Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience is composed of the student population at Penn State University. There are currently 25 students from six graduate programsenrolled in the INTAD dual-title degree program. Participating Programs The INTAD program started with justfour participating programs: Entomology, Rural Sociology, Agricultural & Extension Education and Agricultural, Resource and Environmental Economics. Two additional programs have been added, opening the opportunity to a wider audience of potential students: Soil Science andPlant Pathology. Several programs within the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences have expressed an interest in joining INTAD: Agronomy, Horticulture, Animal Sciences, Forestry and Agricultural & Biological Engineering. Two additional programs outside the college have also recognized the benefit of this type of programming for their students: Geography and Anthropology. The essence of this is that the more programs that offer the INTAD dual-title degree program to their students, the more potential that there is for students to participate. Coursework One new course has been created under the INTAD designation: INTAD 820. This is an embedded course created byINTAD faculty, which is one of the core courses and required of all INTAD students at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels.INTAD 820is taught each spring by an affiliated INTAD faculty member and addresses the primary learning objectives of the INTAD dual-title. It is one of few courses with an international travel component available to graduate students within the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State and provides an important opportunity for students to expand their international portfolios. Over the years, INTAD 820 course participants and faculty have travelled together to South Africa, Russia, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nicaragua. During the travel component, students typically meet with universities and students of agriculture in those countries, nonprofit organizations, government and aid organizations, and private entities, with variations in course activities each year. In addition to the creation of the INTAD 820 course, there is a continuing effort to globalize existing coursework and to identify existing coursework that aligns with the goals of theINTADprogram. International Research Opportunities As part of the INTAD dual-title degree program students are required to have an international dimensionof the thesis or dissertation. To date, INTAD students have conducted research in 18 countries. Because of the support of the USDA-HEC grant supporting certain programmatic initiatives, we were able to find matching internal funding to create an INTAD Competitive Grants Program. This program gives students a small amount of seed funding to initiate the international research component. Many students have been able to use this seed funding to conduct a scoping visit, and then create a successful proposal for external researchfunding. Professional Development The INTAD dual-title program offers students professional development opportunities through access to information about careers and jobs, as well as to important networking opportunities related to the field. INTAD students are signed up for a special jobs listserv created to disperse information about relevant jobs, volunteer positions, and internships in the field. Additionally, a jobs database was created and posted to the INTAD website, to inform INTAD students and others about the wide range of career and job opportunities available in the area of international agriculture and development. Networking opportunities are also vital to students learning about different organizations and creating professional networks of contacts. Because of the support of the USDA-HEC grant supporting certain programmatic initiatives, we were able to find matching internal funding to provide students with partial scholarships to attend events such as the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue, participate in the Future Leaders Forum at the annual meeting of theAssociation of International Agriculture and Rural Development, and several other events. Changes/Problems:The original PI of this grant took a job at another university, at which time the PI-ship of this grant was passed to a colleague. During that time, no progress reports were filed on the grant. The PI-ship was finally passed to another INTAD faculty member in order to file this final report. While there has been inconsistency in the reporting process, there has been absolutely no inconsistency with the administration of the grant funds and the systematic development of the INTAD program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The INTAD dual-title program offers students professional development opportunities through access to information about careers and jobs, as well as to important networking opportunities related to the field. INTAD students are signed up for a special jobs listserv created to disperse information about relevant jobs, volunteer positions, and internships in the field. Additionally, a jobs database was created and posted to the INTAD website, to inform INTAD students and others about the wide range of career and job opportunities available in the area of international agriculture and development. Networking opportunities are also vital to students learning about different organizations and creating professional networks of contacts. Because of the support of the USDA-HEC grant supporting certain programmatic initiatives, we were able to find matching internal funding to provide students with partial scholarships to attend events such as the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue, participate in the Future Leaders Forum at the annual meeting of theAssociation of International Agriculture and Rural Development, and several other events. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The creation of the very unique and innovative INTAD program is a source of great pride for the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. Results have been disseminated through several channels, first by sending students as student ambassadors to a variety of events pertinent to international agriculture and development (see above). Second, INTAD faculty and students have given presentations about the INTAD program at several professional conference including the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA), and the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development (AIARD). Finally, a peer-reviewed paper was submitted to the Journal of Agricultural & Extension Education (JIAEE). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objectives Objective 1: Develop a new curriculum, compised ofexisting courses and new courses with international content Course requirements for the INTAD program comprise a minimum of fifteen credits of core and elective courses in addition to the requirements of the primary degree program. The core courses are those that are deemed to be central to the goals of the INTAD program and vary between the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Electives are courses which meet at least two of the five INTAD learning objectives and come from a broad array of fields of study; the majority of these courses are relevant existing courses from various departments throughout the university (Table 1). However, if a course is not currently an approved elective, students have the option to petition the INTAD Academic Program Committee to allow the course to be considered an elective. Students have continued to be involved in the development of INTAD curriculum in this way, and two students have even taken the initiative to develop a relevant seminar that would address the learning objectives of both INTAD and their primary degree. Objective 2: Create an overseas learning opportunity for graduate students in the program INTAD faculty created an embedded graduate course, INTAD 820, which is one of the core courses and required of all INTAD students at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels. International Agriculture and Development (INTAD 