home, at the annual conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education PARTICIPANTS: Individuals: M. Craig Edwards: professor of agricultural education, Department of Agricultural Education, Communications, and Leadership (AECL), Oklahoma State University (OSU); principal investigator. Samba Moriba: formerly a doctoral candidate and a post-doc, Department of AECL, OSU; now a lecturer at Njala University, Sierra Leone; co-principal investigator. Data analysis and paper preparation from his dissertation research study supporting the larger investigation. James C. Bunch: formerly a doctoral candidate in the Department of AECL, OSU and now an assistant professor in the School of Human Resource Education & Workforce Development, Louisiana State University (LSU); research associate and co-author. Analyzed data and led an author team with colleagues at the University of Florida in developing a peer-refereed paper supporting the PI's project. Partner Organizations: LSU; Njala University; OSU; the University of Florida; the University of Southern Mississippi; West Texas A&M University Collaborators: Dr. Samba Moriba a lecturer at Njala University, Sierra Leone; co-principal investigator. Dr. James C. Bunch, assistant professor, LSU. Co-planned, -implemented, and -reported on a study supporting the PI's project. Dr. Alexa Lamm, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication (AEC), University of Florida (UF). Co-planned, -implemented, and -reported on a study supporting the PI's project. Dr. Glenn Israel, professor in program development and evaluation, Department of AEC, UF. Co-planned, -implemented, and -reported on a study supporting the PI's project. Dr. D. Dwayne Cartmell II, professor of agricultural communications (AGCM), Department of AECL, OSU; co-author. Dr. J. Shane Robinson, associate professor of agricultural education, Department of AECL, OSU; co-author. Dr. David M. Henneberry, professor of agricultural economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, OSU; co-author. Dr. Shelly Sitton, professor of AGCM, Department of AECL, OSU; co-author. Dr. Cindy Blackwell, associate professor of AGCM, University of Southern Mississippi; co-author. Dr. J. Tanner Robertson, assistant professor of AGCM, West Texas A&M University; co-author. Denise George, former master of science student in AGCM, Department of AECL, OSU; co-author. Training or professional development: Dr. Samba Moriba: formerly a post-doc in the Department of AECL, OSU and now a lecturer at Njala University, Sierra Leone; co-principal investigator and co-author. Dr. James Charles Bunch: formerly a doctoral candidate in the Department of AECL, OSU and now an assistant professor, LSU; research associate and co-author. Dr. Alexa Lamm, an assistant professor in the Department of AEC, UF; co-researcher and co-author. Denise George, former master of science student in agricultural communications, Department of AECL, OSU; co-author. Undergraduate students enrolled in AGED 4713 at OSU. Consumers of the Journal of Agricultural Education and the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education; attendees of the 28th annual conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target Audiences/Efforts: Undergraduate students enrolled in the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University; attendees of the 2012 conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education; consumers of research published in the Journal of Agricultural Education and the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Change in Knowledge: Findings from Samba Moriba's dissertation research, especially regarding the impact of international dimension courses on students attitudes informing their international awareness and global competence, including views on agricultural and natural resources issues, were used to develop the course AGED 4713. Findings from the Bunch et al. study were used as well. Twenty-five undergraduate students, of which 24 were agriculture majors, enrolled for the course during the Spring semester of 2012. Twenty-two students completed the course with 21 of those receiving passing grades, i.e., demonstrating increased awareness and knowledge of international food and agricultural issues as well as improved global competence. Change in Actions: Twenty-one students enrolled in AGED 4713 demonstrated their application of knowledge and learning by successfully completing a variety of course assignments: cross-cultural interaction reports of interviews with international students, including aspects of global agriculture; individual reaction papers on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; paired, oral reactions and dialogues with supporting annotated bibliographies on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; personal growth and development plans for improving students lifelong global competence; and group presentations describing proposals for agricultural development projects in Feed the Future nations, as specified by USAID.

Publications

  • Moriba, S., Edwards, M. C., Robinson, J. S., Cartmell II, D. D., & Henneberry, D. M. (2012). Investigating the international awareness of students meeting their international dimension requirement through course offerings in a college of agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Education, 53(4), 98-111.
  • Moriba, S., & Edwards, M. C. (2012). How globally competent are students who complete an international dimension course at a U.S. college of agriculture Implications for improving the preparation of professionals for careers in agricultural and extension education. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 19(2), 67-69. [Abstract].
  • Edwards, M. C., Sitton, S., George, D., Cartmell II, D. D., Blackwell, C., & Robertson, J. T. (2012). Leveraging an international exchange project to provide an "international experience" for U.S. undergraduate students studying agriculture: Traveling without leaving home. (Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education [AIAEE] 28th Annual Conference, May 21 - 24, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.)


Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities: Taught the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension during Fall semester 2011; 31 undergraduates, of which 30 were agriculture majors. As doctoral dissertation advisor, mentored Samba Moriba to completion of his dissertation research study titled, Investigating the International Awareness and Global Competence of Students Meeting Their International Dimension Requirement through Course Offerings in a College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources: A Descriptive and Comparative Study. Products: Development of syllabus and teaching materials, including a D2L course website with more than 100 downloads and web links, for the course AGED 4713. One of three courses offered for international dimension credit in CASNR at OSU. Course description: This course is designed to enhance students awareness and appreciation of systems, agencies, actors, and other resources that support the agriculture sector and related aspects of food sufficiency around the world, including an understanding of issues, problems, challenges, opportunities, and related career possibilities. Some specific topical aspects of the course will include the root causes of world poverty and hunger; functions of international agencies, government organizations, philanthropic foundations and NGOs in improving the quality of life for people in developing nations; and roles of agricultural education and extension/advisory services in enhancing the effectiveness of development, education, and training programs targeting youth and adults. Aspects of cultural diversity, multiculturalism, and cross-cultural communication and understanding in the context of improving agriculture and food sufficiency will be part of the course as well. Students will also gain awareness of numerous opportunities to participate in other international learning experiences. Course objectives: discuss world poverty and hunger and its root causes; discuss globalization and internationalization as it relates to developing human capital for the agricultural, food, fiber, and natural resources system worldwide; identify and discuss the roles of agencies, governmental organizations, philanthropic foundations and NGOs, and other entities engaged in international agricultural education and extension/advisory service programs; describe the roles of AGED and EAS in enhancing international development, including the improvement of food sufficiency and economic livelihoods, in developing countries; examine critically social, cultural, economic, and political challenges facing the agriculture sectors of developing nations, including special attention to gender issues, sustainable agro-ecological/ecoagriculture practices, health concerns, and population trends; discuss the MDGs and their relationship to agricultural development and improving food sufficiency and economic livelihoods in developing countries; develop a personal growth and development plan describing the student's intent to improve his/her international awareness and global competence congruent with his/her career aspirations; develop an agricultural development proposal for a Feed-the-Future country. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals: Michael Craig Edwards: professor of agricultural education, Department of Agricultural Education, Communications, and Leadership, Oklahoma State University; principal investigator. Samba Moriba: formerly a doctoral candidate and now a post-doc, Department of Agricultural Education, Communications, and Leadership, Oklahoma State University; co-principal investigator. Planned, implemented, and reported on a dissertation research study supporting the larger investigation. James Charles Bunch: formerly a doctoral student and now a doctoral candidate in the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications, and Leadership, Oklahoma State University; research associate. Co-planned, -implemented, and -reported on a study with colleagues at the University of Florida supporting the PI's project. Partner Organizations: Oklahoma State University; the University of Florida. Collaborators: Dr. Steve Damron, professor of animal science, Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University (provided access to study subjects); Dr. Shida Henneberry, professor of agricultural economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University (provided access to study subjects); Dr. Sarah Lancaster, assistant professor of plant sciences, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Oklahoma State University (provided access to study subjects). Dr. Alexa Lamm, formerly a doctoral candidate in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida. Co-planned, -implemented, and -reported on a study supporting the PI's project. Dr. Glenn Israel, professor in program development and evaluation, Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida. Co-planned, -implemented, and -reported on a study supporting the PI's project. Training or professional development: Samba Moriba: formerly a doctoral candidate and now a post-doc in the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications, and Leadership, Oklahoma State University; co-principal investigator. James Charles Bunch: formerly a doctoral student and now a doctoral candidate in the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications, and Leadership, Oklahoma State University; research associate. Dr. Alexa Lamm, formerly a doctoral candidate in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida; now a policy research and evaluation specialist at the National Public Policy Evaluation Center, University of Florida. Undergraduate students enrolled in the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target Audiences/Efforts: Undergraduate students enrolled in the course AGED 4713, International Programs in Agricultural Education and Extension, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Oklahoma State University; attendees of the 2011 conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education; consumers of research published in the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Change in Knowledge: Preliminary data from Samba Moriba's dissertation research, especially regarding the impact of international dimension courses on students' attitudes informing their international awareness and global competence, including views on agricultural and natural resources issues, were used to develop the course AGED 4713. Findings from the Bunch et al. study were used as well. Thirty-five undergraduate students, of which 34 were agriculture majors, enrolled for the course initially. Thirty-one students completed the course with 29 of those receiving passing grades, i.e., demonstrating increased awareness and knowledge of international food and agricultural issues as well as improved global competence. Change in Actions: Twenty-nine students enrolled in AGED 4713 demonstrated their application of knowledge and learning by successfully completing a variety of course assignments: cross-cultural interaction reports of interviews with international students, including aspects of global agriculture; individual reaction papers on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; paired, oral reactions and dialogues with supporting annotated bibliographies on course topics featuring international agriculture and its development; personal growth and development plans for improving students lifelong global competence; and group presentations describing proposals for agricultural development projects in Feed-the-Future nations.

Publications

  • Bunch, J.C., Lamm, A.J., Israel, G.D., and Edwards, M.C. (2011). Examining the barriers and motivations influencing undergraduate students' choices to participate in international experiences: A comparison of two universities. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 18(2), 68 (abstract).
  • Moriba, S., and Edwards, M.C. (2011). Investigating the international awareness of students meeting their international dimension requirement through course offerings in the college of agriculture at Oklahoma State University. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 18(2), 67-68 (abstract).
  • Moriba, S. (2011). Investigating the international awareness and global competence of students meeting their international dimension requirement through course offerings in a college of agricultural sciences and natural resources: A descriptive and comparative study (doctoral dissertation). Oklahoma State University, Stillwater (M.C. Edwards, dissertation advisor).
  • Bunch, J.C., Lamm, A.J., Israel, G.D, and Edwards, M.C. (2011). Examining the barriers and motivations influencing undergraduate students' choices to participate in international experiences: A comparison of two universities. Electronic conference proceedings (abstract), Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, Windhoek, Namibia, July 2011.
  • Moriba, S., and Edwards, M.C. (2011). Investigating the international awareness of students meeting their international dimension requirement through course offerings in the college of agriculture at Oklahoma State University. Electronic conference proceedings (abstract), Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, Windhoek, Namibia, July 2011.