Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:During the period of September 1, 2020to June 15, 2021, a total of 60 students attending the Northern Marianas College (NMC) during Fall 2020and Spring 2021semesters registered in Food and Agriculture science courses created through the USDA NIFA DEG. A total of 35students were enrolled in Food Science (BI117) and 25students were enrolled in Agriculture Science (BI106) for Fall 2020and Spring 2021semesters. Through the creation of food and agriculture science courses a total of 166students attending the Northern Marianas College (NMC) during Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 semesters have been targeted. A total of 106NMC students have enrolled in BI117 and 60students have enrolled in BI106 over the last 6semesters (Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 semester). The success rate for students enrolled in BI117 over the past 6semesters (Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 semester) has been 78% (with a total of 83out of 106students receiving a letter grade of "C" or better in the course). The success rate for students enrolled in BI106 over the past 5semesters (Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 semester) has been 77% (with a total of 46out of 60students receiving a letter grade of "C" or better in the course). Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?DLE Coordinator travelled to Tinian and Rota in August 2018 and August 2019 to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center Team and NMC Rota Center Team. The training was conducted to ensure that Tinian and Rota NMC students who have not taken any online courses in the past at NMC were prepared for their online orientation and online courses in Fall 2018 and Fall 2019 semester. The students were provided information on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC ONLINE (MOODLE). In addition, the DLE Coordinator also provided detailed information about the two online courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. Although travel over the last year to Rota and Tinian to conduct pre-online orientation has been challengingdue to the COVID19 pandemic, studentsfrom Rota and Tinian enrolled in BI106 and BI117 for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semester were able to participate in NMCOnline (MOODLE) orientation and also the New and Readmitted New Student Online orientation to help prepare them fortheir online courses.The DLE Coordinator provided training to all Instructors in the use of NMC Online (MOODLE) for their courses. One-to-one training was conducted by William Hunter, Coordinator, Distance Learning Education (DLE) to Denise Myers, Solly Takai, Dr. Virendra Verma, and Dr. Donald Rayome. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. Development of course guides for two food and agriculture science courses. Update: Course guides were developed for two food and agriculture science courses at NMC. The two course guides developed were Food Science (BI117) and Agriculture Science (BI106). Denise Myers assisted in the development of BI117, while Dr. Donald Rayome assisted in the development of BI106. BI117 was approved by NMC Academic Council in April 2018, and BI106 was approved by NMC Academic Council in March 2018. Objective 2. Placement and availability of newly created food and agriculture science courses on class schedule and NMC Online for two years, beginning Fall 2018 (Semester). Update: Both approved courses (BI117 and BI106) were placed on Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semester class schedules. In addition, with approval of "no cost extension" both courses were placed on the Fall 2020 andSpring 2021 semester class schedule. The objective of placing food and agriculture science courses for 2 years was exceeded with the additional 1year (due to approved no cost extension). Although funding for both BI106 and BI117 under USDA NIFA DEG ended in Spring 2021 semester, both BI106 and BI117 were on the class schedule for Fall 2021 semester. Objective 3: Recruitment and training of food and agriculture science Instructors for newly developed food and agriculture science online courses. Update: The initial Instructor recruited for BI117 was Denise Myers. Denise Myers continued as Instructor for BI117 during Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semester. The Instructor identified to teach BI106 during Fall 2018 had to return to the U.S. Mainland due to family obligations. With short notice it was difficult to recruit and train a new Instructor for BI106 for Fall 2018. The Instructor recruited to teach BI106 during Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 semester was Solly Takai. In Spring 2020, Dr. Virendra Verma was recruited to teach BI106. The Instructor for BI106 and BI117 for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesterwas Dr. Virendra Verma. All Instructors were trained to use NMC Online (MOODLE) for their courses. Since Fall 2018, both BI106 and BI117 have been housed in NMC Online (MOODLE). One-to-one training (in the use of NMC Online-MOODLE) was conducted by William Hunter, Coordinator, Distance Learning Education to all Instructors. Objective 4: Development of food and agriculture science credit courses online, utilizing existing Distance Learning Education (DLE) resources and existing Learning Management System (LMS) at NMC. Update: Denise Myers developed the online course BI117 using the existing LMS at NMC. Additionally, Solly Takai developed the online course BI106 using the existing LMS at NMC. Both Denise Myers and Solly Takai received assistance and guidance from William Hunter, DLE Coordinator in the creation of course templates on the existing LMS, also recognized as NMC Online (MOODLE). Additionally, Dr. Virendra