Curriculum

Core Courses

Foundations and History of Agriculture and Extension Education

Philosophical Foundations of Agricultural and Extension Education provides an overview of the development of agricultural and extension education in the United States by examining the significant educational philosophies, historical events, scientific innovations, legislation and policy shaping agricultural and extension education today.

Research Methods in Agricultural Education

This graduate-level course will focus on applying the principles, practices, and strategies for conducting research in the social sciences, particularly dealing with the interface of the human dimension in the agricultural and natural sciences.

Qualitative Design

Course description coming soon.

Advanced Teaching Methods

This course focuses on concepts, methods,strategies and learning theories relevant for both formal and nonformal education settings. The course will address the relationship between teaching methods and the learning experience in food, agricultural, and natural resources contexts.

Teaching Methods for Beginning Teachers

Course description coming soon.

Program Planning for Schools in Ag Education

Program Planning focuses on the specifics of the planning end of the Program Planning and Evaluation process. Emphasis is placed on the principles, theories, and skills of the program processes including planning, designing, implementing an educational program.

Program Planning in Ag & Extension Education

Coming Soon!

Program Evaluation in Ag & Extension Settings

The intent of this course is to teach students how to plan and conduct a meaningful and useful evaluation in extension and non-formal settings. Students will gain knowledge and skills in planning evaluations; designing evaluation studies and evaluation instruments; collecting and analyzing data; and using evaluation results. Students will learn evaluation theoretical concepts and their application in real-life situations.

Assessing Learning in Agricultural Education

This graduate level course is designed to develop an understanding and application of assessment relevant to agricultural education. Students develop, administer, and analyze formal, informal, and performance assessment techniques to monitor and evaluate student learning and guide modification.

Interpreting Social Data (Statistics)

The development of competencies in analyzing, interpreting and reporting the results of analyses of social science data in agriculturally related professions. Students will select appropriate analysis techniques and procedures for various problems, analyze data, and interpret and report the results of statistical analyses in narrative and tabular form.

Curriculum Development

Course description coming soon.

Adult Education and Programs

Course description coming soon.

Working with Diverse Students

Course description coming soon.

Leadership and Management of Volunteers

Course description coming soon.

Leadership Ethics & Culture

Coming Soon!

Foundations and Theory of Leadership

- Organizational concepts of leadership; administrative styles and structures; leadership for boards, committees, governmental bodies, and review of societal and political processes.

Leadership Analysis Through Film

Films are a catalyst" (Clemens, 1999). They make you laugh, cry, cheer, and think. Flaum (2002) stated leadership is best learned in the leadership moment. Moreover, the principles of Andragogy advocate adult learners best learning when there is a practical application of the learning subject. Therefore, this course builds upon the study of leadership theory by allowing students to analyze, reflect, synthesize, and apply leadership theories, models and concepts in the context of film. The course materials encourage students to reflect, synthesize, analyze, and apply the information learned from major leadership theories and apply them to various scenarios and situations demonstrated in selected films.

Foundations of Ag Communications

This course will explore historical foundations of agricultural communications including selected philosophical concepts, how the field has changed over time, where it is today, and what it may look like in the future. In addition, this course will focus on an in-depth analysis and discussion of communication theories and their application and relevance to current issues in agriculture and agricultural communications.

Theory in Ag Communication

Effective communication is at the heart of successful operation in every enterprise in agricultural and natural resources-based industries. Whether communicating interpersonally, inter-organizationally, or through the mass media, it is critically important to understand the communication process to achieve effective discourse on the major issues facing agricultural and natural resources industries. This course is specifically designed to teach communication theory and concepts and research processes as they apply to important agricultural/natural resource issues. The major objective of the course is to enhance students' ability to think critically and develop effective strategies and tactics that draw on the theoretical frameworks and methodologies most central to the communication process for agricultural communications professionals.

Technical Communication

Course focused on audience identification, writing, editing, and production of social science-based materials for publication; emphasis on thesis writing, research manuscript development, and grantsmanship. Principles include communicating information relevant to human subject research in agriculture, natural resources, and life sciences to the general public, research peers and funding agencies.

Proposal Development

Presentations and discussion of graduate student research as well as review of current literature and topics of current interest by students and faculty. All graduate students will make at least one formal presentation.

Grantwriting

Presentations and discussion of graduate student research as well as review of current literature and topics of current interest by students and faculty. All graduate students will make at least one formal presentation.

Risk & Crisis Communication

Course description coming soon.

Scientific Communication

Course description coming soon.

Online Media

Identify agricultural audiences, conduct analyses, and use results to evaluate and produce online media that utilizes design fundamentals, visual communication theories, and new media technology.

Graphic Design

This course provides students with graphic design and software skills specific to industries in Agriculture, Food, and Life Sciences. Students will learn to use industry-standard software (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Microsoft Excel, etc.) to prepare text and graphics and package them for use in print production.

Technological Change

This course introduces a structured approach for dealing with the organizational and human aspects of technology transition, including the key concepts of resistance and change management, organizational change, communications, and processes by which professional change agents influence the introductions, adoption, and diffusion of technological change.

Survey Development

This course is designed to prepare graduate students to understand the need for and the process of developing rigorous questionnaires and assessments for survey research.

International Agriculture

This course provides an opportunity to learn about global agricultural and extension education issues, challenges and opportunities relating to agricultural development. The course emphasis is on building necessary knowledge and skills for analyzing global agricultural and extension education issues and formulating alternatives for agricultural development. This course has been designed to help graduate students understand agriculture and extension education with a global perspective.

Critical and Creative Thinking

Environmental Communication

Combines theoretical discussions with practical experience regarding communication about environmental issues and provides introduction to natural and applied science topics related to the communications plan.