Agricultural-Telecommunications
Proposal 4.25 (20218)

 


Project Summary:

Title of Project:

  

Licensure in Education for Agricultural Professionals (LEAP)

Project Director:

  

Gary E. Moore

Applicant Organization:

  

North Carolina State University

Summary:

The primary objective for this project is to develop and implement a lateral-entry teacher preparation program in agricultural education utilizing distance education technologies. There are thousands of individuals with degrees in agriculture who could be certified to teach if they had the opportunity to take appropriate course work. A total of five courses will be developed for distance delivery. This program will be available nationwide and will be delivered using a variety of distance education technologies such as the web, videotape, CD-ROM, and network conferencing technologies.

The primary goal of the project is to increase the supply of teachers in agricultural education. There is currently a shortage of agriculture teachers (and teachers of related sciences) and the shortage is projected to worsen. Since agricultural teachers are often significant recruiters for Colleges of Agriculture, it is essential that there be an adequate supply of agriculture teachers.

Students who successfully complete the program will receive a teaching license from the state of North Carolina. A North Carolina teaching license is honored in 49 states, all US territories, and Department of Defense schools.



Authorized Organizational Representative:

Name:

  

Russ Lea

Email:

  

sps@ncsu.edu

Phone Number:

  

( 919) 515-2444

FAX Number:

  

( 919) 515-7721

Address:

  

Box 7514, Stinson Dr., Room 2 Leazar Hall

 

  

Raleigh, NC   27695-7514



IRS Number:

  

56 6000 75

Congressional District Number:

  

2

Period of Proposed Project Dates:

  

01/01/2001 to 12/31/2001



Principal Investigator/Project Director #1:

Name:

  

Gary E. Moore

Email:

  

gary_moore@ncsu.edu

Phone Number:

  

( 919) 515-1756

FAX Number:

  

( 919) 515-9060

Address:

  

Box 7607

 

  

Raleigh, NC   27695-7607

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Principal Investigator/Project Director #2:

Name:

  

Patricia S. Barber

Email:

  

pbarber@udel.edu

Phone Number:

  

( 302) 831-2504

FAX Number:

  

( 302) 831-6758

Address:

  

Associate Dean for Extension & Outreach, 119 Townsend Hall, University of Delaware

 

  

Newark, DE   19717-1303

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Principal Investigator/Project Director #3:

Name:

  

James E. Dyer

Email:

  

DyerJ@missouri.edu

Phone Number:

  

( 573) 882-0940

FAX Number:

  

( 573) 884-4444

Address:

  

126 Gentry Hall

 

  

Columbia, MO   65211-7040

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Principal Investigator/Project Director #4:

Name:

  

James A. Knight Jr.

Email:

  

jknight@ag.arizona.edu

Phone Number:

  

( 520) 621-9144

FAX Number:

  

( 520) 621-9889

Address:

  

Department of Agricultural Education, College of Agriculture, PO Box 210036, University of Arizona

 

  

Tucson, AZ   85721-0036

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Principal Investigator/Project Director #5:

Name:

  

Gary R. Morrison

Email:

  

morrison.gary@coe.wayne.edu

Phone Number:

  

( 313) 577-1679

FAX Number:

  

( 248) 888-8545

Address:

  

Instructional Technology Program,Wayne State University, 399 Education

 

  

Detroit, MI   48202

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Principal Investigator/Project Director #6:

Name:

  

Curtis Borne

Email:

  

bornec@mail.fvsu.edu

Phone Number:

  

( 912) 825-6882

FAX Number:

  

( 912) 825-6887

Address:

  

Department of Agricultural Instruction, P.O. Box 4450

 

  

Fort Valley, GA   31030

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Description of the Agricultural Communication Network Project:

1. Project Objectives:

·        To improve agricultural research underlying agricultural telecommunications.

·        Make optimal use of available resources for agricultural extension, resident education, and research by sharing resources between participating institutions.

·        Train learners for careers in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental science, human sciences and the food industries.



Explain how the project relates to the Program Objective(s) and how the Project will contribute to achieving these.

The goals of the project closely match three main objectives of the Agricutlural Telecommmunication Act:

1. Train learners for careers in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental sciences, and the food industries.