Verma who taughtboth BI106 and BI117 forFall 2020 and Spring 2021 semester continuedto use NMC Online (MOODLE) as the platform for both courses. Objective 5: Procurement and distribution of laptops to carry out the successful delivery of online food and agriculture science courses. Update: 6 laptops were procured for the USDA NIFA DEG program and delivered by the end of September 2018. The 6 laptops distributed as outlined by the grant. Three laptops were issued to the SMHA Department for Instructor use, 1 laptop was issued to NMC Tinian Center to be used by NMC Tinian Center staff to assist NMC students taking online courses, 1 laptop was given to the NMC Rota Center to be used by NMC Rota Center staff to assist NMC students taking online courses, and the remaining laptop is currently being used by the NMC DLE office for training and assistance to NMC online Instructors and Students. Objective 6: Procurement of Lab Kits to distribute to students registered and enrolled in an online food and agriculture science course, which will give students the ability to perform investigations at home and at their own time. Update: Lab kits for the Food Science (BI117) course wereinitially developed by Denise Myers for Fall 2018 through Spring 2020 semester. Additionally, Dr. Virendra Verma developed lab kits for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semester. The lab kits were provided to the students registered for BI117. A total of 106NMC students registered for BI117 during the Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021semesters. With their lab kit, each student was able to conduct independent investigations at home and at their own time. To supplement each students' lab kit, fresh vegetables and fruits were alsoprovided to students throughout the semester to use for investigations. For students in Rota and Tinian enrolled in BI117, these items were shipped from Saipan to Rota and Tinian and distributed through the assistance of the NMC Rota Center and NMC Tinian Center. Objective 7: Procurement of course materials including Instructor textbook and supplements for food and agriculture science online courses. Update: Both courses utilizedtextbooks from Cengage publishing. The textbook being used by BI117 is titled Introduction to Food Science and Food Systems by Rick Parker and Dr. Miriah Pace. The textbook being used for BI106 is titled The Science of Animal Agriculture, by Ray V. Herren. Both textbooks (ebooks)were ordered and made available to students by the NMC Bookstore. Objective 8: Provide greater reach and instructional support to online students in Rota and Tinian by training staff from the NMC Rota and Tinian Site. Update: DLE Coordinator travelled to Tinian and Rota in August 2018 and August 2019 to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center Team and NMC Rota Center Team. The training was conducted to ensure that Tinian and Rota NMC students who have not taken any online courses in the past at NMC were prepared for their online orientation and online courses in Fall 2018 and Fall 2019. The students were provided information on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC ONLINE (MOODLE). In addition, the DLE Coordinator also provided detailed information about the two online courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. Although grant funding ended Spring 2021 semester, the two courses, Food Science (BI117) and Agriculture Science (BI106) continue to be offered at NMC. Although travel over the last year to Rota and Tinian to conduct pre-online orientation has been challengingdue to the COVID19 pandemic, students from Rota and Tinian were able to participate in NMC Online (MOODLE) orientation and also the New and Readmitted New Student Online orientation to help prepare them for their online courses inFall 2020 and Spring 2021 semester. Objective 9: Provide resources for professional development, specifically access to online resources which will provide expert guidance, professional development, and resources to help the Instructors excel in online learning. Update: Online subscriptions to both Magna Commons and Online Learning Consortium were renewed in January 2019 to assist the DLE Coordinator and the entire Instructors and Staff at NMC. A total of 21 NMC Staff and Faculty registered for Magna Commons under the Institution Subscription.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:During the period of September 1, 2019 to June 15, 2020, atotal of 50students attending the Northern Marianas College(NMC) during Fall 2019and Spring 2020semestersregistered in Food and Agriculture science courses created through the USDA NIFA DEG. A total of 33 students were enrolled in Food Science (BI117) and 17 students were enrolled in Agriculture Science (BI106) for Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters. Through the creation of food and agriculture science courses a total of 106students attending the Northern Marianas College (NMC) during Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semesters have been targeted. A total of 71NMC students have enrolled in BI117 and 35 students have enrolled in BI106 over the last 4 semesters (Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semester).The success rate for students enrolled in BI117over the past 4 semesters (Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semesters) has been 72% (with a total of 51 out of 71 students receiving a letter grade of "C" or better in the course). The success rate for students enrolled in BI106over the past 3 semesters (Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semesters) has been 74% (with a total of 26 out of 35 students receiving a letter grade of "C" or better in the course).Additionally, With the approved "no cost extension" an additional 8students are currently enrolled in Agriculture Science (BI106) and a total of 16students are enrolled in Food Science (BI117) this Fall 2020 semester. Changes/Problems:With the recent approval of a"no cost extension", NMC is able to offer BI106 and BI117this Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesterandkeep the door open and extend the opportunity to an additional 80 NMC students to register for Food and Agriculture Science credit courses. This providesan excellent opportunity for NMC to continue moving forward with the projects main objective of offering NMC students the option to enroll in online food and agriculture science courses while achieving college credit. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?DLE Coordinator travelled to Tinian and Rota in August 2018 and August 2019 to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center Team and NMC Rota Center Team. The training was conducted to ensure that Tinian and Rota NMC students who have not taken any online courses in the past at NMC were prepared for their online orientation and online courses in Fall 2018 and Fall 2019. The students were provided information on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC ONLINE (MOODLE). In addition, the DLE Coordinator also provided detailed information about the two online courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, Food Science (BI117) and Agriculture Science (BI106) will be offered until Spring 2021. Although travel to Rota and Tinian to conduct pre-online orientation was difficult due to the COVID19 pandemic this August 2020, students from Rota and Tinian were able to participate in NMC Online (MOODLE) orientation and also the New and Readmitted New Student Online orientation to help prepare them for their online courses this Fall 2020 semester. The DLE Coordinator provided training to all Instructors in the use of NMC Online (MOODLE) for their courses. One-to-one training was conducted by William Hunter, Coordinator, Distance Learning Education (DLE) to Denise Myers, Solly Takai, Dr. Virendra Verma, and Dr. Donald Rayome. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?NMC Tinian and Rota students do not have the same options as NMC Saipan students. They are required to take the majority of their college credit courses through online. The USDA NIFA DEG program has opened the door for NMC Tinian and Rota students to now have the option to also take a fully online science course from NMC. The DLE Coordinator provided detailed information to NMC Tinian and Rota students about the two online food and agriculture science courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, BI117-Food Science and BI106-Agriculture Science are the first fully online science courses at NMC and will be offered until Spring 2021. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?BI117 and BI106 have been on the class schedule for Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semesters as plannned. With the recent "no cost extension" approval, NMC is able to keep the door open and extend the opportunity to an additional 80 NMC students to register for BI106 and BI117 during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. Development of course guides for two food and agriculture science courses. Update: Course guides were developed for two food and agriculture science courses at NMC. The two course guides developed were Food Science (BI117) and Agriculture Science (BI106). Denise Myers assisted in the development of BI117, while Dr. Donald Rayome assisted in the development of BI106. BI117 was approved by NMC Academic Council in April 2018, and BI106 was approved by NMC Academic Council in March 2018. Objective 2. Placement and availability of newly created food and agriculture science courses on class schedule and NMC Online for two years, beginning Fall 2018 (Semester). Update: Both approved courses (BI117 and BI106) were placed on Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semester class schedules. In addition, with approval of "no cost extension" both courses were place on the Fall 2020 Semester class schedule and are slated to be placed on class schedule for Spring 2021. Objective 3: Recruitment and training of food and agriculture science Instructors for newly developed food and agriculture science online courses. Update: The initial Instructor recruited for BI117 was Denise Myers. Denise Myers continued as Instructor for BI117 during Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semester. The Instructor identified to teach BI106 during Fall 2018 had to return to the U.S. Mainland due to family obligations. With short notice it was difficult to recruit and train a new Instructor for BI106 for Fall 2018. The Instructor recruited to teach BI106 during Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 semester was Solly Takai. In Spring 2020, Dr. Virendra Verma was recruited to teach BI106. The Instructor for BI106 and BI117 for Fall 2020 is Dr. Virendra Verma. All Instructors were trained to use NMC Online (MOODLE) for their courses. Since Fall 2018, both BI106 and BI117 have been housed in NMC Online (MOODLE). One-to-one training (in the use of NMC Online-MOODLE) was conducted by William Hunter, Coordinator, Distance Learning Education to all Instructors. Objective 4: Development of food and agriculture science credit courses online, utilizing existing Distance Learning Education (DLE) resources and existing Learning Management System (LMS) at NMC. Update: Denise Myers developed the online course BI117 using the existing LMS at NMC. Additionally, Solly Takai developed the online course BI106 using the existing LMS at NMC. Both Denise Myers and Solly Takai received assistance and guidance from William Hunter, DLE Coordinator in the creation