AGRICULTURAL LITERACY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1025718
• Grant No.: 2021-67037-34303
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $300,000.00
• Proposal No.: 2020-08615
• Project Start Date: Feb 1, 2021
• Project End Date: Jan 27, 2025
• Grant Year: 2021
• Program Code: [A7501]- Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy

Recipient Organization
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
LOGAN,UT 84322

Performing Department
Applied Science Technology & E

Non Technical Summary
The goal of this project is to increase agricultural literacy (knowledge about agriculture) and agricultural career awareness among K-12 educators, volunteer educators, and their students. To achieve this goal, this project will develop an online Agricultural Literacy Certification Program (ALCP). The specific objectives are to: 1) develop a research-based online agricultural literacy certification program, 2) demonstrate educator gains in agricultural knowledge and career awareness, 3) measure educator self-efficacy for using agriculture as a context for their academic content, and 4) identifying participant planned behaviors for including agricultural instruction as context for their academic content.Phase 1.Beginning in May 2021, theproject will usean instructional designer to develop a web interface that will hold 12 online learning modules. The modules will focus upon the five National Agricultural Literacy Outcome Themes. Thirty pilot-K-12 educatorswill be selected to be a part of the course. They will be expected to complete 12 hours of course learning, including a capstone project, and participation in agricutlural literacy assessments. Following the completion of the course, they will be awarded a $300 stipend and a $100 gift card to the AgClassroomStore to support further instruction with their students. Ten volunteer educators will also be selected for the pilot, they will recieve $100 stipend at the completion of the course. Ten early-career AITC staff, or other agricultural education staff may also participate without incentive in the pilot. Most significantly, participants in the course will recieve a digital badge through Badgr. The digital badge certifies that they have completed 12 hours of agricutlural literacy education and can be used for professional development or advancement credit. The researchers will use the data gathered from the pilot, to improve the modules, course structure, and other curriculum or instructional elements.Phase 2.In August 2022, the course will then be opened to 500 educators, for an initial phase of the certification program. These educators will be charged a $20 fee through the web interface. The small fee establishes commitment from participants and establishes a "fee-for-service" structure that can maintain and sustain the ALCP program in perpetuity. To ensure the ALCP program has a strong start, however, this section will be offered (up to 500 participants) a $100 PayPal cash incentive and a $100 AgClassroomStore coupon code to educators who complete the course. They will also recieve digital certification of completion of the program. The grant will run until December 31, 2024.The ALCP will use research-based instructional design guidelines, provided by the NAITCO professional instructional designer, to successfully increase agricultural literacy and agricultural career awareness while advancing AFRI priority areas. The additional research agenda priorities supported by this proposal include those from the American Association for Agricultural Educators (AAAE), dedicated to finding the best methods and models for educating the public and policy makers (Roberts et al., 2016); NCAL, which seeks to improve agricultural literacy with diverse segments of the population and improve agricultural literacy program efficacy (National Center for Agricultural Literacy, 2017); and the W3006 Multistate Agricultural Literacy Research Project that measures the impacts of agricultural literacy program methods to determine their effectiveness and conducts assessments on the agricultural knowledge of diverse population segments (including educators, volunteers and students) (National Center for Agricultural Literacy, 2017). The ALCP supports these related program agendas and provides a rich area for continued research. In addition, an online program allows for greater access advancing educational equity.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
903	6010	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6010 - Individuals;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Keywords