820) is taught each spring by an affiliated INTAD faculty member and addresses the primary learning objectives of the INTAD dual-title. It is one of few courses with an international travel component available to graduate students within the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, and the travel component is subsidized through the Office of International Programs. The subsidy keeps fees for students to a minimum, while providing an important opportunity for students to expand their international portfolios. Over the course of the semester, students work in small groups to generate a mock research project focused on the country to which they will travel during Spring Break. The process includes the development of a research proposal in response to a request for applications (RFA) adapted from actual RFAs released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other organizations from whom students may expect to apply for funding later in their careers. Experienced INTAD faculty members contribute to the course by sharing experiences, perspectives and research, address skills associated with research proposal development, and serve as a review panel for the research proposal assignment. The research proposal provides a unique opportunity for students to gain valuable experience in cross-disciplinary interaction. Students enrolled in the course reflect the graduate programs that participate in the INTAD dual-title, creating a unique opportunity for students to collaborate closely with peers outside of their home programs. During the research proposal process, students work in small groups with students from other disciplines. Because of the different epistemologies governing the fields within the College of Agricultural Sciences, students have frequently noted the challenges associated with working across disciplinary lines. Feedback from students provides evidence that the requirement to communicate and compromise across disciplines is a valuable practice as students move forward in their careers. Over the years, INTAD 820 course participants and faculty have travelled together to South Africa, Russia, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nicaragua. During the travel component, students typically meet with universities and students of agriculture in those countries, nonprofit organizations, government and aid organizations, and private entities, with variations in course activities each year. Objective 3: Market and recruit students into the program There are currently 25 students from six graduate programsenrolled in the INTAD dual-title degree program. The INTAD program started with justfour participating programs: Entomology, Rural Sociology, Agricultural & Extension Education and Agricultural, Resource and Environmental Economics. Two additional programs have been added, opening the opportunity to a wider audience of potential students: Soil Science andPlant Pathology. Several programs within the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences have expressed an interest in joining INTAD: Agronomy, Horticulture, Animal Sciences, Forestry and Agricultural & Biological Engineering. Two additional programs outside the college have also recognized the benefit of this type of programming for their students: Geography and Anthropology. The essence of this is that the more programs that offer the INTAD dual-title degree program to their students, the more potential that there is for students to participate. Objective 4: Develop databases of job opportunities and alumni networks A career opportunities database was created and is maintained on the INTAD website for INTAD students and others to learn more about career opportunities in international agriculture and development. A LinkedIN group was created in order to create an alumni network among INTAD students and graduates. The INTAD program also connects with INTAD students and alumni through social media.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Miller Foster, M.J., & Rivers, A. (submitted). International Agriculture and Development: A Dual-Title Graduate Degree at Penn State University. Journal of International Agriculture & Extension Education.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Rivers, A., & Miller Foster, M.J. (2015). Penn State's International Agriculture and Development Dual-Title Program: Building Interdisciplinary Networks and Training Professionals of the Future. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development, Washington D.C.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Miller Foster, M. J., Gill, T. & Foster, D. D. (2013, June). Crossing International and Disciplinary Borders in Graduate Education. Abstract for oral presentation at the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture annual conference at Blacksburg, VA.
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Major outputs include: Created INTAD website Developed application process Created steering committee - Academic Program Committee Held six student recruiting events Presented 8 times to faculty in individual departments - two departments are currently working on proposals to join the INTAD program, two additional departments are interested in submitting proposals INTAD 820 class traveled to South Africa (2011) INTAD 820 class traveled to Russia (2012) Hosted group of Russian agricultural graduate students PARTICIPANTS: Individuals: An interdisciplinary team of three instructors (agriculture, community development, sociology) were selected to lead INTAD 820 (International Agriculture capstone). Also included were a wide range of subject matter experts and guest speakers (20 in total) representing a host of topics related to the course and subsequent student travel opportunities. Current PSU grant administrators actively recruited students and new departments to join the INTAD program. Collaborators and contacts: Through the INTAD program formal relationships and partnerships were established in South Africa and Russia. Both resulted in site visits and comparative research by PSU students in 2011 and 2012. In 2012 PSU hosted a delegation of Russian graduate students to conduct similar comparative research. Within PSU several new academic units are preparing to formally join the INTAD program (both within the College of Agriculture and from other colleges). TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences: This year we enrolled 8 graduate students in the INTAD program: 5 are women, 1 is international and 2 minority/underserved audiences. Equally important, we are increasingly enrolling students that might not otherwise be involved in international work at the graduate level. These include specialized majors that often do not have an international component, or programs which historically had limited international placements. Efforts: The innovative INTAD 820 course has become increasingly popular and is showing significant impacts on the students and faculty involved. The ability to provide a transdisciplinary research and program development experience is serving all involved well. As a result of the course success, INTAD students were offered tag-along funds (PSU supported, unrelated to this USDA funding) to shadow faculty as they researched, networked and conducted extension projects abroad. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
INTAD mini-grant competition held Spring of 2012 to support INTAD student research (college funded, not grant funded). Winners: Laura Sankey, Dan Tobin, Sulav Paudel, Kristal Jones Food Security Borlaug Scholars: Dan Tobin, Ariel Rivers AIARD Future Leader: Ariel Rivers Research paper published from South Africa student trip (Tobin, Bruening, Brennan and Olson).
Publications
- Tobin, D., Bruening, T., Brennan, M., & Olson, B. (2012). Agricultural Extension and Market-Led Agrarian Reform: Findings from an Exploratory Case Study in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, 19(2).
- Miller-Foster, Melanie. (2012). International Agriculture and Development: A New Dual-Title Degree Program at Penn State. Paper persented at the North American Colleges & Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) conference.
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