Search

Given the convenience with which information can now be acquired, it is crucial to analyze cases of potential misinformation and disinformation in postsecondary education. Instructor credibility judgments were measured using descriptive survey research, and the main objective was to investigate trends related to misinformation, credibility, trust, bias, and others in graduate students and on a graduate program basis. Participants were surveyed from a land grant institution in the southeast United States where 186 graduate students completed an electronic survey on the detection of misinformation and similar experiences. Graduate students were divided based on graduate program into STEM (sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and non-STEM groups. Quantitative methodologies included validated questionnaires developed by researchers containing Likert-type scale questions. Chi-square tests of independence and frequencies served as primary analyses. Participants in both STEM and non-STEM groups detected the following: misinformation, bias, challenges, intimidation, risk of measurable consequences, pressure to conform, and skepticism from post-secondary instructors. There were significant differences between the type of student for trust in claims (p < 0.05), while the perception of potential consequences tended to be different between the types of graduate students (0.05 < p < 0.10). Participants in both STEM and non-STEM groups reported perception bias in science material presentation, with STEM students reporting less bias. Qualitative methodologies included optional open response boxes to provide supporting details or narratives. Reliable and validated thematic coding following served as the primary analysis. Students disciplined in STEM and non-STEM faced misinformation, bias, challenges, intimidation, risk of measurable consequences, pressure to conform, and skepticism from post-secondary instructors. Graduate students reported consistent instances of misinformation and bias about science and agriculture topics in both science and non-science-focused classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiences of Black faculty as leaders and administrators in the field of agriculture have not been widely studied nor reported. The goal of this research focused on Black faculty leaders' experiences in agriculture to gain firsthand insights regarding the enhancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion within agricultural higher education. The central research question guiding the study was: What are the experiences of Black faculty leaders at Colleges of Agriculture at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs)? Counter-storytelling was used to explore the personal narratives of eight participants. These experiences fall within the tenets of Critical Race Theory. Three primary themes emerged: Navigating Leadership: Microaggressions in the Midst; Inequities: Is Everyone Really Equal; and Isolation: The Lone Ranger. Findings of this study hold valuable implications for practitioners, policymakers, and academic institutions seeking to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion within agricultural higher education. Recommendations for policy and practice include providing support for leadership mentoring and professional development, conducting robust research on the intersection of race, ethnicity, and gender for faculty of color, and establishing collaborative initiatives between academic institutions, industry partners, and community organizations to address historical disparities and stimulate interest in agriculture among Black communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Judith A. Allen, a distinguished historian of gender, sexuality, crime, and first wave feminism, passed away suddenly in London in 2024. She made significant contributions to the field of women's history in Australia and expanded her research to include American, Canadian, and British history. Allen was known for her methodological approach to feminist readings and her ability to read archives for what they didn't say. She was a highly respected professor at Indiana University and played a key role in establishing the Gender Studies department there. Allen's untimely passing left several major projects unfinished, but her impact on the field of history was immeasurable. [Extracted from the article]

Using data from a 2013 Student Diversity Survey, this place-based analysis examines the cultural values, beliefs, and logics of postsecondary students from an Hispanic Land Grant Institution in southern New Mexico. The analysis explores the diverse social profiles of the students in the sample and how race, gender, and class statuses shape student's cultural logics related to educational democracy. Relying on the concepts of cultural citizenship and settler colonialism, the author imagines a post-assimilationist education trajectory that celebrates the cultural wealth of working-class, students of color, and women students as they diversify US higher education. The findings show that these postsecondary students embrace cultural logics centering on interdependence and collectivism and reject cultural logics centering on individualism and independence. The author makes a case for expanding neoliberal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion approaches in US higher education to grapple with the foundational violences of Indigenous land dispossession and ongoing settler colonialism that maintains systemic inequities and exclusions in US public education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that older adolescents have a low perceived personal risk of COVID-19, and yet their ability and willingness to engage in COVID-19 prevention behaviors is imperative for community health. Thus, health communication scholars need to consider alternative psycho-social predictors of prevention behaviors that will assist in protecting others in a pandemic. Based on Schwartz's Norms Activation Model (NAM; Schwartz, 1977), we examined the relationship between moral norms and COVID-19 prevention behaviors (mask wearing and physical distancing). We predicted that anticipated guilt would mediate the