ag in the classroom

agricultural literacy

badging

online certification

professional development

Goals / Objectives
Overview - Description and JustificationThe goal of this project is to increase agricultural literacy (knowledge about agriculture) and agricultural career awareness among K-12 educators, volunteer educators, and their students. To achieve this goal, this project will develop an online Agricultural Literacy Certification Program (ALCP). This online program will develop experiential student-centered explorations into agricultural literacy concepts and career options, by providing participants with research-based agricultural content, pedagogical methods, strategies, and tools. This program does not focus on one area of the AFRI Priorities as agricultural education is needed in all these areas to increase agricultural literacy. The project does focus on professional development to increase agricultural literacy as one of the focus areas of the Workforce Development grants. The specific objectives are to: 1) develop a research-based online agricultural literacy certification program, 2) demonstrate educator gains in agricultural knowledge and career awareness, 3) measure educator self-efficacy for using agriculture as a context for their academic content, and 4) identifying participant planned behaviors for including agricultural instruction as context for their academic content.Despite the agricultural abundance and economic prosperity of the United States, many Americans do not have a basic understanding of, or the ability to communicate the source and value of food, clothing, and shelter (Kovar & Ball, 2013; Mercier, 2015). This proposed program targets K-12 educators, and volunteer educators who do not possess a degree in agricultural education, to provide them with training and research-based agricultural content to contextualize academic content.In 2019, the Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) programs reached 8.2 million K-12 students and had 12,961 teachers participate in face-to-face professional development trainings provided by AITC program staff (National Agriculture in the Classroom, 2020). Additionally, over 11,000 school-based agriculture education (SBAE) teachers provided their secondary students with education in agriculture and nearly 500,000 4-H volunteer educators, directly or indirectly provided agricultural education to youth ("Annual Report," National 4-H Council, 2019). While these numbers are impressive, there is more to be done to reach the school population of 50.8 million students and 3.7 million teachers (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). In addition, the AITC program totals have been relatively flat over the past three years (National Agriculture in the Classroom, 2020), suggesting AITC staff and programs may be at capacity and unable to increase numbers and impact with just face-to-face trainings. Furthermore, despite progress, research continues to indicate that youth and adults lack the information needed to make informed choices about food, environmental sustainability, policy, and health (Hand, 2020; Lawson & Weser, 1990; Rajeev Gowda, Fox, & Magelky, 1997; Redmond & Griffith, 2003; Savory & Parsons, 1980; Wilcock, Pun, Khanona, & Aung, 2004).Nationally, the Agriculture in the Classroom program is the largest organization engaged in agricultural literacy professional development of K-12 teachers (Mercier, 2015). Professional development is a major goal of the program (National Agriculture in the Classroom, 2017). The ALCP program addresses AITC program needs. In a survey conducted in in January of 2020, 57% of AITC state and territory program leaders said they would encourage their PreK-12 educators to complete an online ALCP if one were available. The remaining 43% said they might encourage teachers to participate depending on the quality of the course (National Agriculture in the Classroom, 2020). In the same survey, 100% of the respondents said they use volunteers to deliver programming directly to students. State program leaders reported that 44,898 volunteers delivered or assisted with AITC programs nationwide in 2019. However, only 30% of state program leaders said they allowed volunteers to conduct professional development (PD) programs for K-12 teachers. Most program leaders, 65%, said they did not allow volunteers to conduct professional development. Two comments were made: "We conduct teacher PD assisted by volunteers" and "volunteers aren't qualified to conduct teacher PD."This survey was conducted prior to the COVID-19 outbreak requiring the cancellation of all AITC face-to-face professional development trainings in 2020. Moreover, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 National AITC annual conference was cancelled. This annual conference typically draws 450 teachers, volunteers, and program staff. The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO) instead conducted a 2020 Virtual Summit for the same audience and had nearly 2,600 participants. According to the NAITCO Executive director, about half were K-12 teachers (L. Gaskalla, personal communication, June 29, 2020). This suggests teachers and volunteers in the AITC community are open to learning online.One other audience that may benefit from an online ALCP is AITC program staff. Over the last three years there has been a 38% turnover rate among state AITC program leaders (L. Gaskalla, personal communication, June 29, 2020). And while these state leaders, along with volunteers and other educators targeted for this program may possess knowledge about certain areas of agriculture (e.g., dairy or corn production), they may not have experience or knowledge in some other areas of agriculture (e.g., aquaponics, or fruit production) suggesting an ALCP program would benefit newer AITC staff too.Finally, only 23 AITC-affiliated states have a full-time staff member dedicated to AITC programming and over half have two or fewer staff working on AITC programming (National Agriculture in the Classroom, 2020). The need exists to support state programs with an online eLearning professional development program. An online ALCP, sustains human capital by supporting state and territory programs that lack the capacity, infrastructure, technological expertise, and staff to deliver an online or "virtual" professional development programThe events and data above support the need for a high-quality online professional development program to serve the state AITC programs, K-12 educators, volunteer educators (e.g., 4-H leaders), and ultimately their students to increase agricultural literacy and agricultural career awareness. Specific ALCP educator participant outcomes include:an increased agricultural knowledge,an increased appreciation and value for agriculture,a greater understanding of how to use the National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) to improve their own agricultural literacy,a greater understanding of how to use the National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes; (NALOs) to improve the agricultural literacy among K-12 students,a better understanding of their own agricultural literacy knowledge gaps,an increase in their willingness to participate in local agricultural literacy efforts,an increase in their willingness to participate in assessing student agricultural literacy,demonstrating how to use newly gained knowledge and access to instructional resources to include agriculture as a context for their academic content,improve pedagogical approaches to foster student appreciation for agriculture,the inclusion of tools and resources in their instruction to highlight agriculture as a meaningful career area for students interested in STEM fields, business, and education.