of course templates on the existing LMS, also recognized as NMC Online (MOODLE). Additionally, Dr. Virendra Verma who is teaching both BI106 and BI117 this Fall 2020 semester continues to use NMC Online (MOODLE) as the platform for both courses. Objective 5: Procurement and distribution of laptops to carry out the successful delivery of online food and agriculture science courses. Update: 6 laptops were procured for the USDA NIFA DEG program and delivered by the end of September 2018. The 6 laptops were distributed as outlined by the grant. Three laptops were issued to the SMHA Department for Instructor use, 1 laptop was issued to NMC Tinian Center to be used by NMC Tinian Center staff to assist NMC students taking online courses, 1 laptop was given to the NMC Rota Center to be used by NMC Rota Center staff to assist NMC students taking online courses, and the remaining laptop is currently being used by the NMC DLE office for training and assistance to NMC online Instructors and Students. Objective 6: Procurement of Lab Kits to distribute to students registered and enrolled in an online food and agriculture science course, which will give students the ability to perform investigations at home and at their own time. Update: Lab kits for the Food Science (BI117) course have been developed by the Instructor Denise Myers. The lab kits are provided to the students registered for BI117. A total of 71 NMC students have registered for BI117 during the Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semesters. With their lab kit, each student is able to conduct independent investigations at home and at their own time. To supplement each students' lab kit, fresh vegetables and fruits are provided to students throughout the semester to use for investigations. For students in Rota and Tinian enrolled in BI117, these items are shipped from Saipan to Rota and Tinian and distributed through the assistance of the NMC Rota Center and NMC Tinian Center. Objective 7: Procurement of course materials including Instructor textbook and supplements for food and agriculture science online courses. Update: Both courses are utilizing textbooks from Cengage publishing. The textbook being used by BI117 is titled Introduction to Food Science and Food Systems by Rick Parker and Dr. Miriah Pace. The textbook being used for BI106 is titled The Science of Animal Agriculture, by Ray V. Herren. Both textbooks are ordered and made available to students by the NMC Bookstore. Objective 8: Provide greater reach and instructional support to online students in Rota and Tinian by training staff from the NMC Rota and Tinian Site. Update: DLE Coordinator travelled to Tinian and Rota in August 2018 and August 2019 to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center Team and NMC Rota Center Team. The training was conducted to ensure that Tinian and Rota NMC students who have not taken any online courses in the past at NMC were prepared for their online orientation and online courses in Fall 2018 and Fall 2019. The students were provided information on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC ONLINE (MOODLE). In addition, the DLE Coordinator also provided detailed information about the two online courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, Food Science (BI117) and Agriculture Science (BI106) will be offered until Spring 2021. Although travel to Rota and Tinian to conduct pre-online orientation was difficult due to the COVID19 pandemic this August 2020, students from Rota and Tinian were able to participate in NMC Online (MOODLE) orientation and also the New and Readmitted New Student Online orientation to help prepare them for their online courses this Fall 2020 semester. Objective 9: Provide resources for professional development, specifically access to online resources which will provide expert guidance, professional development, and resources to help the Instructors excel in online learning. Update: Online subscriptions to both Magna Commons and Online Learning Consortium were renewed in January 2019 to assist the DLE Coordinator and the entire Instructors and Staff at NMC. A total of 21 NMC Staff and Faculty registered for Magna Commons under the Institution Subscription.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Through the creation of food and agriculture science courses a total of 82students attending the Northern Marianas College (NMC) during Fall 2018, Spring 2019 and Fall 2019semesters have been targeted. This Fall 2019, thereare currently 18students enrolled for Food Science (BI117-ON01), and 8 students enrolled Agriculture Science (BI106-ON01). Bothcourses commenced on August 26, 2019. The Instructorfor BI117-ON01is Denise Myers, a full-time faculty member of the NMC Science, Math, Health, and Athletics (SMHA) department. BI106-ON01 is being taught by an Adjunct-Faculty member, Solly Takai, who is currently afull-time employee with NMC CREES. In addition, outreach was extended during August 2019 to assist students on the Islands of Rota and Tinian to help prepare them for their online courses at NMC. A total of 19students on Tinian and Rota learned more about the upcoming BI106 (Agriculture Science) and BI117 (Food Science) online courses offered at NMC. A total of 13students attended a pre-online orientation information session on Tinian and a total of 6students attended pre-online orientation information session on Rota. Additionally, the online professional development resources provided through grant funding reached a total of 21 Staff and Faculty.Furthermore, a total of 6 laptops were procured and distributed as specified under the grant to the Food and Agriculture Science Instructors, SMHA Department, Rota Center, Tinian Center, and Distance Learning Education Coordinator. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?DLE Coordinator travelled to Tinian and Rota in August 2018 and August 2019 to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center Team and NMC Rota Center Team. In August 2018, DLE Coordinator Travelled to Tinian and Rota to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center team and NMC Rota Center Team. Additionally, DLE Coordinator also provided information and instruction on the available Professional Development and Learning online resources (available to NMC Staff, Faculty, and Administration). Furthermore, assistance was provided to 9 Tinian students and 10 Rota students who were enrolled in online orientation and registered for online courses in Fall 2018. The meeting was conducted to ensure that Tinian and Rota NMC students who have not taken any online courses in the past at NMC were prepared for their online orientation and online courses in Fall 2018. The students were provided information on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC ONLINE (MOODLE). In addition, the DLE Coordinator also provided detailed information about the two online courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, Food Science (BI117) and Agriculture Science (BI106) will be offered until Spring 2020. Additionally, the DLE Coordinator visited the NMC Rota Center and NMC Tinian Center during August 2019 and provided information and assistance to 13 Tinian students and 6 Rota students who are currently enrolled in online orientation and registered for online courses this Fall 2019. Information was provided to students on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC Online (MOODLE). In addition, information was provided to the students about the two online courses (BI117 and BI106) that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The DLE Coordinator provided training to both Instructors in the use of NMC Online (MOODLE) for their courses. One-to-one training was conducted by William Hunter, Coordinator, Distance Learning Education (DLE) to Denise Myers, Solly Takai, and Dr. Donald Rayome. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?NMC Tinian and Rota students do not have the same options as NMC Saipan students. They are required to take the majority of their college credit courses through online. The USDA NIFA DEG program has opened the door for NMC Tinian and Rota students to now have the option to also take a fully online science course from NMC. The DLE Coordinator provided detailed information to NMC Tinian and Rota students about the two online food and agriculture science courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, BI117-Food Science and BI106-Agriculture Science are the first fully online science courses at NMC and will be offered until Spring 2020. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?BI117 and BI106 have been on the class schedule for Fall 2018, Spring 2019, and Fall 2019 semesters. Both BI117 and BI106are scheduled to be on the upcoming Spring 2020 semester class schedule.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. Development of course guides for twofood and agriculture science courses. Update: Course guides were developed for twofood and agriculture science courses at NMC. The two course guides developed were Food Science (BI117) and Agriculture Science (BI106). Denise Myers assisted in the development of BI117, while Dr. Donald Rayome assisted in the development of BI106. BI117 was approved by NMC Academic Council in April 2018, and BI106 was approved by NMC Academic Council in March 2018. Objective 2. Placement and availability of newly created food and agriculture science courses on class schedule and NMC Online for two years, begining Fall 2018 (Semester). Update:Both approved courses (BI117 and BI106) were placed on Fall 2018, Spring 2019, and Fall 2019 semester class schedules. Both courses are scheduled to be on Spring 2020 Semester class schedule. Objective 3: Recruitment and training of food and agriculture science Instructors for newly developed food and agriculture science online courses. Update: Instructors for both BI117 and BI106were recruited by the NMC Human Resources department and scheduled to teach for Fall 2018 Semester. The Instructor recruited for BI117 was Denise Myers. Unfortunately, theInstructor identified to teach BI106 during Fall 2018 had to return to the U.S. Mainland due to family obligations. With short notice it was difficult to recruit and train a new Instructor for BI106 for Fall 2018. The Instructor recruited to teachBI106 during Spring 2019 semester was Solly Takai. Denise Myers also continued as Instructor for BI117 during Spring 2019 semester. For the current semester (Fall 2019), Denise Myers continues to teach BI117 and Solly Takai continues to teach BI106. Both Instructors were trained to use NMC Online (MOODLE) for their courses. Both Instructors developed their online courses in NMC Online (MOODLE). One-to-one training was conducted by William Hunter, Coordinator, Distance Learning Education to both Denise Myers and Solly Takai. Objective 4:Development of food and agriculture science credit courses online, utilizing existing Distance Learning Education (DLE) resources and existing Learning Management System (LMS) at NMC. Update: Denise Myers developed the online course BI117 using the existing LMS at NMC. Additionally, Solly Takai developed the online course BI106 using the existing LMS at NMC. Both Denise Myers and Solly Takai received assistance and guidance from William Hunter, DLE Coordinator in the creation of course templates on the existing LMS, also recognized as NMC Online (MOODLE). Objective 5:Procurement and distribution of laptops to carry out the successful delivery of online food and agriculture science courses. Update: A request and specifications