relationship between moral norms and intention to engage in prevention behaviors, and that collective orientation would strengthen the association between moral norms and anticipated guilt. We tested predictions with data from a cross-sectional survey with a probability-based sample of college students at a large land grant university. These data indicated that moral norms were associated with behavioral intention, and this relationship was mediated by anticipated guilt. Collective orientation was found to moderate the relationship between moral norms and anticipated guilt in the context of physical distancing but not mask wearing. These findings suggest that making moral norms salient when designing an intervention is an effective strategy for older adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative Extension is a complex organization with a mission to deliver research from the Land-Grant University to all U.S. communities. This qualitative Grounded Theory study investigated State Extension administrators' perspectives on the environmental factor changes facing the organization and their responses to inform the direction for organization adaptation. Data were collected from seven State Extension Directors and 13 State 4-H Program Leaders from four 1862 Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities administrative regions. The participation of both State Extension Directors and 4-H Program Leaders was to provide two vantage points on the phenomena. Data were analyzed through open coding and axial coding. Findings reveal that Cooperative Extension can remain relevant and meet the needs of individuals and communities, if the organization can adapt in response to the identified environmental factors. Categories of environmental factors that Cooperative Extension is facing include changes in funding, clientele demographics, and community power changes. Organizational adaptation can cause long-term stakeholders to fear loss and act against the organization. This article establishes theory of pushback to Cooperative Extension adaptation called shifting focus friction (SFF). Administrators must be responsive to traditional stakeholder concerns and build a shared understanding of the mission to reduce SFF and facilitate the organization adaptation necessary for survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, the impact of low food security on student well-being and academic performance has become a growing concern at institutions of higher education across the U.S. This mixed methods study adds to the growing body of evidence on the association between student socio-demographic and economic characteristics and food security. An online survey covering food access, student well-being, and housing security was sent to 35,337 undergraduate and graduate students at a large southeastern land grant university. A total of 2,116 complete responses were received; a 6% response rate. The survey responses also included 176 written statements by students. The survey found that 16% of both undergraduate and graduate students had low or very low food security, as defined by a modified USDA food security measure. The socio-demographic and economic characteristics that were linked to a higher likelihood of low food security included: having a GPA of less than 3.0, having a disability, being an international student, being a first-generation student, being a transfer student, going into debt to pay for food, being a Black or African American student, having poor mental health, having uncertain living arrangements, and having no medical insurance. Recommendations for enhancing student access to food, housing, and mental health services are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural students graduate from high school at higher rates but go to college at lower rate than their urban and suburban peers. To take on the educational attainment challenge for rural students, we need to know more about postsecondary encouragement programs. This study examined a pilot postsecondary encouragement program in 11 rural high schools with two questions: How do high school counselors support students' plans for life after high school through a land‐grant outreach program? How is a university outreach program utilized in these schools? This qualitative case study used 17 individual interviews with school counselors and county extension agents. According to school counselors, the postsecondary encouragement program increased financial aid applications and student interest in college going. County extension agents were a trusted bridge between the program and the local high schools. Tracking student milestones helped school counselors serve all students, and program experts provided workshops for students and parents. Campus visits helped students visualize themselves as college students, yet financial concerns dominated the students' college choices. Practical Takeaways: Postsecondary encouragement through information from experts combined with local support can be a cost‐effective intervention to increase rural students' college going.Counselors tracking all students for college and career readiness milestones ensure all students are given the message that they are college material, a predictor of enrollment.Counselors and students lack clear information about costs and financial aid availability, but these are important to rural families' decisions.Local county extension agents can serve as the bridge between the rural student population and the 4‐year universities. Extension agents and school counselors gave credibility to outside experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article evaluates the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) competitive grant funding awarded to predominately White 1862 land grant institutions (LGUs), historically Black 1890 LGUs, and non‐land grant institutions. We present the historical distribution of funding for agricultural research. Much of the inquiry centers on the differential funding of the 1862 LGUs, 1890 LGUs, and non‐land grant institutions. We discuss the implications for academic and community stakeholders. Results show that, on average, 1890 LGUs and non‐land grant institutions