Project Methods
Approach - Methodology The project will be completed in two phases.Phase 1: Development and Pilot TestingProject development will begin after the course topics have been finalized by a panel of experts. To address the NALO themes, we are anticipating 12 modules with two modules for each theme, and an introductory and capstone module. Each module will include original video instruction, curated content addressing the NALOs, an engagement/experiential activity from the Curriculum Matrix, and an assessment demonstrating their understanding of the content. In order to move beyond a pilot project and implement strategies for expanded educator support and sustainability, a subcontract with NAITCO will be used to contract with an instructional designer to execute a web interface within WordPress that will allow participants to enroll in the course, provide credentials, take payment/access code, program the course progression, add content (videos and images), automate/code assessments, set up evaluation processes, issue completion badges/certificates, and ensure ADA compliance on a secure server/website. The development of the web interface will occur in Phase 1, while the maintenance throughout the following years of the grant will be a part of Phase 2.The curation of course content, including video to enhance modular instruction is a necessary component for high levels of participant engagement. The co-PIs will be assisted by an educator or graduate student who has been selected for their ability to construct sophisticated online content. Their role will be to help build and refine the modular curriculum, as well as assist in monitoring participant progress, answering questions, and providing support while educators are working through the course material. The role will last throughout the pilot in Phase 1 and continue through the end of the grant (Phase 2).The targeted participants are K-12 formal educators, nonformal volunteer educators, and new AITC staff nationwide. This population needs professional development to accurately educate their K-12 students about agriculture and raise student levels of awareness concerning agricultural careers. It is anticipated that ALCP participants will spend 12 hours to complete the program, including the completion of a capstone project. The capstone project will require participants to present a lesson plan, complete with an experiential activity and a reflection practice.The pilot project seeks to enroll 30 practicing educators (10 elementary teachers, 10 middle school teachers, and 10 high school teachers), 10 volunteers, and 10 new AITC staff members, with an open enrollment period beginning March 1, 2022 through April 15, 2022 (or until full). The pilot project will be capped at 50 participants to ensure a quality experience with the staff involved. This group will be made aware that they are part of a pilot program. The 30 teachers who agree to participate will be provided with a stipend of $300 and a $100 gift card to the agclassroomstore.com (this is a shared contribution with the National Center for Agricultural Literacy as noted in the letter of support from NCAL). The resources (kits, maps, posters, etc.) in the AgClassroomStore support the instruction they will use with their students. Ten volunteer educators enrolled in the program will be provided with a $100 stipend. Providing this stipend during the pilot program will ensure course completion and quality feedback from course participants.The initial phase of participant recruitment will be accomplished using Google and Facebook ads targeting K-12 educators. These paid-for advertising services target the desired audience of K-12 educators who access grade-level-specific online content and subject-specific secondary educator groups such as science educators. Dr. Spielmaker, co-PI on this project, is an administrator of the NAITCO Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and AgBytes blog, in addition to the ads, she will post recruitment announcements in these social media platforms about the program. Interested educators will be directed to a webpage to learn more about the ALCP course and compensation for their participation. A link will be provided on the webpage where they can sign up/apply to be considered as a participant. The PIs will select participants that represent various grade level affiliations and regions of the country by May 1, 2022. Selected educators will be provided with instructions about how to access the ALCP course content and will begin the course on June 1, 2022. Educators may work asynchronously until they complete the modules with a final completion deadline of August 30, 2022.Addressing Objectives 2, 3, and 4 during Phase 1 will help establish a working model, preparing the program for Phase 2 (Y3-4), to complete the grant period. To address Objective 2, to demonstrate educator gains in agricultural knowledge and career awareness, participants will take the NALO assessments as a pretest and a posttest at the beginning and end of the ALCP. The NALO assessments were developed with the support of the National Center for Agricultural Literacy (National Center for Agricultural Literacy, 2019) and will aid as a benchmark for participants as well as familiarize them with assessments that may be used with their students.Upon completion of the ALCP course modules, participants will complete a survey about the course effectiveness, their self-efficacy regarding the use of agriculture as a content providing context for academic subjects, and their future plans for including more agricultural instruction in their academic content areas (Objectives 3 and 4). After submitting their course survey, each participant will receive a digital certification, or badge from Badgr.During Phase 1, the 30 K-12 educators completing the ALCP program will receive their stipend, an AgClassroomStore gift card, and continued access to the resources within the course. Volunteer educators will also receive their stipend, and along with AITC staff members, will maintain access to the resources within the course. The logic model attached to this proposal outlines how educator completion of the ALCP influences and leads to K-12 student outcomes.

