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More than a decade ago, the National Research Council (2009) challenged agricultural teachers to transform their relationship to the global food and agricultural enterprise. With this in mind, Auger (2019) made an important observation: “Some skills are more lasting. Skills like leadership, collaboration, and communication” (para 4). These employability skills are of critical importance to agriculture’s workforce (Crawford & Fink, 2020), and research suggests they are “more difficult to train for” (D2L, 2019, p. 4). Agricultural educators must find ways to incorporate employability skills into classes so that teaching and learning can take flight, soaring to new heights. To improve agricultural courses, our workshop introduces the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) model for improvement (Langley et al., 2009). It is a strategy to pilot, evaluate, and implement changes to courses. PDSA provides a cyclical process, based on the scientific method, to support data-driven continuous quality improvement. It also provides a strategy for post-secondary teachers of agriculture to improve the scholarship of teaching and learning. This workshop is one of the results of a collaboration between a four-year program, technical program, and community college. Workshop objectives are to improve agricultural courses by (1) providing a simple, effective improvement process tool—PDSA, (2) reviewing PDSA examples that integrate agriculture and employability skills, and (3) practicing the PDSA model. Participants can practice the PDSA process with their own courses. Interactive activities include (1) reviewing examples done by other agriculture educators, (2) sharing ideas on how to blend employability skills into existing courses, (3) drafting an actual PDSA plan, and (4) discussing how this approach might transfer to other agricultural teaching experiences. PDSA provides a simple, powerful tool and strategy to continuously improve teaching and learning. This workshop introduces how to use PDS

This study is focused on the planning process involved with developing a training program on a particular menu management program utilized in food service environments. The study aims to incorporate individual user’s direct experience and feedback utilizing the menu management system, FoodPro®, to help guide decision making on what to include in future training efforts. Through the framework of Cervero and Wilson’s program planning theory, employees within Virginia Tech Dining Services were asked to participate in focus groups using a qualitative research method. Final participants for this study included 13 Virginia Tech Dining Services employees who have access to and use the department’s menu management system, FoodPro. After focus groups were conducted, transcripts were reviewed and analyzed for themes. From the data, four themes emerged. The themes were user experience and interface, training and knowledge sharing, communication and responsibilities and importance and culture. Cervero and Wilson’s program planning theory helped understand the social, ethical and political aspects of designing a training focused on FoodPro within Virginia Tech Dining Services employees. This study can help guide future research focused directly on developing training on other menu management systems.

Learning Objectives Students will be able to: Explain aspects of the 3900 management system and its relevance to the Bridge Program Outline the phases of the bridge experience program that students will be exposed to for reporting requirements

In the agricultural industry and rural communities, there is a long-held culture of queer (LGBTQ+) erasure, collective trauma, and overall lack of representation/visibility. This may be attributed to the widespread presence, enforcement, and encouragement of Western, heteronormative values and lifestyles in our society, as well as the prevalence of such attitudes in rural communities of the United States (MAP, 2019). Rural areas and communities of the United States are hereby defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as areas with open countryside with less than 500 people per square mile and/or less than 50,000 people in the area, depending on locality (USDA, 2019). For queer Americans in affected areas, this has resulted in a disproportionate lack of access to land ownership, resources, community, and an overall decreased interest in the pursual of agricultural careers and residence in rural communities altogether for fear of violence and discrimination (MAP, 2019). Community education, intervention, and progressive action are essential components to the long overdue and necessary process of rectifying and mitigating the blow caused by these deep-seeded societal issues.

Syllabi for the Graduate Teaching Scholars courses are offered to complement "Teaching in the University: Learning from Graduate Students and Early Career Faculty" (2022) edited by Donna Westfall-Rudd, Courtney Vengrin, and Jeremy Elliot-Engel which is available at https://doi.org/10.21061/universityteaching. ALCE 6415 "Introduction to Graduate Teaching Scholars (GTS)" offers Graduate Teaching Scholars opportunities to observe university course organization and instruction. Observations serve as a platform for course discussions focused on planning course instruction, examining student centered teaching strategies, and design of student assessments. Scholars work with faculty mentors to become familiar with the teaching expectations and resources for course assigned in the program.