receive less competitive grant funding than 1862 LGUs for the same award programs. We show that the disparity falls from 2010 to 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Administrators are viewed as the leaders in higher education. However, accepting exceptional educators as relational leaders is vital as changes in higher education demand institutions provide value and quality to their stakeholders. Exceptional educators at our land-grant Midwestern university are nominated and awarded the title of Morrill Professors in recognition of the Morrill Act. In this qualitative study using a narrative inquiry approach, we interviewed twelve Morrill Professors to find common teaching practices among these outstanding educators. Upon review of the transcripts, we realized that although they all practiced student-success teaching strategies, the emphasis on developing relationships with their students was paramount. Applying the framework of relational leadership to the interview transcripts, we identify ways in which the Morrill Professors exemplified the five elements of the model. The Morrill Professors interviewed were purposeful and empowering while engaging students in learning. They were inclusive and ethical in their approach to fulfilling the teaching component of the land-grant mission. Finally, they were processoriented, encouraging iterative learning that builds on the needs of the discipline. The results of this study can be used to emphasize building excellence in teaching through the relational leadership model rather than focusing solely on specific teaching strategies. University leadership can further elevate successful teachers as leaders within their institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tremendous progress has been made in variety development and host plant resistance to mitigate the impact of Fusarium head blight (FHB) since the disease manifested in the southeastern United States in the early 2000s. Much of this improvement was made possible through the establishment of and recurring support from the US Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI). Since its inception in 1997, the USWBSI has enabled land‐grant institutions to make advances in reducing the annual threat of devastating FHB epidemics. A coordinated field phenotyping effort for annual germplasm screening has become a staple tool for selection in public and private soft red winter wheat (SRWW) breeding programmes. Dedicated efforts of many SRWW breeders to identify and utilize resistance genes from both native and exotic sources provided a strong foundation for improvement. In recent years, implementation of genomics‐enabled breeding has further accelerated genetic gains in FHB resistance. This article reflects on the improvement of FHB resistance in southern SRWW and contextualizes the monumental progress made by collaborative, persistent, and good old‐fashioned cultivar development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists are increasingly expected to participate in public engagement around prominent science and technology issues. However, scientists remain concerned that public engagement takes time away from conducting research. Little is known about the relationship between scientists' productivity and their willingness to participate in different types of public engagement. Using a census survey of scientists from 30 U.S. land-grant universities (N = 5,208), we find that productive scientists are slightly more willing to participate in public scholarship than less productive scientists. In addition, social science consideration, institutional incentives, and self-efficacy are associated with a greater willingness to participate in public scholarship and informal science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A well-trained food systems workforce is in high demand, and food systems education programs are proliferating in higher education. However, these programs often struggle to embody the full interdisciplinary scope of the field of food systems, in part due to the limitations of traditional academic structures. Here, we present an inventory of existing U.S. food systems educational programs which showcases the breadth of their geographic distribution and disciplinary contexts. We pair this with a case study of two geographically proximal, highly complementary programs, one at a land grant university and one within a school of public health. While the individual programs face challenges in achieving full interdisciplinarity, their pairing showcases that striking opportunities exist to augment interdisciplinarity through inter-institutional collaboration. More models of successful inter-institutional collaborative food systems education are needed. Growth in this area would be aided by external funding for proof-of-concept models, fostering learning networks across disciplinarily distinct programs, and fighting the mission creep of individual programs striving to "do it all" at the expense of quality, stability, or an appreciation for the value of diverse core strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines chat reference interruptions at a public land grant university, focusing primarily on referrals. Since interrupted service is never ideal, how do we best handle these situations, both with the patrons and within and across library departments? Researchers examined chat transcripts and pinpointed transactions that contained interruptions or delays in service. The transcripts with service interruptions were then combed and analyzed to discover which strategies and actions proved most successful, and which library departments or staff members were absorbing most of the referred queries. Findings not only provided evidence and case studies for better reference training and interdepartmental cooperation, but also shed light on the intricacies of referrals. The analysis revealed many paths forward, including creating targeted canned chats, utilizing our findings in reference trainings, and improving communication and cooperation with the most referred-to library department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programs within the Cooperative Extension Service often develop