Transforming Agricultural Education for a Changing World

by Committee on a Leadership Summit to Effect Change in Teaching and Learning

• ISBN13: 9780309132213
• ISBN10: 0309132215
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-15
• Publisher: Natl Academy Pr

Summary

During the next ten years, colleges of agriculture will be challenged to transform their role in higher education and their relationship to the evolving global food and agricultural enterprise. If successful, agriculture colleges will emerge as an important venue for scholars and stakeholders to address some of the most complex and urgent problems facing society. Such a transformation could reestablish and sustain the historical position of the college of agriculture as a cornerstone institution in academe, but for that to occur, a rapid and concerted effort by our higher education system is needed to shape their academic focus around the reality of issues that define the world's systems of food and agriculture and to refashion the way in which they foster knowledge of those complex systems in their students. Although there is no single approach to transforming agricultural education, a commitment to change is imperative.

Table of Contents

Summary	p. 1
Motivating Change	p. 13
What Is Agriculture?	p. 14
The Need for Change	p. 14
Impact of Changes on Agricultural Education	p. 18
The Roles of Land-Grant Universities and Other Institutions	p. 19
Continuing Promise of the Agricultural Education and the Land-Grant System	p. 19
The Consequences of Failure	p. 21
Goals of the Report	p. 21
Organization of the Report	p. 23
The Context for Change	p. 25
Change in Students	p. 25
Change in Institutions	p. 27
Change in Higher Education	p. 30
Change in Agriculture	p. 31
Change in Careers	p. 32
Implementing Change	p. 33
Improving the Learning Experience	p. 35
Skills Development	p. 40
Case Studies and Problem-Based Learning	p. 42
Service Learning and Community Engagement	p. 44
Cooperative and Active Learning	p. 45
Learning Communities	p. 46
Extracurricular Activities	p. 47
Undergraduate Research	p. 48
International Experiences and Perspectives	p. 48
Instructional Technology	p. 51
Implementing Change	p. 53
Adoption of Effective Teaching Methods	p. 54
Role of Graduate Education	p. 55
Centers for Teaching and Learning	p. 56
Faculty Development	p. 57
Faculty Rewards	p. 60
Breaking Down Silos in The University	p. 65
Desired Qualities of Graduates	p. 66
Providing a Problem-Solving Outlook to the Broader Community Through Extension	p. 67
Providing Coursework Elements Beyond the College	p. 68
Connecting with the Rest of the University	p. 68
Faculty Recruiting	p. 70
University-wide Offerings	p. 71
New Areas of Instruction	p. 71
The Role of Colleges of Agriculture in Nurturing Liberal Education	p. 72
Extending Beyond The University: External Partnerships To Effect Change	p. 77
Partnerships with K-12 and Precollege Programs	p. 78
Partnerships Between Academic Institutions	p. 84
Involving Undergraduates in Outreach and Extension	p. 89
Partnerships with Nongovernmental Organizations	p. 91
Connection Between Academic institutions and Employers	p. 94
International Partnerships	p. 98
A Call for Change	p. 99
Need for Institutional Strategic Planning	p. 100
Agriculture Across the Curriculum	p. 102
Changes in How Students Learn	p. 104
Changes in How Faculty Teach	p. 105
Supporting the Value of Teaching and Learning	p. 108
Increasing Connections Between Institutions	p. 109
Increasing Connections with Precollege Settings	p. 110
Increased Permeability Between Academic Institutions and Employers	p. 111
Accountability and Compliance	p. 113
Implementing Change	p. 114
Continuing the Conversation	p. 120
References	p. 121
Appendixes
Statement of Task	p. 129
Leadership Summit information	p. 131
Background Paper: Shifts in the Production and Employment of Baccalaureate Degree Graduates from United States Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1990-2005	p. 155
Background Paper: Rethinking Undergraduate Science Education: Concepts and Practicalities-A Traditional Curriculum in a Changed World	p. 169
Questions to Guide the Review of Undergraduate Food and Agriculture Programs	p. 179
Committee and Staff Biographies	p. 183
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