As America’s workforce changes, so does the nature of the work and skills necessary for success. Employers are increasingly in need of a workforce that effectively engages in collaborative leadership. Educational opportunities, such as community college and two-year degree programs, need to include collaborative leadership learning experiences to help build workforce readiness. Debuting findings at NACTA 2019, APLU researchers identified 11 employability skills that were most important to stakeholders and had the largest gaps in terms of readiness. Indeed, the Christensen Institute recently identified “investing in durable skills and durable networks,” as one of the “5 Education Innovation Trends Worth Watching in 2022.”Also, America Succeeds (2021) reports on “The High Demand for Durable Skills.” Findings from three years of action research reveal insights on employability and durable skills for collaborative leadership. Expanding beyond four-year degree programs, project stakeholders include agriculture faculty from nine community colleges and one two-year degree program. These agricultural educators are bridging the gap by refreshing existing workforce development curricula to meet 21st century agricultural industry needs; they are designing, developing, and evaluating leadership curricula for technical and community colleges to prepare the agriculture workforce for effective leadership in an increasingly diverse environment. The study used a semi-structured protocol with two focus groups. Participants, affiliated with agricultural workforce preparation programs, surfaced six key themes: (1) Agreeing with APLU employability skills report, (2) Finding positive benefits in completing internships, (3) Strategizing to build problem-solving skills, (4) Addressing ‘soft skills” assessment challenges, (5) Prioritizing verbal communication skill enhancements, and (6) Learning how to accept faults and mistakes. The relevance of this topic in today’s climate cannot be unde

This research explores effective curriculum design for higher-ed in preparing agricultural education graduates for Nigeria’s labor market. The continuing professional education program planning theory serves as the framework guiding this study. The study involves a phenomenological inquiry into the conscientious meaning experience of the faculty and alumni in an agricultural education department. A purposful sampling method of 14 participants (four professors and ten alumni) was used to select participants since the study relied on individuals close to the phenomenon. Data was collected using a standardized open-ended questionnaire and the Department’s handbook. Three themes emerged: The Department's curriculum design/development.; Stakeholder’s consultation; and Principles considered while designing the curriculum. Recommendations were made for the Department to continuously review and update the curriculum to reflect the current needs of the industry and students. Lastly, the current study was recommended to be replicated in other main agricultural institutions in Nigeria.

This research explores the effective curriculum design for higher-ed in preparing agricultural education graduates for Nigeria’s labor market. The continuing professional education program planning theory serves as the framework guiding this study. The study involves a phenomenological inquiry into the conscientious meaning experience of the faculty and alumni in an agricultural education department. A purposeful sampling method of 14 participants (four professors and 10 alumni) was used to select participants since the study relied on individuals close to the phenomenon. Data was collected using a standardized open-ended questionnaire and the Department’s handbook. Three themes emerged: The Department's curriculum design/development; Stakeholder’s consultation; and Principles considered while designing the curriculum. Recommendations were made for the Department to continuously review and update the curriculum to reflect the current needs of the industry and students. Lastly, the current study was recommended to be replicated in other main agricultural institutions in Nigeria.

This 1-2 credit undergraduate course, as presented, is designed to provide an interdisciplinary, experiential-learning-based background and exposure to working on and completing a team project in cyberbiosecurity in agriculture and the life sciences. These modules and capstone are designed for students to learn about cyberbiosecurity and how their agriculture knowledge can provide employment opportunities related to cyberbiosecurity. This course will provide knowledge and training on cyberbiosecurity, issues with online data and security, how we might protect our biological data, and ethical implications of biological data sharing and ownership. The course will teach critical thinking and problem-solving in a team environment, professional presentations, and writing skills in the context of completing the capstone project.