were given to the NMC Information Technology department to assist in the procurement of 6 laptops for the USDA NIFA DEG prorgram. Through the assistance of the NMC Information Technology department 6 laptops were purchased and distributed. The 6 laptops were distributed as outlined by the grant. Three laptops were given to the SMHA Department for Instructor use, 1 laptop was given to NMC Tinian Center to be used by NMC Tinian Center staff to assist NMC students taking online courses, 1 laptop was given to the NMC Rota Center to be used by NMC Rota Center to assist NMC students taking online courses, and the remaining laptop was issued to the NMC DLE office for training and assistance to NMC online Instructors and Students. Purchase orders were approved for the laptops by NMC Procurement in January 2019, and the laptops were distributed to SMHA (Feb/March 2019), NMC Tinian Center (March 2019), NMC Rota Center (May 2019), and DLE office (March 2019). Objective 6:Procurement of Lab Kits to distribute to students registered and enrolled in an online food and agriculture science course, which will give students the ability to perform investigations at home and at their own time. Update: Lab kits for the Food Science (BI117) course have been developed by the Instructor Denise Myers. The lab kits are provided to the students registered for BI117. A total of 56 NMC students have registered for BI117 during the Fall 2018, Spring 2019, and Fall 2019 semesters. With their lab kit, each student is able to conduct independant investigations at home and at their own time. To supplement each students lab kit, fresh vegatables and fruits are provided to students throughout the semester to use for investigations. For students in Rota and Tinian enrolled in BI117, these items are shipped from Saipan to Rota and Tinian and distributed through the assistance of the NMC Rota Center and NMC Tinian Center. Objective 7:Procurement of course materials including Instructor textbook and supplements for food and agriculture science online courses. Update: Both courses are utilizing textbooks from Cengage publishing. The textbook being used by BI117 is titled Introduction to Food Science and Food Systems by Rick Parker and Dr. Miriah Pace. The textbook being used for BI106 is titled The Science of Animal Agriculture, by Ray V. Herren. Both textbooks are ordered and made available to students by the NMC Bookstore. Objective 8:Provide greater reach and instructional support to online students in Rota and Tinian by training staff from the NMC Rota and Tinian Site. Update: DLE Coordinator travelled to Tinian and Rota in August 2018 and August 2019 to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center Team and NMC Rota Center Team. In August 2018, DLE Coordinator Travelled to Tinian and Rota to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center team and NMC Rota Center Team. Additionally, DLE Coordinator also provided information and instruction on the available Professional Development and Learning online resources (available to NMC Staff, Faculty, and Administration). Furthermore, assistance was provided to 9 Tinian students and 10 Rota students who were enrolled in online orientation and registered for online courses inFall 2018. The meeting was conducted to ensure that Tinian and Rota NMC students who have not taken any online courses in the past at NMC were prepared for theironline orientation and online courses in Fall 2018. The students were provided information on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC ONLINE (MOODLE). In addition, the DLE Coordinator also provided detailed information about the two online courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, Food Science (BI117) and Agriculture Science (BI106) will be offered until Spring 2020. Additionally, theDLE Coordinator visited the NMC Rota Center and NMC Tinian Center during August 2019and provided information and assistance to13Tinian students and 6Rota students who are currently enrolled in online orientation and registered for online courses thisFall 2019.Information was provided to students onhow to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC Online (MOODLE). In addition, information was provided to the students about the two online courses (BI117 and BI106)that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. Objective 9:Provide resources for professional development, specifically access to online resources which will provide expert guidance, professional development, and resources to help the Instructors excel in online learning. Update:Online subscriptions to both Magna Commons and Online Learning Consortium were renewedin January 2019to assist the DLE Coordinator and the entire Instructors and Staff at NMC.A total of 21 NMC Staff and Faculty registered for Magna Commons under the Institution Subscription.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
ED-facts Volume 6, Issue 1: Rural Prosperity Through Education (USDA NIFA)
|
Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Through the creation of food and agriculture science courses a total of 20 students attending the Northern Marianas College (NMC) Fall 2018 semester have been targeted. The 20NMC students are currently enrolled inBI117-ON01-Introduction to Food Science. The BI117 course commenced on August 20, 2018 (Fall 2018 Semester). The Instructor for the course is Denise Myers, a full-time faculty member of the NMC Science, Math, Health, and Athletics (SMHA) department. In addition, outreach was extended to assist students on the Islands of Rota and Tinian to help prepare them for their online courses at NMC. A total of 19 students on Tinian and Rota learned more about the upcoming BI106 (Agriculture Science) and BI117 (Food Science) online courses offered at NMC. A total of 9 students attended a pre-online orientation information session held on Tinian and a total of 10 students attended pre-online orientation information session held on Rota. Additionally, the online professional development resources provided through grant funding reached a total of 21 Staff and Faculty. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?DLE Coordinator Travelled to Tinian and Rota in August 2018 to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Center team and NMC Rota Center Team. Additionally, DLE Coordinator also provided information and instruction on the available Professional Development and Learning online resources (available to NMC Staff, Faculty, and Administration). Furthermore, assistance was provided to 9 Tinian students and 10 Rota students who are enrolled in the upcoming online orientation and registered for online courses this Fall 2018. The meeting was conducted to ensure that Tinian and Rota NMC students who have not taken any online courses in the past at NMC are prepared for the upcoming online orientation and online courses in Fall 2018. The students were provided information on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC ONLINE (MOODLE). In addition, the DLE Coordinator also provided detailed information about the two online courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, BI117-Food Science and BI106-Agriculture Science are the first fully online science courses at NMC and will be offered until Spring 2020. The DLE Coordinator provided training to both Instructors inuse of NMC Online (MOODLE) for their courses. One-to-one training was conducted by William Hunter, Coordinator, Distance Learning Education (DLE) to both Dr. Donald Rayome and Denise Myers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?NMC Tinian and Rota students do not have the same options as NMC Saipan students. They are required to take the majority of their college credit courses through online. The USDA NIFA DEG program has opened the door for NMC Tinian and Rota students to now have the option to also take a fully online science course from NMC. TheDLE Coordinatorprovided detailed information to NMC Tinian and Rota students about the two online food and agriculture science courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, BI117-Food Science and BI106-Agriculture Science are the first fully online science courses at NMC and will be offered until Spring 2020. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Although the course guides were developed for both BI106-Agriculture Scienceand BI117-Food Science, and both courses were placed on the classschedule for Fall 2018, only BI117 was able to commence on the first day of class. The Instructor for BI106, Dr. Donald Rayome,was scheduled and prepared to instruct BI106 for Fall 2018. However, due to family obligationsDr. Rayome had to leave the CNMI and return back to the U.S. Mainland. Unfortunately, notice was only given to NMC on August 15, 2018 that Dr. Rayome would not be able to Instruct BI106 due to conflicts of interest and family obligations. With the Fall 2018 semester beginning on August 20, 2018, there was not enough ample time to recruit and train a new Instructor for BI106. Velma Deleon Guerrero, the SMHA Department Chair, will be working with the NMC Human Resources department to locate and recruit an Instructor for BI106 for Spring 2019. BI117 currently has 20 students enrolled in the course and started this Fall 2018semester with an additional 2 students on the wait-list. BI117 is scheduled to also be on the Spring 2019 semester class schedule.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Through the help of the USDA-NIFA DEG program the Northern Marianas College (NMC) made history this Fall 2018 semester by offering the first fully online food and agriculture science course to NMC students. 20 NMC Students are currently enrolled in BI117-Food Science and will receive college credit upon the successful completion of the course. The Instructor of the course is Denise Myers, who is a member of the NMC Science, Math, Health and Athletics (SMHA) Department. The USDA NIFA DEG program has helped NMC reach an important goal in assisting with the development and implementation of food and agricultural credit-courses to NMC students through distance learning education. In regards to objectives previously outlined in the project initiation, the below is an update of each respective objective (as of August 31, 2018): Objective 1. Development of course guides for two food and agriculture science courses. Update: Course guides were developed for two food and agriculture science courses at NMC. The two course guides developed areBI106-Agriculture Science and BI117-Food Science. Dr. Donald Rayome assisted in the development of BI106, while Denise Myers assisted in the development of BI117. BI106 was approved by NMC Academic Council in March 2018, and BI117 was approved by NMC Academic Council in April 2018. Objective 2. Placement and availability of newly created food and agriculture science courses on class schedule and NMC Online for two years, beginning Fall 2018 (Semester). Update: Both approved courses (BI106 and BI117) were placed on the Fall 2018 semester class schedule. Both courses are scheduled to be on the Spring 2019Semester class schedule and also continue to be offered until Spring 2020 semester. Objective 3. Recruitment and training of food and agriculture science Instructors for newly developed food and agriculture science online courses. Update: Instructors for both courses were recruited by the NMC Human Resources department and scheduled to teach for Fall 2018 semester. The Instructor recruited for BI106, was Dr. Donald Rayome, and the Instructor for BI117 was Denise Myers. Both Instructors