The major goal of this project is to produce more teachers of agriculture. These teachers will in turn teach high school students the necessary skills needed to be employed or pursue further education in the various agricultural fields. Not only will the project have an immediate impact on preparing people for new careers as teachers in agriculture, but it will have a ripple effect on preparing future workers for the agricultural industry.

2. Make optimal use of available resources for agricultural extension, resident instruction, and research by sharing resources between participating institutions.

The shortage of agriculture teachers is a national problem. Numerous universities are trying to provide specialized courses for persons seeking certification to become agriculture teachers. There is considerable duplication of effort in some instances and inadequte preparation in other situations. Given the myriad of demands on university professors of agricultural education, working with lateral entry teachers often ranks low on the list of priorities. This program will allow universities to share quality resouces in preparing alternatively certified teachers.

3. To improve agricultural research underlying agricultural telecommunications.

Data will be compiled on the individuals in the program. These data will be compared with the traditionally certified teachers. This research will help contribute to the knowledge base in agriculture regarding distance learning and agricultural telecommunications.





2. Description of Agricultural Communication Network to be Developed or Utilized.

The LEAP program will utilize an on-line communication network to provide courses to individuals who have baccalaureate degrees in agriculture and natural resources who want to be certified to teach agriculture in the public schools. A network of six universities along with the National FFA Organization and the National Association of Agricultural Educators will cooperate to develop the course work for the program. In addition to North Carolina State University, the other universities involved will be the University of Missouri, Fort Valley State University, University of Arizona, University of Delaware, and Wayne State University.

Five on-line courses will be developed. These are:
AEE 500 - Agricultural Education, Schools and Society (3 hours)
AEE 503 - Youth Organization Management (3 hours)
AEE 522 - Occupational Experience in Agriculture (3 hours)
AEE 528 - Instructional Design and Course Development in Agricultural Education (3 hours)
AEE 535 - Teaching Agriculture in Secondary Schools (3 hours)

These courses will be developed as stand alone web courses. Each course will feature an interactive pre-test, an on-line "text" and other "readings" from professional journals, links to other resource materials on the world wide web, an electronic bulletin board or chat room, PowerPoint presentations, and streaming video and audio segments. CD-ROM versions of all the courses will also be developed for students who may have inadequate web connections.

Videoconferencing over the Internet will also be used in the LEAP program. Program participants will have a Kodak DVC325 digital camera (or similar camera) attached to their computer. Using Net Meeting (or similar) software the program participants will interact with the professors who are teaching the LEAP courses. This equipment will also be used during the teaching internship (AEE 641) to allow the university supervisor to observe the program participants actually teaching classes.

The LEAP program is an outgrowth of two technology-based communication networks -- GRAEDE and SAE Central.

The SAE Central (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/sae/toolbox/index.html) web site was developed at North Carolina State University as a national resource center and clearinghouse for instructional materials for the Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) component of Agricultural Education. The National Council for Agricultural Education and the National FFA Organization supported the development of this site. The response to this site has been extremely positive.

GRAEDE (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/graede/) is an acronym for GRaduate Agricultural and Extension Distance Education. This term describes a distance education program that currently is in operation at North Carolina State University. Graduate students in Agricultural and Extension Education can complete 27 of the 36 hours required for a Masters degree over this network. The network involves delivery of graduate courses utilizing a variety of technologies. One to two courses are taught every semester over the North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) (http://www.ncren.net/InteractiveVideo/). NCREN courses are broadcast using analog video and audio, which allows for face-to-face communications with 5-7 remote sites across the state. Both microwave and compressed video are used to deliver courses over NCREN. Additionally, five stand-alone web courses have been developed as part of the GRAEDE program. These five courses are:
AEE 501 Foundations of Agricultural and Extension Education (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/aee501/index.html)
AEE 522 Occupational Experience in Agriculture (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/sae/index.html)
AEE 523 Adult Education in Agriculture (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/aee523/index.html)
AEE 595Y Organizational Systems for Youth Development Education (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu:8050/agexed/aee503/)
AEE 735 Effective Teaching in Agriculture and Life Sciences (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/aee735/index.html)

The GRAEDE program has been very successful in delivering graduate courses to students in agricultural and extension education who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to take them. The research data on student achievement in GRAEDE courses and the students satisfaction with the course has been equal to that of the same course being taught "live" on campus. What was unexpected about the GRAEDE program was the "other" students who started enrolling in GRAEDE courses.