Progress 02/01/21 to 01/27/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The Agricultural Literacy Certification Program (ALCP) was designed for various educators and volunteers, aiming to increase agricultural literacy and career awareness among K-12 students. The target audience includes: K-12 educators (who do not have a degree in agricultural education) Volunteer educators, such as 4-H leaders Early-career AITC (Agriculture in the Classroom) staff or other agricultural education staff Pre-service teachers These individuals are the focus of ALCP because many Americans lack a basic understanding of agriculture despite the nation's agricultural abundance. Additionally, while AITC programs reach a substantial number of students and teachers, a large population of students and educators still needs to be reached. The ALCP addresses the limitations of face-to-face training and provides greater access to professional development. The program also seeks to support state AITC programs, many of which have limited staff and resources. The ALCP aims to increase participants': Agricultural knowledge Appreciation for agriculture Understanding of how to use the National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) Understanding of their agricultural literacy knowledge gaps Willingness to participate in local agricultural literacy efforts and assess student agricultural literacy Ability to include agriculture as a context for academic content, improve teaching approaches, and highlight agricultural careers. The program focuses on improving agricultural literacy among educators so that they can teach agricultural concepts to their students. In 2024, the research team enrolled participants in three separate sessions: 1) Pilot, 2) Sponsored Rollout, and the 3) National Rollout. Pilot participants (N = 50) were required to apply for participation. Pilot course promotion and advertising was conducted from January to February 2024. Pilot enrollment was conducted from March-April 2024. Wereceived 3,600+ applications, including some international requests for participation in the pilot session. We selecteda diverse group of K-12 educators (n = 33) who were currently employed at a US public school, volunteer educators (n = 7), andearly-career AITC staff members (n = 10). The pilot course lasted from May 20 through June 1, 2024. Participants were expected to complete eight learning modules (approximately 12 hours of instructional time) and a capstone. The capstone project required participants to 1) present a lesson plan to an audience of their choosing and submit a personal reflection highlighting skills and content and/or instruction they used, OR 2) Share on social media about what they learned and what they planned to do in the future with resources from the program; referencing skills/content/instruction they learned and their plans to reach future audiences. The research team monitored the pilot, which was evaluated by Dr. Katie Stofer, University of Florida, per the grant award (June 2024). Dr. Stofer's evaluation included survey creation and data collection, qualitative and quantitative analysis, data analysis, and a report submitted to the PI and the course instructional designer. The team reviewed and implemented the recommendations. Pilot participants received grant-reward incentives (participant support costs) in these amounts: 1) K-12 educators, a $300 Amazon Gift Card via Tango Rewards and a $100 NAITC e-store resource gift card, 2) volunteers, a $100 Amazon Gift Card via Tango Rewards, 3) AITC staff did not receive any incentives for pilot course participation. Sponsored Rollout participants (N = 408) were recruited in September 2024 via social media, email listservs, the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference (SLC, UT), and the application list from the pilot. The USDA-NIFA PDAL-sponsored rollout ran from August1 through September 1, 2024. Award incentives of a $100 Amazon Gift Card via Tango Rewards and a $100 NAITC e-store resource gift card were distributed to educators who completed the course by September 1. There were 279 completers of the Sponsored Rollout by the session deadline. The research team further evaluated the course for additional improvements, including content and modular review by scientific and content experts to improve information accuracy. National Rollout participants (N = 1,025) were recruited when the course moved into the open course format on October 1, 2024. A course fee of $20 per participant was instituted to provide sustainable management and updating of the course modules. The National Center for Agricultural Literacy at Utah State University took over the operation of ALCP on the starting date. Because there were remaining funds available in the PDAL grant to support participant support costs, and because we did not achieve the goal of providing incentives for 500 US educators (per the grant proposal), the PI distributed $100 Amazon Gift Cards via Tango Rewards to 150 educators and $100 NAITC e-store resource gift cards to 129 educatorswho completed the course before December 1, 2024. Notably, 313 participants completed the course, showing that over half were not incentivized. This USDA-NIFA grant incentivized 509 participants for completion of the ALCP course. Between May 20 and November 27, 2024, 1,354 educators enrolled in the course, and over 978 completed course requirements. Changes/Problems:As detailed in the reports, several changes and adjustments occurred during the Agricultural Literacy Certification Program (ALCP) grant. These changes primarily relate to the timeline, staffing, and course development process. Timeline Adjustments The most significant change was a shift in the project's timeline.The original plan was adjusted, causing the project to be about one year behind schedule for the course development. The Activity Completion Dates for the Plan of Work were updated in September 2021 due to when funding was allocated and the co-PIs' workloads. Despite these delays, the project's objectives, funding, and methodology remained unchanged. Ultimately, the project was completed successfully