partnerships with other agencies and organizations to better meet their common goals. While there are many benefits of partnerships, they can be challenging when the partners are unequal or have dissimilar needs. Using a survey and interviews with faculty and administrators at two land-grant institutions we explore the similarities and differences that pull and push at their partnership. Recommendations to strengthen partnering opportunities at the institutional and program levels are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of equitable access to education was at the forefront of the Morrill Acts' mission from the beginning, yet Extension programs in Indigenous communities are underfunded and unable to provide equitable support. Educators from 1862 Land Grant Institutions can collaborate with educators from 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities to better serve them in culturally revitalizing and mutually beneficial ways. In order to support and encourage these collaborations, I investigated the Western Region of Extension to learn about the characteristics that make them successful, the barriers that they face, and recommendations for decolonizing the Land Grant System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this case study we explore the concept of translational research: specifically, how common tools were employed in the context of the translational research process to design and implement a formal intervention to address racism at the individual and structural level. This approach to translational research focuses on the implementation of evidence-based interventions to address issues in communities, schools, and other organizations and is ideally suited to support researchers and practitioners in the nation's land-grant institutions. We discuss the suitability of translational research as an approach to identifying and resolving issues and implications for training and day-to-day operations of translational research organizations. Finally, we point to the necessity of incorporating principles of equity and engagement in the translational research process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This reflective essay addresses the nexus of two recent events in the United States: (1) the public scrutiny of the relationship between landgrant universities and the expropriation of Indigenous lands and (2) the often uncritical and rapid uptake of settler land acknowledgments at public college and university events. We argue that written land acknowledgment statements need to accompany actions that align with declarations of respect and honor. Specifically, we offer readers three concrete ideas through which institutions may further land acknowledgments: challenging their historical legacies, fostering meaningful partnerships with Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and materializing resources for this highly underserved, long-neglected, often ignored community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the worldwide food system becomes increasingly complex, the challenge of maintaining food safety increases. Professionals working in state and local health departments and those working in food safety outreach at universities often share common goals to inform the public about foodrelated issues and prevent foodborne illness. Collaborations between public health agencies and academic departments can combine complementary strengths to better address many food-related issues. Links between these groups may not be formalized, but fostering connections between food safety networks can be beneficial in various ways, including providing assistance during outbreak investigations. One example of an innovative agency-academic collaboration is the development of the Food Source Information website: https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/fsi/. Created under the auspices of the Colorado Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence, this was an interdisciplinary effort by staff, faculty, and students at the Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and Colorado State University Extension. The idea for the Food Source Information website was formed following the 2011 Listeria outbreak associated with Colorado-grown cantaloupe. That outbreak signaled a need for readily accessible farm-to-table food information, because it can be vital for public health professionals engaged in surveillance and outbreak investigations. In-depth knowledge of food systems is generally outside the range of public health training, but this is familiar territory at land-grant universities. This on-tap resource was designed to provide rapid access to basic information and production practices for a range of food commodities. The original goal was to promote better understanding of existing agricultural production practices within the Rocky Mountain region and increase awareness of risks associated with processing fresh produce. This goal has broadened over the past 10 years. The website now includes information contributed from other regions of the United States, and it addresses a wider variety of food commodities. The website has evolved from a concept to an easily accessible resource designed to assist public health professionals during outbreak investigations and improve food safety outcomes on a national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the challenges faced by agroecologists in the United States as they work to transform the globalized, centralized, monocultured, and industrialized food system using agroecology. The article focuses on a recent commentary from a USDA-funded summit of agroecologists, which highlights the need for agroecology to be recognized and acknowledged by the agricultural establishment. The commentary also emphasizes the importance of including diverse voices and knowledge types in the agroecological movement, and calls for collaborative efforts to create transformative change. Overall, the article provides insights into the ongoing struggles and opportunities within the agroecology movement. [Extracted from the article]