were trained to use NMC Online (MOODLE) for their courses. One-to-one training was conducted by William Hunter, Coordinator, Distance Learning Education (DLE) to both Dr. Donald Rayome and Denise Myers. Objective 4. Development of food and agriculture science credit courses online, utilizing existing Distance Learning Education (DLE) resources and existing Learning Management System (LMS) at NMC. Update: William Hunter, the DLE Coordinator, assisted in the creation of course templates on the existing Learning Managment System (LMS) also recognized asNMC Online (MOODLE). In addition, assistance and guidance was provide by the DLE Coordinatorin thein the development of their online courses. Objective 5. Procurement and distribution of laptops to carry out the successful delivery of online food and agriculture science courses. Update: Procurement of Information Technology equipment, including laptops must be conducted through the NMC Information Technology department. A request and specifications were given to the NMC Information Technology department to assist in the procurement of 6 laptops for the USDA NIFA DEG program earlier this year. Daisie Camacho-Renguul, Network Specialist III and Computer Lab Supervisor is currently assisting the DLE Coordinator to procure the laptops for use for the program. Although the request was sent earlier this year, limited staff and high staff turnover within the IT Department has delayed the procurement process. The good news is that the 6 laptops are scheduled to be delivered by the end of September 2018. Once received, the 6 laptops will be distributed as outlined by the grant. Three laptops will be given to the SMHA Department for Instructor use, 1 laptop will be given to the NMC Tinian Center to be used by NMC Tinian Center staff to assist NMC students taking online courses, 1 laptop will be given to the NMC Rota Center to be used by NMC Rota Center staff to assist NMC students taking online courses, and the remaining laptop will be used by the NMC DLE office for training and assistance to NMC online Instructors and Students. Objective 6. Procurement of Lab Kits to distribute to students registered and enrolled in an online food and agriculture science course, which will give students the ability to perform investigations at home and at their own time. Update: Lab kits for BI117-Food Science have been developed by the Instructor Denise Myers. The lab kits are provided to the 20 students currently registered for BI117 this Fall 2018 semester. With their lab kit, each student will be able to conduct independant investigations at home and at their own time. To supplement each students lab kit, fresh vegetables and fruits will be provided to students throughout the semester to use for investigations. For students in Rota and Tinian, these items will be pouched through NMC to the NMC Rota Center and NMC Tinian Center for distribution to students enrolled in BI117. Objective 7. Procurement of course materials including Instructor textbook and supplements for food and agriculture science online courses. Update: Both courses will be utilizing textbooks from Cengage publishing. The textbook to be used for BI106 is titled The Science of Animal Agriculture, by Ray V. Herren. The textbook to be used by BI117 is titled Introduction to Food Science and Food Systems by Rick Parker and Dr. Miriah Pace. Textbooks have been ordered by the NMC Bookstore and are currently available to students. Objective 8. Provide greater reach and instructional support to online students in Rota and Tinian by training staff from the NMC Rota and Tinian Site. Update: DLE Coordinator Travelled to Tinian and Rota in August 2018to provide support and assistance to the NMC Tinian Centerteam and NMC Rota Center Team. Additionally, DLE Coordinator also provided information and instruction on the available Professional Development and Learning online resources (available to NMC Staff, Faculty, and Administration). Furthermore, assistance was provided to 9 Tinian students and 10 Rota students who are enrolled in the upcoming online orientation and registered for online courses this Fall 2018. The meeting was conducted to ensure that Tinian and Rota NMC students who have not taken any online courses in the past at NMC are prepared for the upcoming online orientation and online courses in Fall 2018. The students were provided information on how to log-in, navigate, and enroll in their online courses on NMC Online (MOODLE). Time was also allotted for questions and for students who might need additional assistance with NMC ONLINE (MOODLE). In addition, the DLE Coordinator also provided detailed information about the two online courses that are products of the USDA NIFA DEG award. The two courses, BI117-Food Science and BI106-Agriculture Science are the first fully online science courses at NMC and will be offered until Spring 2020. Objective 9. Provide resources for professional development, specifically access to online resources which will provide expert guidance, professional development, and resources to help the Instructors excel in online learning. Update: Online subscriptions to both Magna Commons and Online Learning Consortium were obtained in January 2018 to assist the DLE Coordinator and the entire Instructors and Staff at NMC. The Online Learning Consortium Score Card provides guidlelines for Instructors to follow as they develop their courses. A total of 21 NMC Staff and Faculty registered for Magna Commons under the Institution Subscription.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Abstract for USDA NIFA Insular Areas Grants Program and the Alaska Native-Native Hawaiian Grants Program Project Directors Meeting Abstract Booklet, July 12-14, 2018, Tumon, Guam
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