within the grant funding timeline. Staffing Some staff funding was reallocated to support the challenging work of obtaining video and graphics for the online course. The reports show slight changes in the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) allocation for staff roles over the years, but the overall staffing levels remained consistent. Movement of Funds from Participant Support Costs to Program Development In 2024, our sub-awardee, the National Agriculture in the Classroom, who hires and manages the instructional designer who develops the course, notified us they needed additional funding to complete the changes and updates necessary post-pilot. They requested an additional $10,000 be paid to their sub-award in 2024 to complete video segments, course assessments, and interactive instruction. The PI sought and obtained USDA-NIFA approval to move $10,000 from participant support costs to course development. The funding was allocated to the sub-award and paid to the instructional designer. The course was completed with the pilot-evaluation-recommended changes before the October 1 National Rollout of the course began. Course Development Developing the web interface and course content required more effort and funding than initially anticipated. Formatting the course and building the user interface proved particularly challenging. However, technical support was outstanding, and the resulting course was deemed high quality and accessible to all users. Pilot Program The pilot program was initially planned for 2023 and moved to spring 2024. Other Changes The ALCP was presented at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in June 2024.? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The course can be a training and professional development opportunity for K-14 educators, volunteers, and nonprofit and government staff. The research team has received numerous requests for the addition of a "student-version" of the course to be developed. The course content outline has been shown below to highlight the specific content areas. Course Details The course begins with a homepage that details critical information for completing the course, requires the Judd-Murray Agricultural Literacy Instrument I Assessment (Pre-test), and a participant introduction to a collaborating cohort of educators. Module 1: Meeting Human Needs 1.1 What is Agriculture? 1.2 Agriculture in Your Life 1.3 Natural Resources 1.4 Producers and Consumers Module 2: Teaching About Agriculture 2.1 Why Incorporate Agriculture into Your Curriculum? 2.2 How Agriculture Fits with Educational Content Areas 2.3 Assessing Agricultural Literacy Module 3: Agricultural Development 3.1 The Emergence of Agriculture 3.2 History of US Agriculture 3.3 Agriculture in a Global Economy Module 4: Food Systems 4.1 Elements of the Food System 4.2 Types of Food Systems 4.3 Conventional and Organic Food 4.4 Global and Local Food 4.5 Food Security and Hunger Module 5: Food and Human Health 5.1 Nutritional Guidelines 5.2 Food Processing and Preservation 5.3 Food Labeling and Marketing 5.4 Food Safety Module 6: Plant Production 6.1 The Nature of Plants 6.2 Soil Science 6.3 Types of Crops 6.4 Crop Production Practices 6.5 Grain, Oilseed, and Pulse Production 6.6 Fruit, Tree Nut, and Vegetable Production 6.7 Cotton Production Module 7: Animal Production 7.1 Understanding Animals 7.2 Types of Livestock 7.3 Livestock Production Practices 7.4 Cattle Production 7.5 Poultry Production 7.6 Swine Production 7.7 Aquaculture Module 8: The Future of Agriculture 8.1 Feeding a Growing Population 8.2 Consumer Trends 8.3 Different Perspectives Completion Steps Judd-Murray Agricultural Literacy Assessment Instrument II, Post-test Capstone Certificate of Completion, to be printed by the participant How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Judd-Murray, R., & Spielmaker, D. M. (2024, June 26-27). Mission Possible: Agricultural Literacy Certification [Presentation]. 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Role & Impact: I co-presented the one-hour presentation. Seventy educators from national and global organizations were instructed, recruited, and advised on registering for and utilizing the course to improve their programs. The research team is actively analyzing significant data that can be disseminated for publication and workshop presentation. Utah State University contacted us about producing a media press release regarding the course. The PI showcased the course and provided an interview, but no publication has been completed. The National Agriculture in the Classroom has advertised the course on its social media and quarterly newsletter. The National Center for Agricultural Literacy also advertised the course on its social media feeds and email listserv. The PI is very interested in assisting USDA-NIFA marketing in showcasing the course through the NIFA projects newsletter and PubAg. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In Phase 1 (2021-2022), the research team assembled a 15-member panel. The Delphi study was a critical part of the ALCP's curriculum development, designed to determine the content of the 10-12 online modules. Fifteen agricultural literacy, education, and online learning experts participated in four rounds of communication and collaboration via Zoom, using electronic platforms to rank and comment on content. The committee reached a consensus on critical components to be included in the modules, guiding content curation and identifying areas of pedagogy to integrate. Most members were paid for their participation with grant funds. The study's findings directly informed the development of the educational modules and the learning management system. In Phase 2 (2022-2024), we completed the development of an intensive 8-moduleresearch-based online course to improve agricultural literacy. The specific features of the course and the website it is housed in include: WordPress. WordPress provides infrastructure for content management, user permissions, and the backend database. LMS plugin. The course's foundation is a WordPress LMS plugin (e.g., LearnDash) with customized underlying