Summary: What does an academic statistical consulting center look like? What missions does it fulfill? Who are the clients and what kind of help are they getting? We collected 8 years of data of all consultation meetings in a consulting center at a land‐grant university. In this article, we demonstrate how the collected data could be used to learn about the daily operation in a consulting center, how various scientific fields use statistics, and changes over the years. We offer some practical guidance for academic consulting centers on how to evaluate their effectiveness and impact using appropriate metrics and data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asset-based Community Development (ABCD) approaches in higher education have the potential to benefit a diversity of higher education settings and partners, but they can also present challenges and opportunities for growth in higher education institutions. Cocurricular community engagement and academic service-learning programs may struggle to balance the broader political and logistical constraints imposed by the university with equitable, long-term, community-guided relationships that reflect a genuine commitment to ABCD. Extension programs may face difficulty engaging community members and maintaining their commitment to the long-term nature of ABCD in an environment where ABCD is not universally utilised. Although these challenges may seem daunting, partners in all three contexts can draw on a wealth of ABCD tools and resources, including case studies like those anchoring this discussion, in order to answer the question: How can ABCD approaches be utilised most effectively in higher education contexts to address challenges and improve outcomes? Specifically, can an asset-based orientation help position community participants as peer ‘experts’ alongside their academic partners,share power and authority in the collaboration? If so, how? If not, why not? The authors explore these questions using a case study methodology, allowing for nuanced portraits of three different contexts depicting interactions among community and university partners seeking to ground their collaborations in the mobilisation of assets, gifts and strengths. This article also seeks to identify key lessons learned in each setting of the three participating United States universities – the public, four-year research institution, the private religious university and the land-grant college/cooperative extension in order to make recommendations on using ABCD to build and nurture academic-community partnerships that are generalisable across other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex public problems are resistant to top-down, technical solutions creating the need for new and innovative ways of approaching community. In response, many practitioners working in community development organisations have embraced community strengthsor asset-based approaches to community development, including Asset Based Community Development (ABCD). Similarly, those scholars committed to social change have started to include action research/learning and participatory approaches to their research design, including Participatory Action Research (PAR). This article describes a qualitative method that was developed by a non-profit practitioner working for a local Habitat for Humanity affiliate and a researcher from a land-grant university in Manhattan, Kansas to operationalise a neighbourhood revitalisation framework with a community conversation series called Front Porch Conversations. The qualitative method developed by the university-nonprofit partnership –called the Front Porch Development Procedure – serves as both a PAR-informed mode of inquiry and an ABCD-informed mode of development. This method provides an example of how university-community partnerships can approach changemaking in novel ways by considering ABCD and PAR approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students enrolled in online courses tend to be less successful as measured by the rate of A's, B's, and C's than students enrolled in face-to-face courses. Yet little work has been done addressing whether these gaps vary depending on students' broader relationship with the university, including whether they are degree-seeking students and whether they take any face-to-face courses. We use institutional data on Economics enrollments between 2012 and 2018 at a mid-sized land-grant university to deconstruct online/face-to-face success gaps into a student's term modality (or modalities) and institutional affiliation components. We identify these components by using a fixed effects regression methodology and comparing outcomes across four student groups: affiliated students who are enrolled in exclusively online courses, exclusively face-to-face courses, or in a mix of courses each term, as well as unaffiliated (external) students exclusively taking online courses. Although students in online courses are less successful on average, part of this gap is explained by the student's institutional affiliation and whether they exclusively take online courses. External students are the least successful in online courses while students who are affiliated with the institution fare much better. We examine potential reasons for these patterns using survey data from several online courses. These findings suggest that institutions should take steps to ensure that institutional support services and activities exist and extend to students in online courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enrollment in soil science courses at land grant universities in the United States has been stagnant or declining for the last 20 years and this trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a newly developed course in drinking water and human health (DWHH) that was designed to widen soil science course offerings and attract students from other areas of natural resource sciences at the University of Idaho (UI). The DWHH course was first offered in 2004. Total enrollment in this class was initially 32 students; however, enrollment has grown significantly over the 20-year period to 72 students in spring 2023. The average enrollment of the 14 times this course was taught was 41.5 students. Because student demand was high, the course changed from an alternate