Progress 05/01/23 to 04/30/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience included stakeholders of Virginia Tech's Agricultural Technology (AT) program and similar programs in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). As the project progressed, we engaged in continued communication with AT and VCCS faculty to assess their professional learning interests and needs. Our professional learning cohort for the project year included five VCCS faculty from three colleges. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have engaged with Virginia Community College System (VCCS) faculty to explore professional learning interests and needs. The work with the VCCS faculty cohort included virtual sessions in summer 2023 and a follow-up virtual session in January 2024. The session in January 2024 also served as the inaugural meeting of the VCCS Agriculture and Food Systems Peer Group. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the fourth project year, results were disseminated through two different professional conference presentations: the Association of Leadership Educators (ALE) annual conference and the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) annual conference. Monthly newsletter updates and links to presentation records are posted at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/engagement-andoutreach What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the fifth year, the project team will continue to support faculty whom we have engaged with during past years of the project. At the same time, we will focus more attention on creation and distribution of reusable learning objects, particularly through the AWT4CL learning badge system. We will also advance scholarly publications that highlight insights from the project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The project has engaged faculty in agriculture workforce development programs across Virginia. These agricultural educators are bridging the gap by refreshing existing workforce development curricula to meet 21st century agricultural industry needs; they are designing, developing, and evaluating leadership curricula for technical and community colleges to prepare the agriculture workforce for effective leadership in an increasingly diverse environment. Accomplishments associated with each objective include: Maintained regular communication with Agricultural Technology program faculty through monthly email updates, which highlighted emerging resources and related insights. Guided Virginia Community College System's (VCCS) faculty through establishment of a peer group for agriculture and food systems. Continued developing and sharing resources through a website and blog, publicly available at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/home
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Adeoye, S. (2024, February 26). The Journey So Far: Looking back at 2023 [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2024/02/by-samson-adeoye-journey-so-far-looking.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Adeoye, S. (2024, April 15). Cybersecurity in Agriculture Education: Beyond Technical Competence [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2024/04/cybersecurity-in-agriculture-education.html
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Kaufman, E. K., Coartney, J., & Adeoye, S. (2023). Cases in Agricultural Leadership: An Open Access Book Opportunity [Conferences session]. Association of Leadership Educators Annual Conference, Nashville TN. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/115827
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Carmichael, C. (2023). Summary report from focus group with AWT4CL cohort.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Adeoye, S. (2024). Instructor Guide for Implementing Learning Badges with Employability Skills.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Westfall-Rudd, D., Coartney, J., & Kaufman, E. (2024). Integrating Employability Skills Into Agricultural Courses Using the PDSA Model of Improvement [Workshop]. NACTA Conference, Wooster OH.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., Kaufman, E. K., Seibel, M. M., Friedel, C. R., White, A., & Carmichael, C. (2023, June 20-24). Essential ingredients for seasoned teaching [Poster]. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) 69th Conference, Las Cruces, NM, United States. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/115697
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Coartney, J. S. (2023, May 30). Developing Ready-to-Use Digital Learning Badges to Improve Workforce Readiness [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/05/developing-ready-to-use-digital.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership [Website]. https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/home
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., & Westfall-Rudd, D. (2023, June 29). Three Simple Steps to Building Professional Relationships [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/06/three-simple-steps-to-building.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Friedel, C. (2024, April 1). Addressing the Leadership Gap in Agriculture [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2024/04/addressing-leadership-gap-in-agriculture.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Kaufman, E. K. (2023, July 25). Facilitating Conscious Competence: Rethinking [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/07/facilitating-conscious-competence.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Adeoye, S., & Kaufman, E. K. (2023, August 28). Improving a Learning Program and Navigating Learning [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/08/improving-learning-program-and.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Adeoye, S. (2023, September 28). Recent Research Explores Community College Students Motivations and Outcomes [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/09/recent-research-explores-community.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Carmichael, C. (2023, October 18). Gamification or Jobification Applying Game Design Approaches as a Bridge to Workforce Skills [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/10/gamification-or-jobification-applying_18.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
ONeal, A. (2023, November 14). Agriculture Peer Group Formation at the Virginia Community College System [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/11/agriculture-peer-group-formation-at.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
White, M. (2023, December 12). Integrating Employability Skills in a Traditional Ag Classroom through Learning Badges [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/12/integrating-employability-skills-in.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Friedel, C. (2023, December 15). Your Year in Pictures [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/12/by-curt-friedel-one-of-my-favorite.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Seibel, M. (2024, January 12). Fresh Year, Fresh Perspective [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2024/01/fresh-year-fresh-perspective.html