code tailored to our needs. Sleek and simple website interface. The website's main purpose is to get people to either login or purchase access to the course. This means providing clear navigation and prominent indicators of what learners can expect and why that's something they want (the "what's in it for me" principle). Secure domain and hosting.The site will be served over SSL. Accessible and usable. The site will be compliant with Section 508 requirements and WCAG AA standards. Additionally, all users will have an equally positive experience regardless of browser, screen size, operating system, or internet speed. Course purchase ($20). Course purchases are made using a standard payment processor. Participants can check out with a credit card or a discount code. Additionally, since the course is for K-12 educators, it is easy for participants to download their purchase receipt and submit it for reimbursement. School districts can purchase access for "groups" of educators. Strong course alignment. The assessments lead to learner outcomes, and the content/activities will help participants complete the assessments. Smart completion tracking. For data purposes, participants can see what they've done and still need to do. Drip content. Participants progress through the course specifically based on what they've already completed. Interactive and useful learning activities. Additionally, assessments can ideally be "graded" automatically. Community-building. Activities and spaces help build community among the learners. For example, a text--or video-based forum or shared workspace where they upload things like lesson plans and get feedback from others. Pre- and post-test. At the beginning and end of the ALCP, participants take the NALO assessments as a pre-test and a post-test. The NCAL team uses these to determine learning progress and knowledge gaps. Completion survey.Upon completion of the ALCP course modules, participants complete a survey with questions about their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions concerning agricultural literacy, the course effectiveness, their self-efficacy regarding the use of agriculture as a content providing context for academic subjects, and their future plans for including more agricultural instruction in their academic content areas. Completion badges or certificates. After submitting their course survey, each participant will receive a digital certification or badge from Badgr. Unlimited lifetime content access. Every educator, volunteer, or program staff member who completes the course, regardless of which phase or beyond the grant funding period, will maintain access to the curriculum, content, and modules to maintain their commitment to agricultural literacy and share it with their students. Output Numbers Between May 20, 2024 and November 27, 2024: 1,354 educators enrolled in the course 978 completed the course requirements and achieved their digital certification The USDA-NIFA grant provided participant support costs (incentives) for 509 participants of the ALCP course. Over 6,100 hours of instruction have taken place A 76% completion rate within a 60-day-start to end session Educators who have completed the course have the potential to influence 15,300 K-12 students Participants were highly satisfied with the course, course navigation, and individual course objectives. Means were no more than 2 on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Agree to 5 = Strongly Disagree); participants had a mean score of 1.45 out of 5 (SD = .71) on the question of whether they would be likely to recommend the course. 75% of participants chose to analyze a lesson plan for their capstone Agricultural Literacy Increase in Participants Not all the course data has been analyzed or prepared for publication and dissemination. However, these are some of the analyzed data. Participants in the pilot overall had a fair amount of knowledge when they started the course but still improved from pre- to post-test(paired samples T-test, t =-5.025, p <.001, two-sided) by a mean of 1.45 points (SD =1.82) out of 15 (10%). Differences in the pre-post change between formal vs volunteer educators were not statistically significant (F = .329, p = .25, two-sided). The largest score increase was a five-point change for a single participant. The pre-and post-tests presented 15 questions from the JMALI NALO assessments ( Judd-Murray, R., Warnick, B. K., Coster, D. C., & Longhurst, M. L. (2024). Development and validation of a high school agricultural literacy assessment. Advancements in Agricultural Development,5(3), 91-104. https://doi.org/10.37433/aad.v5i3.407). In evaluating the National Rollout participants, pre-test scores (M = 12, SD = 1.71) indicated that most (54%) enrollees began with practical and applicable agricultural proficiency. Post-test scores (M = 13, SD = 1.10) indicated participants gained some understanding throughout the course, with less variation among responses. Most participants gained 1.5 points (SD = 1.94) from pre-to post-test. Questions most frequently missed on both tests were related to technology use in agriculture. While becoming agriculturally literate will take more than one intervention, these results indicate the ALC course is moving participants toward an increased proficiency in agriculture. Participant Testimonials of the ALCP Course: Let me say, as someone who teaches specifically ag (grades 3-5 exploratoryagriculture teacher, but also a past middle and high school teacher as well as an agriculturemuseum employee), that this is one of the greatest courses I have seen for educating someone in ag literacy. I have recommended it to so many people around me as a great way to become more in tune with the world of agriculture!--Georgia Teacher "I wasn't planning to do it so quickly, but I enjoyed it. It was kind of like getting into a good book that you just don't really put down until all of a sudden, it's like, "Wow, I finished." It was funny at dinner yesterday. During our conversation, three different facts came up from the course. Pretty soon, the rest of my family will be ag literate too!"--Wisconsin Teacher