year class (2004– 2014) to an annual class in 2016. The course was only taught live on the Moscow campus until 2014. When the course was transformed into an online class, its enrollment became dominated by place-based students. Most students taking the class in the last 5 years have been off campus graduate students enrolled in non-thesis Master of Science degree programs. Course evaluations indicated that students that have taken this class are more satisfied with the course content, course materials, course organization, and the work requirement than the average course taught on campus at UI. This course has been popular and will continue to be an important course offering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes undergraduate students' enrollment intentions and preferences for alternate teaching modalities during the pandemic under a range of reopening scenarios and flexible teaching modalities to investigate the value of flexible learning options and campus life offerings for students. Using primary survey data from six land‐grant universities, our findings suggest that there is no one‐size‐fits‐all policy for tackling significant shocks like the pandemic. Business‐as‐usual was the most divisive, with wide differences in preferences both within and across universities. These results have important implications for future responses to major disruptions in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory breeding and crop selection can satisfy the needs of underserved groups of farmers (e.g., organic producers, farmers producing specialty grain for niche markets) neglected by the modern global seed industry. Participatory research methods that value local knowledge and facilitate Interest includes re-engagement in the development of maize hybrids that perform well in a diverse range of heterogeneous growing environments and that are better suited for sustainabilityminded producers, buyers, and consumers. Systems-based breeding aimed at protecting the environment and providing food, fiber, and energy while considering equity issues, has been proposed as a way to overcome the shortcomings of privatized approaches. In this article, we consider recent projects that use collaborative methods for hybrid maize breeding, cultivar testing, and genetic research to develop, identify, and deliver traits associated with crop performance, quality, and sustainability. Three case studies consider the efforts focused on developing non-GMO varieties for organic and specialty markets. We find that, unlike many successful efforts focused on the improvement of other crops, there are few promising models for participatory breeding of hybrid maize. Even though many projects have sought to involve stakeholders with a variety of methods, all have struggled to meaningfully engage farmers in maize hybrid improvement. Still, our reflection of case studies calls for systems-based breeding and suggests a path forward. This route would seek to address the needs, perspectives, and values of a broader range of actors participating in the food system by leveraging technologies and infrastructure in service of the public. Land-grant universities are well positioned to play a crucial role in coordinating efforts, facilitating partnerships, and supporting breeding programs that satisfy societal wants that include health, equity, and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the USA, university-situated teacher education programmes are hierarchical, with tiers of students and faculty progressing through ranks that structurally confer power. Teacher education programmes purporting to engender democratic ideals must remake teaching and learning spaces to encourage the teachers that they prepare to do the same in their pre-school through to twelfth-grade classrooms and schools. In this article, we explore social pedagogy in a US context, describing the work of a tenured teacher educator, two graduate students and more than 40 undergraduate students as they experimented with practices of democratic education in a midwestern US land-grant university elementary literacy methods course. We centre our analysis on three questions: How do efforts to democratise a teacher education literacy course influence teaching and learning? What is the nature of those efforts? How do different social actors in the course make and remake space? We then present three findings that speak to the work of unlearning institutionalised norms that sustain hierarchical teaching and learning relationships and that demonstrate the nature of a maieutic disposition in bringing to life more democratic conceptions of teaching and learning. We illustrate throughout the overlaps between democratic education and social pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant, unforeseen changes in classroom instructions, including the evaluation of students. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate college students' cheating both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of (a) preponderance of cheating, (b) the factors that may have led to an increase in the amount of cheating, and (c) the underlying reasons for and affective response to cheating. Method: A sample of primarily Psychology majors (N = 214) attending a public land-grant university in the southeastern U.S. voluntarily completed a survey at the end of the Fall 2020 semester. Results: The results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic increased first time cheating, cheating in online classes was higher than that of in-person classes for most types of graded materials, and students are adept and adaptive at dealing with faculty attempts to combat cheating. Students' primary reasons for cheating were "feeling pressure," and "pandemic," and students who had cheated reported feeling "relieved" most often. Conclusion: With the onset of the pandemic and subsequent increase in online instruction, cheating behavior has also increased. Teaching Implications: As online enrollment continues to grow, understanding students' cheating behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between scientists' communication experience and attitudes towards misinformation and their intention to correct