Performing Department
CNAS
Non Technical Summary
The Agriculture and Life Science Division, College of Natural and Applied Science (CNAS) at the University of Guam (UOG) offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and Life Science (ALS) and the Master of Science degree in Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (SAFNR). Isolation of our insular institution had worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic in past years. In this academic year, 2021-2022, the total number of student enrollment at UOG decreased to ca.3,000 from ca.4,000 of the previous year. On-line instruction was the only available method of learning when the campus was on a mandatory closure. This problem has made faculty members of ALS and SAFNR program aware of the need that we should aggressively bring in new methods to deliver agriculture courses due to limited access to the university campus and person-to person interaction. Our first challenge is to find out how to offer in-classroom instruction of 'hands-on' agriculture technology under strict isolation protocols. Resident Instruction program at the Agriculture and Life Science Division has limited number of instructional faculty members. One of the 'hands-on' technology courses listed in both undergraduate and graduate curricula, AL 443/443Lab: technologies for sustainable tropical agriculture, has not been offered due to retirement of the faculty member who created the course. It provides students with knowledge of agricultural sustainability through state-of-the-art technologies that utilize resources in a way that effectuate soil and water quality and quantity. Students will gain first-hand knowledge of technologies to improve sustainability on agriculture operations, and conservation practices that mitigate degradation of soil and water quality in agricultural operations. On the one hand, students will learn effective management strategies and technologies to optimize agricultural production, reduce negative environmental impacts, and manage natural resources in a sustainable manner. On the other hand, this course seeks to identify a solution to teach Agriculture and Natural Resources Technology in the curriculum of undergraduate and graduate programs at the UOG. The University of Guam is the only 4-year Land-Grant higher education institution in the western Pacific region. Many students from the Northern Marianas College, the College of Micronesia, and Palau Community College pursue tertiary education at the UOG after graduation from colleges on their respective home islands. From the previous RIIA projects, we found out that providing learning opportunities with other insular institutions would generate mutual benefits, such as information transmission and cost-effectiveness, for both faculty members and students of participating institutions. In addition, we aim to link other insular institutions with pioneering technology of agriculture education through knowledge sharing and synthesis in the RIIA project.?
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The proposed project has three (3) objectives:Objective 1: Integrate virtual reality technology (VRT) in agriculture sciences education program.Objective 2: Engage more Pacific islanders in virtual reality technology (VRT).Objective 3: Connect with two insular institutions, the University of Guam and the Northern Marianas College in administering training programs of virtual reality technology (VRT). The anticipated and overall impact of the three objectives will be an overarching and substantial improvement of the quality of agricultural sciences education at UOG that utilizes transcending technology in teaching pedagogy. Experts of 'smart agri-tech VRT' at the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) in Taiwan will share their knowledge and teaching methods to improve our course curriculum and laboratory practices. The proposed project will overcome current limitations of face-to-face and other interactive instruction system due to COVID-19 restrictions. Specifically, this collaboration gives a mental boost to students in taking up the much-needed self-initiative to exploring and immersing into novel agricultural education methodologies. As technology integration in education continues to burgeon throughout the years, it is imperative to develop innovative strategies that will offer agriculture students at the UOG diverse learning opportunities. This program will instill knowledge of and obtain new insights from island agriculture in Taiwan by strengthening connection with the Northern Marianas College (NMC), a neighbor insular institution, in receiving the same training program from NPUST.
Project Methods
Plan of Operation and MethodologyProposed ActivitiesObjective 1: Integrate virtual reality technology (VRT) in agriculture sciences education program.During the first year, we will have on-line zoom meetings with PDs and Research Associate of UOG and collaborators, Dr. Shang-han Tsai (Assistant Professor and Chief of Smart Agriculture Center) and Mr. Bo-Yuan Cheng (Lecturer Rank Research Fellow) at the NPUST to discuss about details of integration of their VRT in class AL451/G (agribusiness management), AL484/L (Tropical Vegetable Production) and AL443/G (Technologies for Sustainable Tropical Agriculture) We plan to introduce topics and concepts of some topics of these classes utilizing VRT during Spring semester or summer session in 2023. PDs are instructors or guest lecturer of these courses. After reviewing by student participants and co-instructors and colleagues of ALS Division, the revision of the course delivery methods will be proposed at a division meeting to interweave classroom lessons and institutional learning objectives.Objective 2: Engage more Pacific islanders in virtual reality technology (VRT).From a global perspective, country income indicators are also a key determinant in agriculture stagnation in addition to a mix of constraints on environmental domains (natural indicators (biomass, land, water), resource availability/access, etc.) (Cantone et al., 2021). Targeting these disparate relationships, the development of insular states will concentrate on the strategic implementation of agriculture development. As the largest territory in the Western Pacific, the communities of Guam can be immensely benefited through agricultural contributions in research education and sustainable investments. An overarching ambition will be the advancement of communicative technologies and institutional programs to ease infrastructure gaps that will train this and the next generations to connect the island with global communities.In spring 2023, ten students (three graduate and seven undergraduate students) will be recruited through the public media (e.g. university website, social media, email, etc.). Applications will be reviewed by faculty recruitment committee members of the ALS and SAFNR programs. In summer 2023, PDs (Dr. Kuan-Ju Chen and Dr. Mari Marutani) will take ten students to the NPUST in Taiwan to learn the VRT introduced by Dr. Shang-Han Tsai and Mr. Bo-Yuan Cheng, who have extensive teaching experiences using VRT in agricultural education. Through these collaborative and international-themed activities, students will have a more holistic understanding of valuing diversity, consciousness, cultural knowledge, and reflective experience of cultures that facilitate the ongoing collaborations with our partnering institution in Taiwan.Objective 3: Connect with two insular institutions, the University of Guam and the Northern Marianas College in administering training programs of virtual reality technology (VRT). UOG plays a very important role in regional political and economic layout because of its geographical and strategic location as the military base in Micronesia. As the highest institution on Guam, UOG has become a nurturing and training base for high-ranked officials and prominent leaders in the region. The UOG has positioned itself as the hub of cultural exchange and workforce development for neighboring states in the Micronesia and the greater Pacific region. The Northern Marianas College (NMC) is a public land-grant college in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). NMC has been a member of the consortium of insular land grant institutions since its inception and the interaction among the institutions is of great benefit to all participants. The academic engagement between Guam and CNMI will foster strong and longstanding relationships between faculty members, students, stakeholders, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the respective communities. Workshops on virtual reality experience system of smart farm will be offered by Dr. Shang-Han Tsai and Mr. Bo-Yuan Cheng in summer 2024. We will invite Dr. Virendra M. Verma (Program Leader and Scientist (Horticulture/Crop), Agriculture Production Program, Northern Marianas College) and his students from NMC to attend the workshops. This will enhance students' knowledge in agriculture sciences education program, increase the number of Pacific islanders to experience training programs in VRT, and link the two insular institutions (UOG and NMC) through virtual reality training and education programs.