Publications

Progress 02/01/23 to 01/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The program is being developed for K-12 educators, preservice teachers, AITC professionals, and program volunteers. Changes/Problems:We are about one year off from our original plans, and we have moved some of our staff funding around to accomplish the challenging work of obtaining the video and graphics necessary to support a high-quality learning experience. Formatting the course and building the user interface was intensely challenging and required much more funding and effort than initially anticipated. However, our technical support has been outstanding, and we feel confident that the delays on the front end of development were worth the wait. The course is of the highest quality and will be accessible to any user. We are confident that the pilot will be successful and that changes to the course will be minimal. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training: An overview of the ALCP program, its objectives, and its potential were highlighted at the W3006 Annual Meeting in Logan, UT, on September 18, 2023. The W3006 is the national grant/project for the Multistate Agricultural Literacy Research Project. 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?Our current timeline for 2024: January 2024: Plan for ALCP pilot participant recruitment March 2024: Completion of curricula development April 2024: Begin pilot testing of the ALCP course (50 participants nationwide) May 2024: Pilot course evaluations and course modification based on analysis by Dr. Katie Stofer (University of Florida, project evaluator) June 2024: Presentation and recruitment at the National AITC Conference July and August 2024: Recruitment and registration for ALCP (up to 500 educators ) September 2024: ALCP course opens

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Significant progress was made on the first objective as we near completion of the research-based online certification program development. Additionally, we are preparing to register participants for the pilot program in spring 2024. We submitted and were approved to present on the ALCP at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference (Salt Lake City, UT) in June 2024. This will serve as a recruitment opportunity. Our NAITC Conference Proposal description: Mission Possible: Agricultural Literacy Certification The mission of Agriculture in the Classroom is to "increase agricultural literacy through K-12 education." If you are a K-12 educator, preservice teacher, AITC professional, or program volunteer, you are invited to earn your Agricultural Literacy Certification--completely online--to help with the mission! During this session, we'll share how the course works, some of the course content, Matrix lesson integration, and agricultural literacy assessments. The program equips you with research-based agricultural content and provides pedagogical methods, strategies, and tools. Elevate your teaching game and inspire the next generation! Course completers will earn a digital badge demonstrating they are ready to communicate the "value of agriculture as it affects our quality of life."

Publications

Progress 02/01/22 to 01/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported 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?The project is on target to complete the training modules by the end of April, 2023. Education-professionals will be recruited in May, 2023 for the pilot program. The pilot program will run through the summer months of 2023 and will serve as a litmus test for the official launch in fall 2023. It is anticipated that the pilot and the first cohort of professionals will complete the certification program in 2023.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Progress toward these goals continues with the development of the learning management system that will house the online curricula for the certification program. The content for each of the modules is being generated based on the directives of the adapted-Delphi committee. The certification program will include agricultural instruction and pedagogical instruction to improve content knowledge and the application of the teaching strategies. Participants will recieve online and video instruction through a fully asynchronous course. The goals for the high-quality online professional development program remain the same.