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Progress 05/01/22 to 04/30/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience included stakeholders of Virginia Tech's Agricultural Technology (AT) program and similar programs inthe Virginia Community College System (VCCS). As the project progressed, we engaged in continued communication withAT and VCCS faculty to assess their professional learning interests and needs. Our professional learning cohort for theproject year included 7VCCS faculty from 4colleges acoss the Commonwealth of Virginia. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We continued to engage both Virginia Community College System (VCCS) faculty and Virginia Tech's Agricultural Technology program faculty to explore and support professional learning interests and needs. The work with the agricultural technology program faculty was in the form of one-on-one consulting (rather than formal programming). The work with VCCS faculty cohort included one-on-one consulting as well as structured professional learning events. The events included webinars in June 2022 and January 2023, as well as a a two-day in-person learning event in July 2022. A recap of the in-person learning event is posted at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/about-the-project/cohort-connections-july-2022 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the third year of the project, results were disseminated through five different professional conference presentations: American Association for Agricutlural Education (AAAE), North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA), Association of Leadership Educators (ALE), Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC), and International Leadership Association (ILA). Links to the presentation records are posted at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/engagement-and-outreach What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the fourth year, the project team will continue support for Agricultural Technology program faculty through one-on-one consulting related to curricular enhancements, including opportunities to improve learner motivation through application of digital learning badges associated with employability skills. Also during the fourth year, the project team will further guide community college faculty in their application of the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle, including sharing insights and resources with other educators. Support within the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) will transition to the new VCCS Peer Group for Agriculture and Food Systems, which will allow for sustained peer-to-peer learning beyond this grant. Distribution efforts will include more blog posts and conference presentations, while investing in opportunities for sharing through journal articles. We will also invest in platforms that allow for more functional sharing of reusable learning objects, allowing broader adoption of curricular resources created from this project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Findings from action research continue to reveal insights on employability and durable skills for collaborative leadership. The project has engaged agriculture faculty from community colleges, a two-year degree program at a comprehensive university, and a high school program. These agricultural educators are bridging the gap by refreshing existing workforce development curricula to meet 21st century agricultural industry needs; they are designing, developing, and evaluating leadership curricula for technical and community colleges to prepare the agriculture workforce for effective leadership in an increasingly diverse environment. Accomplishments associated with each objective include: Supported integration of employability skills into internship focus and evaluation, helping inform and advance curricula for practical skill development in collaborative leadership appropriate for workplace success. Guided Virginia Community College System's (VCCS) faculty with advancement of agriculture workforce training programs, including continued exploration and piloting of course-level enhancements. Further developed and shared resources through a website and blog, publicly at available at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/home
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Seibel, M., & Friedel, C. (2022, June 13). Fostering Light Bulb Moments Through Structurally Balanced Assignments [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/06/fostering-light-bulb-moments-through.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., & Kaufman, E. K. (2022, July 19). Durable Skills - Exactly What Are They? [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/07/durable-skills-exactly-what-are-they_01557534015.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., & Kaufman, E. K. (2022, August 24). Demystifying PDSA as a Teaching Strategy [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/08/demystifying-pdsa-as-teaching-strategy.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
O'Neal, A. (2022, September 30). Using Structured Activities to Teach Durable Skills [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/09/using-structured-activities-to-teach.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Lindberg, H. (2022, October 21). Can Industry Introductions Lead to Internship Increases? [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/10/can-industry-introductions-lead-to.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Casteel, B. (2022, October 21). Horticultural Jeopardy: Motivation through Gamification [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/12/horticultural-jeopardy-motivation.html
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., Kaufman, E. K., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., Seibel, M. M., Friedel, C. R., White, A., & Carmichael, C. (2022, May 16-19). Building professional collaborations between community college and land grant university faculty [Poster abstract]. American Association of Agricultural Educators (AAAE) Conference, Oklahoma City OK. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/110447
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., Kaufman, E. K., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., Seibel, M. M., Friedel, C. R., White, A., & Carmichael, C. (2022, June 26-29). Building durable skills and networks: Leadership educators contributions to workforce readiness [Poster abstract]. 2022 Association of Leadership Educators (ALE), Kansas City, MO, United States. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/111399
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., Kaufman, E. K., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., Seibel, M. M., Friedel, C. R., White, A., & Carmichael, C. (2022, September 21-22). Enhancing workforce readiness through a convergence of networks and collaborative leadership [Poster abstract]. 2022 Engagement Scholarship Consortium International Conference (ESC). Athens, GA, United States. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/112093
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., & Kaufman, E. K. (2022, October 13-16). Envisioning a future workforce: Developing durable skills and networks for collaborative leadership [Conference session]. International Leadership Association (ILA) 24th Global Conference, Washington DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/112173
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
One-page summary of priority investments and impact related to agriculture workforce training for collaborative leadership (AWT4CL).
