Recipient Organization
PALAU COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ERNGUUL HIGHWAY
MEDALAII HAMLET,PW null
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The current issue faced in the Republic of Palau and the the rest of the Micronesian region is the lack of professionals and technicians in the field of Agriculture and related sciences. Many of our students are first generation college students, as they are the first in their families to go to college. Due to the poor economic conditions of the islands and the cultural value of taking care of the extended family, many of their parents opted to go into the workforce right after high school in order to make ends meet. A good number of these students' parents did not even finish high school due to familial/customary obligations. There is a strong and prevailing cultural belief that it is the children's responsibilities to take care of parents, younger siblings, and the extended family. Familial/customary obligations are still a priority to the island way of life. Consequently, students come from homes that lack guidance and support for higher education.For the incoming college students, a majority are under-prepared as preparation for post secondary education received in high schools throughout Micronesia is poor. The public high schools from which a majority of our students come from are academically weak. A huge number of incoming students are not academically prepared to handle college level course(s). Most of these students are placed in basic developmental/remedial courses (English and Math). English is a second language for nearly all PCC students and even a third language for some. This in itself creates barriers for students in the classrooms, as the mode of instruction at PCC is English.Provided or given the unique circumstances of our student population it is no wonder that critical effort/support is needed to raise awareness to the importance and value of obtaining a college degree and providing needed support to retain and graduate students. Furthermore, a majority of students that do enroll at PCC are choosing to go into Office Administration or related fields, as it is considered ideal to work in an office setting. Agriculture Science is not a popular choice of major for our incoming students as they lack knowledge about agriculture and related science professions.Project activities include recruitment efforts, engaging students in their academic pathways by providing support to include peer mentoring; tutoring; workstudy practicum; internships and scholarships, and sponsoring STEM Fair and related activities to raise the level of awareness about Agriculture Science and related fields. The overall project goal is to increase the enrollment, retention and graduation rate of Agriculture Science students. This will ultimately have a positive impact in the increase of professionals and technicians in Agriculture Science and related fields in the Republic of Palau, and the Micronesian Region.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The overall proposed project goal is to increase enrollment, retention and graduation rate of Agriculture Science students. Performance objectives were developed to assess the degree to which the project activities are producing positive results that will enable the achievement of the overall project goal. The performance objectives are as follows:5% of incoming full time students will select Agriculture Science as a major each academic year. To achieve this objective, active recruitment of Agriculture Science students to include presentations and dissemination of information brochures to all seniors from the 6 local high schools on an annual basis, in the month of January; and during New Student Orientations every semester, during the months of August, January, and June on campus. The effort is to inform and raise awareness about the field of Agriculture Science and related disciplines so incoming students can be aware about the various career opportunities and benefits in these fields.70% of all Agriculture Science students will maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.00 and above. To achieve this objective, Agriculture Science students with CGPA's of 2.00 and below will be monitored by instructors and provided peer mentoring. Agriculture Science students with 3.00 CGPA's will serve as peer mentors through work study practicum, and do weekly follow ups on mentees. Tutoring assistance as needed will be provided by the Learning Resource Center. Semester meetings will be conducted with students to inform them about the importance and benefits of maintaining good academic standing (CGPA of 2.00 and above).70% of Agriculture Science students will be retained each academic year. To achieve this objective, needed instructional and laboratory supplies and materials will be acquired to ensure effective instruction and learning. CariPac summer internships; work study practicum; academic support/enrichment activities (peer mentoring; tutoring; participation in STEM and related events on and off campus); and scholarship opportunities will be provided to engage students in their academic pathway.70% of Agriculture Science students scheduled to graduate each academic year will graduate. Achieving this objective requires active monitoring of students academic progress and providing peer mentoring and needed tutorial support as mentioned previously, so they can pass their classes each semester, and graduate within the expected time frame of 2 to 3 years.