The "other" students taking GRAEDE courses were in lateral entry teacher certification programs and were taking the GRAEDE courses to substitute for similar courses in their certification plan. While these courses were helpful to these individuals, the courses werent really designed to meet the unique needs of lateral entry teachers.

Many states including North Carolina have implemented alternative certification programs; but these programs often require "emergency" certified teachers to travel to a university and take traditional courses in education. This approach to preparing teachers has several disadvantages:

Prospective teachers in rural areas may not have ready access to these courses.

There may not be a critical mass of prospective teachers in specific disciplines for universities to justify offering the needed courses.

Required courses may not be available at convenient times for people who are currently employed who want to become certified to teach.

Many of these individuals may currently be teaching and are struggling to survive. They need the opportunity to balance taking courses and planning for their own teaching.

Adults who want to become certified to teach may be reluctant to return to college for a variety of reasons such as lack of self-confidence, parking hassles, etc.

The LEAP program is an outgrowth of our experiences with SAE Central and GRAEDE. This program would overcome the barriers enumerated above for lateral entry teachers. This program would consist of courses designed primarily for the lateral entry teachers. It also has the potential to attract students from all over the nation and help solve the teacher shortage in agriculture. LEAP could become a national model for alternative teacher preparation.

Students who successfully complete the program will be awarded a North Carolina teaching license. A North Carolina teaching license is recognized by 49 states (Louisiana is the exception), Department of Defense schools, and the U.S. Territories.





Describe the Cost/Benefit Analysis for purchasing (or leasing) different types of facilities, equipment, components, hardware and software, or other items. (complete only if applicable to your project).

Since this project involves developing courses for the world wide web, no major pieces of equipment are required other than a "robust" computer and some relatively inexpensive software. The total cost for this equipment will be less than $10,000. Since many of the computer companies use a three year lease, and this project is for one year, but will continue on after the initial funding period, it would be wisest to purchase the computer.



3. Agricultural Communication Network Programming:

Agricultural Communications and Education


Describe the Programming and how it will contribute to achieving the Objective(s):

The content in agricultural and extension education is ideal for distance delivery. The content in teacher education focuses on mastery of basic factual content, theory, research, models, and demonstration of mastery of teaching techniques such as lesson planning, development of visual aids, etc. The classroom in which the lateral entry teachers are employed is the laboratory. There are numerous on-line journals in education and there are related web sites to support these courses.

The following courses will be developed for distance delivery:

AEE 500 - Agricultural Education, Schools and Society (3 hours)
AEE 503 - Youth Organization Management (3 hours)
AEE 522 - Occupational Experience in Agriculture (3 hours)
AEE 528 - Instructional Design and Curriculum Development in Agricultural Education (3 hours)
AEE 535 - Teaching Agriculture in Secondary Schools (3 hours)

Additionally, students will prepare a teaching portfolio. Evidence of the use of technology in teaching is one required component of the teaching portfolio.

Students must also successfully complete a teaching internship (AEE 641 - 3 credit hours) under the direction and guidance of an experienced agricultural educator. Internships are available in every state and are supervised by cooperating universities or NAAE (National Association of Agricultural Educators) recommended teachers.

The programming efforts will contribute to achieving the program objectives by:
1. training prospective teachers (learners)for careers in teaching agriculuture;
2. making optimal use of available resources by sharing the expertise and resources of faculty at six different universities, and by
3. contributing to the research base underlying agricultural telecommunications. Detailed records will be maintained comparing this approach to teacher training with the traditional approach.



Detailed description of methods to be used in producing and/or delivering the programing.

The major outcome of this program is to produce a quality teacher of agriculture. This will be accomplished primarily through the development of five on-line web courses. The individuals involved in the development of each course are described below.

AEE 500 Agricultural Education, Schools and Society is the first course to be developed. The course will be the introductory course in the LEAP program. The course will introduce the field of agricultural education, describe the history and philosophy of agricultural education, identify legislation and societal events that have impacted the field, and describe how agricultural education is a part of the educational system and contributes to the attainment of educationss goals.