Publications

Progress 02/01/21 to 01/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems:In September, 2021, the co-PIs updated the Activity Completion Dates for the Plan of Work for the ALCP. These dates will not affect the objectives, funding or any of the methodology. The dates were changed dueto when the funding wasallocated and when the work could begin based on the co-PI's current workload. The changes are shown below: Table 1. Plan of Work for the ALCP Key Personnel Project Milestones Activity Completion Dates Performance Targets Phase 1: Development and Pilot Testing R. Judd-Murray & D. Spielmaker Determine the Delphi study panel members September 2021- January 2022 Minimum of three iterations Panel consensus on module content R. Judd-Murray & Amelia Content creation and module development (i.e., audio, visual, video creation, resource integration) January 2022 - August 2022 8-10 modules encompassing these potential topics (e.g., What is agricultural literacy (so what?)? What are the NALOs? Exploring the NALO themes; Agricultural literacy instruction; Evaluating agricultural literacy; Completing the capstone project) Educator/Graduate Student TBD Assisting Dr. Judd-Murray in content creation and module development (i.e., audio, visual, video creation, resource integration) January 2022 - August 2022 8-10 modules encompassing these potential topics (e.g., What is agricultural literacy? What are the NALOs? Exploring the NALO themes; Agricultural literacy instruction; Evaluating agricultural literacy; Completing the capstone project) D. Spielmaker Web interface integration management & digital badging development March 2022 - January 2023 Online framework established and prepared for content inclusion Instructional Designer Web interface development (i.e., course enrollment, content addition, payment/access codes, ADA compliance) October 2021-Jan 2023 Online framework established and prepared for content inclusion, student enrollment,participant payments, and badging implementation R. Judd-Murray & D. Spielmaker Pilot-project promotion & Paid-for advertising Jan 2023-February 2023 Use of Google and Facebook paid-for advertisements Participants enroll in ALCP Stakeholders express support for ALCP R. Judd-Murray & D. Spielmaker Project enrollment Participants begin course March 2023-April 2023 Notifications: May 1, 2023 June 1, 2023 Enroll at least 30 educators, 10 volunteer educators, and 10 new AITC staff members Educator/Graduate Student TBD (Amelia/Michelle) Participants begin course June 1, 2023- August 30, 2023 Maintain student contact Answer questions Monitor course progression Monitor course assessments K. Stofer Evaluation: Survey creation & begin data collection June 2023-Aug 30, 2023 Formative and summative evaluation tools completed Evaluations uploaded to Qualtrics survey tool Data collected from all course participants (Qualitative: open-ended survey questions, student reflection information) Quantitative: Course surveys (Likert scale) Data collected from student participants (Quantitative: NALO assessment scores, self-efficacy ratings) K. Stofer Evaluation: Data Analysis Participants complete course Sept 15, 2023 Data compiled using SPSS (Version 26) Report on pilot project submitted Phase 2: Maintenance and Sustainability R. Judd-Murray, D. Spielmaker, & Educator/Graduate Student Evaluate the efficacy of the pilot project Sept 2023 Review data points from the pilot project Revise curriculum, content, and assessment process to improve the course R. Judd-Murray & D. Spielmaker Project enrollment Participants begin course Aug 2023- open enrollment Enroll 500 participants in ALCP Educator/Graduate Student TBD Participants begin course Sept 1, 2023-open enrollment (500 participants by June 1, 2024) Maintain student contact Answer questions Monitor course progression Monitor course assessments R. Judd-Murray, D. Spielmaker, & Educator/Graduate Student Data collection and evaluation Sept 2023-June 1, 2024 Data collected from all course participants (Qualitative: open-ended survey questions, student reflection information) Quantitative: Course surveys (Likert scale) Data collected from student participants (Quantitative: NALO assessment scores, self-efficacy ratings) K. Stofer R. Judd-Murray & D. Spielmaker Final Report Grant Completion June 2024 Deadline: January 31, 2025 Report submitted Co-PDs attend mandatory meeting for PDAL Grant in Washington D.C. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported 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??The plan of action for 2022, includes the curation of agricultural literacy content for the 8-10 online modules. The educational content will include the aggregation of activities, lesson plans, and resources from the National Center for Agricultural LIteracy's Curriculum Matrix. It will require crafting new video and media content, as well as lesson plans, and educational audio/video media that instructs users in current issues, instructional techniques, and other areas deemed critical by the Delphi committee. The modules will begin development in January, 2022. It is anticipated thatmodules will be completed by August 2022. It is anticipated that an educator/graduate student will assist the PI with the content development and resource creation. Beyond developing curriculum, the web interface integration management and digital badging development must be developed. The co-PI (Debra Spielmaker) will work with the instructional designer from March 2022-January 2023 to ensure a platform that can incorporate course enrollment, content additon, payment/access codes, and is ADA compliant. When the framework is completed, the educational content will be uploaded.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? ?Objective #1: Develop a research-based online agricultural literacy certification program (ALCP). ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 1) The priorities of the ALCP have been determined using quantitative and qualitative feedback from an expert Delphi study. Those priorities will be reflected in how the content for each of the 10-12 educational modules will be curated. Additionally, 2) a professional instructional designer has been hired and work has begun to develop an online content portal in WordPress that will be ADA accessible,reflect research-based design, and allow users to easily enroll, navigate, and complete the certification program.

Publications