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
White, M. (2023, January 14). Do social interactions and project ownership promote student success? [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/01/do-social-interactions-and-project.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., & Kaufman, E. K. (2023, February 14). Ideas for Enhancing Agriculture Workforce Training [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/02/ideas-for-enhancing-agriculture.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Scales, T. (2023, February 18). Workplace Scenarios: What Would You Do? [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/02/workplace-scenarios-what-would-you-do.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Butler, H. (2023, March 16). The Art of SeeingStudent Engagement and Teaching in the Field [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-art-of-seeingstudent-engagement-and.html
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., Kaufman, E. K., Nelson, D., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., Seibel, M. M., Friedel, C. R., White, A., & Carmichael, C. (2022). Agriculture workforce stakeholders highlight importance of durable skills and networks [Abstract]. NACTA Journal, 66(Suppl. 1), 171. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/110932
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Progress 05/01/21 to 04/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience included stakeholders of Virginia Tech's Agricultural Technology (AT) program and similar programs in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). As the project progressed, we engaged in continued communication with AT and VCCS faculty to assess their professional learning interests and needs. Our profession learning cohort for the project year included 13 VCCS faculty from 9 colleges. Changes/Problems:The pandemic has continued to inhibit interaction with stakeholders. We had planned an in-person gathering in January 2022 that was switched to a virtual format. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have engaged with both Virginia Community College System (VCCS) faculty and Virginia Tech's Agricultural Technology program faculty to explore professional learning interests and needs. The work with VCCS faculty cohort included three virtual sessions in summer 2021 and a follow-up virtual session in January 2022. One of the summer sessions included engagement with Virginia's Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry (Bettina Ring), while the January session included a panel of experts on experiential learning for young professionals. Broader engagement with VCCS faculty occurred as part of the 2022 New Horizons conference. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the second project year, results were disseminated through three different professional conference presentations: the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) Southern Region conference, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) New Horizons conference, and the World Future Forum. The presentation at the World Future Forum was recognized as the "best poster" of the conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the third year, the project team will support Agricultural Technology program faculty through continued enhancements to the internship evaluation, as development of a capstone course that emphasizes skills and strategies for successful transitions to the workforce. Also during the third year, the project team will continue professional learning with a cohort of VCCS faculty, focusing curricular improvements through application of the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle. With support from one-on-one and small group coaching, the participants will pilot test curricular ideas during the academic year. Ongoing engagement will occur through formalization of a "peer group" within the VCCS. Distribution efforts will include more conference presentations as well as further investment in the project website and blog posts.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Findings from action research reveal insights on employability and durable skills for collaborative leadership. The project has engaged agriculture faculty from nine community colleges and one two-year degree program. These agricultural educators are bridging the gap by refreshing existing workforce development curricula to meet 21st century agricultural industry needs; they are designing, developing, and evaluating leadership curricula for technical and community colleges to prepare the agriculture workforce for effective leadership in an increasingly diverse environment. Accomplishments associated with each objective include: Integrated employability skills into internship focus and evaluation, helping inform course curricula for practical skill development in collaborative leadership appropriate for workplace success. Supported Virginia Community College System's (VCCS) faculty with advancement of agriculture workforce training programs, including exploration of course-level enhancements. Began sharing resources through a website and blog, publicat available at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/home
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership [Website]. (n.d.). https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/awt/home
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Kaufman, E. K. (2021, December 3). VCCS Agriculture Workforce Preparedness Setting the Stage with National Reports [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2021/12/post-1.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
White, A., & Carmichael, C. (2021, December 3). VCCS Agriculture Workforce Preparedness - Big Picture Observations [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2021/12/post-2.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Coartney, J. S. (2021, December 18). The Big Debate: Segmented Courses versus Integrated Content for Leadership Development [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-big-debate-leadership-courses.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Coartney, J. S., & Westfall-Rudd, D. (2021, December 18). Do You Find Grading Stressful? So Does bell hooks! [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2021/12/post-3.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Carmichael, C. (2022, March 16). Building on Out of Classroom Experiences Reinforces the Value of Life-Long Learning. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/03/what-is-equation-of-experiences-that.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Seibel, M. (2022, March 23). Curiosity Killed the Cat& [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/03/curiosity-killed-cat.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Westfall-Rudd, D., & Coartney, J. S. (2022, March 28). Need Some Fresh Ideas for Teaching Virtually? [Blog post]. https://awt4collaborativeleadership.blogspot.com/2022/03/need-some-fresh-ideas-for-teaching.html