Teaching in the University: Learning from Graduate Students and Early Career Faculty provides insight and strategies for successful teaching, advising, and mentoring postsecondary students. In particular, the authors offer support and encouragement for implementing student-centered teaching practices relevant to college classrooms. This book is designed for new university teaching faculty and graduate teaching assistants looking for innovative teaching resources. As an Open Educational Resource (OER), this textbook provides university instructors free access to high-quality teaching materials based on the experiences of fellow new instructors. Twenty contributors and two co-editors from the current students and alumni of university teaching scholars programs offer this resource for fellow faculty and graduate students to improve instruction and engagement. Each chapter comes from the experiences and expertise of these talented individuals who speak directly to their peers. If you are an instructor reviewing, adopting, or adapting this textbook, please help us understand your use by filling out https://doi.org/10.21061/universityteaching. Table of contents Chapter 1: Relational Learning: Creating a “Working Alliance” in the Classroom VIGNETTE: Supporting International Graduate Teaching Assistants Chapter 2: Authenticity VIGNETTE: Structure and Organization to Facilitate Learning in My Large Class During the C

This study is focused on the motivation behind youth program volunteers. Specifically, research centered on what motivated volunteers to get involved with the My Turn organization as well as what motivated them to stay involved with the program after their initial engagement. The Herzberg Two-Factor theory provided a framework for this study. A total of eight participants were interviewed using a qualitative research method. Each participant was a current or former Virginia Tech athlete who volunteered with the My Turn organization in some way since its creation in 2020. After a thorough analysis of the data, the five themes that emerged were: caring for the youth, self-actualization, serving community/giving back, building substantial relationships, and mentorship. These factors were highlighted numerous times throughout the data collection process. These were the aspects that were most significant to volunteers and impacted their decisions to both get involved and stay involved. Based on these findings, recommendations were made to current and future youth organization administrators. These recommendations include adding some kind of training requirement for the volunteers. Training such as sensitivity training or mental health workshops could really help to make volunteers a much better resource to the youth. The information from this research could be utilized to bring in effective, caring volunteers to assist in the ultimate goal of youth development.

This study is focused on the motivation behind youth program volunteers. Specifically, research centered on what motivated volunteers to get involved with the My Turn organization as well as what motivated them to stay involved with the program after their initial engagement. The Herzberg Two-Factor theory provided a framework for this study. A total of eight participants were interviewed using a qualitative research method. Each participant was a current or former Virginia Tech athlete who volunteered with the My Turn organization in some way since its creation in 2020. After a thorough analysis of the data, the five themes that emerged were: caring for the youth, self-actualization, serving community/giving back, building substantial relationships, and mentorship. These factors were highlighted numerous times throughout the data collection process. These were the aspects that were most significant to volunteers and impacted their decisions to both get involved and stay involved. Based on these findings, recommendations were made to current and future youth organization administrators. These recommendations include adding some kind of training requirement for the volunteers. Training such as sensitivity training or mental health workshops could really help to make volunteers a much better resource to the youth. The information from this research could be utilized to bring in effective, caring volunteers to assist in the ultimate goal of youth development.

The Spotsylvania County Meaningful Day Program (SCMDP) engages students in a one-day, hands-on learning experience that promotes critical thinking about agriculture, forestry, watershed management, and watershed ecology. The SCMDP was modeled after the Virginia Soil & Water Conservation Districts’(VASWCD) Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE), to fulfill Spotsylvania’s Elementary Schools environmental literacy requirements as part of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. The SCMDP uses experiential learning theory as building blocks for educational knowledge to be shared from the partnering agencies to the students. This research project investigated the station facilitators and fourth grade teachers to understand how they perceived the SCMDP, and MWEE programs, and how they related to the educational topics of environmental literacy and experiential learning. Findings revealed that half of the participants were unaware of the goal of these programs, and did not know how to integrate the principles of experiential learning theory into the stations or their teaching. Recommendations include offering professional development for the facilitators and teachers, updating the stations to adapt to the changing Standards of Learning, and working with all agencies and teachers to offer consistent communication about the future programs.

Extension administrators discussed the competencies and characteristics of Extension professionals as they explored how Extension will need adapt to changing clientele, both in who they are and how they want to receive information. Extension education curriculum is not fully preparing future Extension employees in all required competencies, falling short on use of technology, diversity and pluralism, volunteer development, marketing, and public relations, risk management, and the community development process. Additionally, the Extension educator workforce development pipeline is not preparing a demographically representative population, leaving state administrators struggling to hire prepared professionals, especially those with in-culture competency (e.g., racial and ethnic minority and urban).