misinformation. Specifically, the study focuses on two correction strategies: source-based correction and relational approaches. Source-based approaches combatting misinformation prioritize sharing accurate information from trustworthy sources to encourage audiences to trust reliable information over false information. On the other hand, relational approaches give priority to developing relationships or promoting dialogue as a means of addressing misinformation. In this study, we surveyed 416 scientists from U.S. land-grant universities using a self-report questionnaire. We find that scientists' engagement in science communication activities is positively related to their intention to correct misinformation using both strategies. Moreover, the scientists' attitude towards misinformation mediates the relationship between engagement in communication activities and intention to correct misinformation. The study also finds that the deficit model perception–that is, the assumption that scientists only need to transmit scientific knowledge to an ignorant public in order to increase understanding and support for science–moderates the indirect effect of engagement in science communication activities on behavioral intention to correct misinformation using relational strategies through attitude towards misinformation. Thus, the deficit model perception is a barrier to engaging in relational strategies to correct misinformation. We suggest that addressing the deficit model perception and providing science communication training that promotes inclusive worldviews and relational approaches would increase scientists' behavioral intentions to address misinformation. The study concludes that scientists should recognize their dual positionality as scientists and members of their community and engage in respectful conversations with community members about science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay bookends the first special issue of essays dedicated to farm media and situates the issue's contributions within a broader history of media, communications, and agricultural entanglement. The connections between these fields are grounded in what Peters calls "Medium America," which names the spaces and ideologies most shaped by farming across the middle of the Americas to orient a critical transnational history of farm media. Land grant universities, farmworker movements, and rural communication infrastructure are just a few of the institutions that give shape to Medium America, as are the linguistic inheritances that stitch together these relationships, from broadcasting and academic fields to news feeds and data farms. The future of food and farming grows out of these histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil testing is the foundation of fertilizer recommendations in the United States. Fertilizer recommendations have primarily been developed by land‐grant universities with limited coordination among programs. The individual state approach to develop fertilizer recommendations has resulted in discrepancies in recommended soil sampling protocols, soil analysis methods, and fertilizer recommendations at similar soil nutrient levels. A national survey was developed to summarize the status of soil testing and fertility work in the United States to inform future collaborative efforts among states and regions and identify opportunities to harmonize recommendation guidelines. Topics included relevant funding, multi‐state collaborations, state soil‐test recommendations and related data, fertilization philosophies, and analytical and soil sampling methods. Responses from 48 states and Puerto Rico showed inconsistencies across state boundaries in every category. The number of faculty full‐time equivalents working in soil fertility now averages 1.3 per state, a 21.5% decrease every 10 years since the 1950s. Land‐grant university soil‐test‐based phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) recommendation philosophies were categorized as Sufficiency (37%), Build and Maintain (19%), hybrid (20%), or multiple philosophies for which recommendations are provided (20%). Respondents in two states did not know the recommendation philosophy (4%). Fertilizer‐P and K recommendations for corn (Zea mays L.) were based on eight different extractants with differences across and within regions. While there have been some successful regional efforts in the past, additional multi‐state collaborative efforts are needed to identify research gaps and develop comprehensive strategies to update soil‐test correlation and calibration data to address modern agronomic, economic, and environmental concerns. Core Ideas: A national survey determined the status of soil fertility recommendations in the United States.This paper focuses on survey results regarding P and K fertilizer recommendations.Soil fertility evaluation methodology, interpretations, and recommendations lack consistency among states.41% of states do not know when their P and K correlations were established or last validated.Multi‐state collaboration and funding for soil fertility research are needed to improve P and K recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a longitudinal case study of a collaboration between a university and a nonprofit food justice organization. Using a collective autoethnographic process, we examine a three-semester service-learning course in which each author participated as instructor or client. We use the theoretical tools of intra-action and entanglement to address the challenges of complexity in such social justice collaborations. We also deploy these tools to avoid the instrumental/functional paradigm of evaluating collaboration in terms of negative or positive effects or un/successful outcomes, focusing instead on phenomena within a system in their transformative entanglements within ongoing (re)becoming. This approach was amenable to the content of our collaboration: a systems approach to thinking about food equity. Conceiving of ongoing interrelated phenomena within a system, as opposed to discrete separate objects impacting one another, helps accommodate the complexity involved in service-learning collaborations. Author/participants include an independent