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Coartney, J., & Kaufman, E. K. (2021, December 11). Ag Tech Internship Educational Objectives Summary.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Carmichael, C. (2022). Evaluation report on advancing experiential learning check-in for VCCS cohort.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Kaufman, E. K., White, A., Nelson, D., Seibel, M., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., & Friedel, C. (2021, June 15). Advancing Community College Instruction for Agriculture Workforce Preparedness: VCCS Professional Development Day 1. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/107287
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Kaufman, E. K., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., & Friedel, C. (2021, June 13). Advancing Community College Instruction for Agriculture Workforce Preparedness: VCCS Professional Development Day 2. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/107288
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Kaufman, E. K., Ring, B., Seibel, M., White, A., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., Friedel, C., & Nelson, D. (2021, July 14). Advancing Community College Instruction for Agriculture Workforce Preparedness: VCCS Professional Development Day 3. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/107289
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Kaufman, E. K., & White, A. (2022, April 7). Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership in Agriculture and Beyond [Conference session]. New Horizons Conference, Roanoke, VA, United States. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/109599
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J., Kaufman, E. K., Westfall-Rudd, D., Siebel, M., Firedel, C., White, A., & Carmichael, C. (2022). Building Professional Collaborations between Community College and Land Grant University Faculty [Abstract]. AAAE Poster Session Proceedings Southern Region Conference, 22-25. http://aaaeonline.org/resources/Documents/Southern%20Region/2022SouthernConference/2022SRAAAE_PosterProceedings.pdf
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Coartney, J., & Kaufman, E. K. (2022, April 22). Workforce Readiness Through Leadership as Practice Development [Conference session]. World Future Forum, virtual. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/109739
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Kaufman, E. K. (2021, October 14). Agriculture Workforce Training for Collaborative Leadership: Update Following Year 1 [Symposium]. National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) project directors' meeting. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/107295
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Progress 05/01/20 to 04/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience included stakeholders of Virginia Tech's Agricultural Technology (AT) program and similar programs in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Invitations for focus group participation were extended to students, alumni, faculty, and employers. As the project progressed, we engaged in continued communication with AT and VCCS faculty to assess their professional learning interests and needs. Changes/Problems:The delay in approval of the project limited the potential for professional development activities during summer 2020. In addition, the ongoing pandemic prevented in-person gatherings, causing us to shift meetings and professional learning activities to virtual formats. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have engaged with both Virginia Community College System faculty and Virginia Tech's Agricultural Technology program faculty to explore professional learning interests and needs. The focus during year one was on exploration of employability skills and the relationship with existing curricular activities. Beyond focus group discussions, we have engaged in one-on-one and small group training activities, particularly with select members of the Agricultural Technology program faculty. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?There were two focus groups conducted in November of 2020 with project stakeholders, including employers, faculty, current students, and alumni of the agriculture workforce training programs associated with Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and Virginia Tech's Agriculture Technology program. The focus group discussions were transcribed and qualitatively coded for themes. The themes and key points were summarized in a one-page document that was shared with communities of interest. This sharing of findings spurred further interest in professional learning and curriculum enhancements, particularly among VCCS faculty. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the second year, the project team will be facilitating professional learning with a cohort of VCCS faculty. The peer group will share ideas and resources with one another (similar to VCCS Peer Groups for other subject areas). With support from one-on-one and small group coaching, the participants will pilot test curricular ideas during the academic year. Also during the second year, the project team will support Agricultural Technology program faculty through enhancements to an internship evaluation, as well as a first-year seminar/survey course. We will also explore opportunities for enriching the curriculum through the addition of a second-year capstone course that emphasizes skills and strategies for successful transitions to the workforce.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Accomplishments associated with each objective include: Clarified an opportunity for more focus on employability skills identified in a 2020 APLU report, particularly through revision of an internship evaluation tool. Identified opportunities for revamping a first-semester seminar course and creating a new capstone course, both focused on practical skill development in collaborative leadership appropriate for workplace success. Identified perceived gaps in the curriculum for the Virginia Community College System's agriculture workforce training programs. Shared opportunities for application of curriculum materials developed as part of previous projects funded by USDA-NIFA. Confirmed potential outlets for broad sharing of collaborative leadership curricula in food and agricultural sciences programs at other community, junior, and technical colleges/institutes.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Esterhuizen, M. (2020, September 18). "Workforce readiness grant prepares next generation of agricultural leaders." Virginia Tech. https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2020/08/cals-workforce-readiness.html
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Westfall-Rudd, D., Kaufman, E. K., & Nelson, D G.. (2021). "Summary of Stakeholder Focus Groups in Fall 2020." Virginia Tech. https://drive.google.com/file/d/14k4l2UpaH4cCliawVhXiD3rM-TwvxmdK/view?usp=sharing
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Nelson, D. G., Kaufman, E. K., Westfall-Rudd, D. M., & Seibel, M. M. (2021). "APLU Employability Skills Descriptions." Virginia Tech.
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