Project Methods
Recruitment of Agriculture Science students will include presentations and dissemination of information brochures during scheduled institutional recruitment to all 6 local high schools on an annual basis, in the month of January; and during New Student Orientations every semester, during the months of August, January, and June on campus. The effort is to inform and raise awareness about the field of Agriculture Science and related disciplines so incoming students can be aware about the various career opportunities and benefits in these fields.Agriculture Science students with CGPA's of 2.00 and below will be monitored by faculty and participate in peer mentoring. Agriculture Science students with 3.00 CGPA's will serve as peer mentors through work study practicum, and do weekly follow ups on mentees. The Learning Resource Center will provide needed tutoring. Semester meetings will be conducted with students to inform them about the importance and benefits of maintaining good academic standing.To ensure effective and quality instruction and learning, instructional and laboratory supplies and materials will be acquired and Agriculture Science Faculty will be provided opportunities for professional development. In addition, a portion of the Agriculture Science Faculty salary will be supported by the grant.To engage students in their academic pathway, CariPac summer internships; work study practicums; academic support/enrichment activities (peer mentoring; tutoring; information workshops; participation in AG amd STEM and related events on and off campus); and scholarship opportunities will be provided.To engage and reach out to K-12 and the local community, we will partner with the Ministry of Education in sponsoring an annual STEM Fair in the month of March. Participants include all local schools from K-12 to compete by developing, and showcasing projects that are STEM related. We will also partner with other government and private agencies in the annual Earth Day week long activities in the month of April, that promote the conservation of land, water and air. Activities include Best Management Practices in Agriculture and Coastal Cleanup among others. We will also participate in PCC's annual Career and Technical Education Week in March, with participation from K-12, and the local community to showcase the college's programs of study.The Project Director will meet with the Co-Project Director on a monthly basis to go over the activity timetable. At these meetings, any problems encountered will be discussed and needed adjustments will be made. Documentation for instructional and laboratory materials and supplies would include requisitions and invoices. For Agriculture Science and STEM faculty professional development, documents would include travel documentation and trip report. For CariPac summer internship(s), documents would include travel documentation and a student internship report. Work study practicum and sophomore internship documentation includes contracts and time sheets. Documentation for recruitment of students includes Agriculture Science Program and DEG brochures distributed during high school recruitment activities and record of participation in the New Student Orientations. Academic support/enrichment activities documentation includes, peer mentoring, tutoring and workshop records and activities/events sign in sheets and evaluations. Documentation for scholarships includes copies of academic transcripts and scholarship checks.To assess this project we will be looking at the number of students enrolling in the Agriculture Science Program, including the numbers for agriculture students maintaining a CGPA of 2.00 and above; students persisting from one academic year to the next; and students graduating with an Associate Degree or Associate of Applied Science. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the project activities in meeting the overall project impact will be measured against the four (4) performance objectives. More specifically, we will ask ourselves the following questions:Have 5% of incoming full time students selected Agriculture Science as a major each academic year?Have 70% of all Agriculture Science students maintained a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.00 and above each academic year?Have 70% of Agriculture Science students been retained each academic year?Have 70% of Agriculture Science students scheduled to graduate each academic year graduated?All of the above questions have a definite "yes" or "no" answer, and easily determined by calculating the appropriate percentages in each case. Once we determine the answer to each of the above questions, we can effectively evaluate the degree to which we have achieved the overall project goal with Agriculture Science students, and determine if any change and/or adjustment are needed.An outside evaluator has also been identified, a Mr. James R. Hollyer an Associate Director for Cooperative Extension & Associate Dean and Associate Director for Sea Grant, College of Natural & Applied Sciences, University of Guam. Mr. Hollyer's professional synopsis include Resource and agricultural economist, and program leader with 30 years of experience in agricultural business and infrastructure development, resource valuation, farm food safety coaching, and people and project leadership. Skills include research, instruction, group and project facilitation, computer software, staff leadership, project development and management, and evaluation of domestic and international projects. Mr. Hollyer holds an M.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics: Natural Resource Economics from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii. An outside evaluator will ensure a non biased evaluation of project activities and outcomes. Additionally, he can make sound recommendations to improve the project.