farmer who also teaches architecture, a communication instructor, and the director of a regional food justice nonprofit who collaborated via a land-grant university on an applied service-learning series of classes. We describe productive transformations in food-systems activism for individuals, our institution, local organizations, and the broader community. Therefore, this article contributes not an evaluative assessment of the success or failure of a single collaboration but a longitudinal examination of how individuals, institutions, organizations, and communities change through their entanglements and intra-actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This multi-methods study explores changes in engineering interest and identity of middle and high school students (n = 79) attending introductory-level engineering summer camps at a large western land grant university. Middle school is a critical time when student interest, identity, and subsequently career choice begin to emerge and hence it is important that at this age students are given accurate information about engineering majors in college and future career opportunities in engineering. Data were collected over a period of two years in six summer camps. Three separate populations of middle and high school students participated in the summer camps: (a) Young Women in Engineering camp, (b) First Generation Engineering camp, and (c) Open Enrollment Engineering camp. The study adds to the body of knowledge regarding involvement in informal engineering experiences and the effect on engineering interest and identity for this age group. Pre- and post-surveys as well as focus group interviews indicated a positive change in engineering identity and a strong increase in interest in pursuing engineering majors in college and engineering careers. Four themes emerged from the qualitative data, namely future self as an engineering major and/or engineering professional, enjoyment of camp activities and engineering interest, perceptions and knowledge of engineering, and increase in engineering identity as a result of camp participation in well-structured and purposefully designed activities. Changes implemented in summer camp design based on these themes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory quantitative study assessed 149 behaviors, characteristics, and techniques considered indicative of expertise to determine what social scientists in Agricultural Communications, Education, Extension, and Leadership (ACEEL) disciplines value. A total of 731 social scientists from 25 land-grant universities across the United States surveyed in the fall of 2018 served as the population for this study. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), 10 constructs describing expertise were identified. A list of the 10 constructs was presented to faculty representing the ACEEL disciplines who helped determine what the constructs collectively measured, resulting in a label for each construct. The behaviors, characteristics, and techniques of the highest scoring constructs were used to create a rubric to assist social scientists in the systematic and intentional selection and description of the qualifications and expertise of individuals asked to serve as coders (Content Analysis), expert panelists (the Delphi method), and any contributor to social science studies in ACEEL disciplines. Use of the rubric would improve the overall consistency and transparency in how qualifications of expertise are reported in academic publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on purpose of land grant institutions of higher education. Topics include serving local, regional, and global communities to solve increasingly complex social problems and their intersection with social determinants of health; and workforce in their home communities through innovative outreach in online based distance education.

The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement is proud to publish its final issue of 2023, featuring a range of engaged scholarship and engagement approaches from around the world. The articles in this issue cover topics such as institutional strategic planning and community engagement, faculty motivations for engaged scholarship, the effects of top-down motivation for university-community engagement, student outcomes related to civic-mindedness and engagement in educational outreach, and community partner perceptions of university-community partnerships. The issue also includes projects and research studies demonstrating initial indications of impact, such as a project addressing vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic and a study on student-athletes' experiences with a volunteer youth sports program. The journal expresses gratitude to its editorial team, authors, and reviewers for their contributions and looks forward to another year of publishing engaged scholarship. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the Journal of Research Administration (JRA) and highlights the role of research administrators in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within academic institutions. Topics include the essential role of research administrators in enhancing diversity and inclusion, case studies on implementing equity and inclusion action plans, and the challenges in assessing cultural changes in pursuit of diversity goals.

Jonathan Baldwin Turner, who has been suggested as the father of the land-grant idea, was an Illinois resident.[5] Illinois saw the need to create a I new i university in keeping with the uniqueness of the land-grant model. Gregory, in his inaugural address, referred to Illinois as the "West Point for the Working World."[26] Illinois could not ignore West Point, but in the post-Civil War era, it was perceived as elitist and counter to the citizen-soldier populist model favored in the more democratic and inclusive land-grant universities. Both of these sectarian colleges required manual labor and argued that they should be the recipient of the Morrill Act status within Illinois.[12] Traditionalists held that scientific and practical studies had their place, but not in the traditional college curriculum. [Extracted from the article]