Dr. Gary Moore (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/people/moore/intro.html) from North Carolina State University and Dr. Pat Barber, Associate Dean for Extension and Outreach (http://bluehen.ags.udel.edu/deces/staff/barber.htm) at the University of Delaware will be involved in the development of this course. Dr. Moore is noted for his expertise in the history and philosophy of agricultural education. He teaches AEE 501 Foundations of Agricultural and Extension Education, is editor of The Agricultural Education Magazine, is a Fellow in the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE), and currently serves as historian for the AAAE. He has received over $50,000 in grants specifically to develop education materials for distance education delivery.

Most of Dr. Barbers career has been spent with the Cooperative Extension Service. However, at the University of Delaware she has become involved in teaching agricultural education courses. She will bring a new perspective into the development of this course since she has a more global view of how agricultural education fits into schools and society. And since she is somewhat new to the formal discipline of agricultural education, she will be able to identify critical information people entering the profession need in an introductory course. Richard Bacon (http://www.udel.edu/FREC/staff/bacon.html), coordinator of the Agricultural Education program at the University of Delaware will also assist in the development of the course.

Dr. Barry Croom (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/people/croom/index.html) of North Carolina State University and Dr. Jim Dyer at the University of Missouri will be involved in the development of AEE 503 Youth Organization Management. This course will focus on the "nuts and bolts" of organizing, supervising, and managing the FFA program. The FFA is an integral part of the agricultural education curriculum and serves as the laboratory for development of the leadership skills taught in agricultural education. Dr. Croom taught high school vocational agriculture for 10 years and was advisor to one of the most active FFA chapters in the state of North Carolina. Very few FFA advisors can boast of having trained a National FFA officer; Dr. Croom can be proud of the fact that he has had two. For the past four years Dr. Croom has served as the Executive Secretary of the North Carolina FFA Association.

Dr. Jim Dyer (http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/aged/Dyer.html) at the University of Missouri was selected for the project because of his expertise in student organizations. He taught high school agriculture for nearly 20 years and was an outstanding FFA advisor. He teaches several courses at the University of Missouri that focus on FFA and leadership development. These experiences will be beneficial in the development of AEE 503 Youth Organization Management. Dr. Dyer also has experience with the World Wide Web and currently is the web-master for the American Association for Agricultural Education (the professional organization of university-based agricultural educators).

AEE 522 Occupational Experience in Agriculture is another core course in the LEAP program. This course is already on-line and has been for two years (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/sae/index.html). This course focuses on the experiential learning component of agricultural education. Even though the course already exists, it needs to be revised and updated. Dr. Gary Moore will work with Dr. Curtis Borne at Fort Valley State University to update this course. As a high school teacher, Curtis taught in a culturally diverse school in Louisiana. The agriculture program was unique in the types of supervised agricultural experience programs the students conducted. The students raised crawfish, catfish and a variety of other animals. The infusion of Dr. Bornes experiences will enhance this course.

The primary goal of AEE 528 Instructional Design and Course Development in Agricultural Education is to insure that a sound curriculum is offered that meets the education needs of the community. Students are taught how to conduct a community survey, prepare an environmental scan, identify sources of curriculum materials, evaluate instructional materials, plan for effective instruction, and evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional program. Three faculty members will be involved in the development of this course; Drs. Bo Bostick (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/people/bostick/intro.html) and Jim Flowers (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/people/flowers/intro.html) from North Carolina State University and Dr. Gary Morrison from Wayne State University. Dr. Bosticks expertise is in instructional design while Dr. Flowers is known for his knowledge of agricultural education. Dr. Flowers teaches the undergraduate program planning course at NC State and is President-Elect of the American Association for Agricultural Education.

Dr. Gary Morrison (http://www.coe.wayne.edu/InstructionalTechnology/faculty/gmorrisn.html) at Wayne State University will be a valuable resource for the project team. His expertise is not in agricultural education, but is in instructional technology. His two most recent books, Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom (1999. Columbus, OH: Merrill) and Designing Effective Instruction, 2nd edition. (1998, Columbus, OH: Merrill) are indicative as to why he was selected to help develop AEE 528.

The final on-line course to be developed by the project team is AEE 535 Teaching Agriculture in Secondary Schools. Content includes lesson planning, teaching methods, effective teaching techniques, test construction, student evaluation, and managing student behavior. Dr. Jim Flowers of NC State and Dr. Jim Knight at the University of Arizona will be involved in the development of this course. Dr. Flowers research program focuses on teaching effectiveness and he has published numerous articles in this area. He teaches both an undergraduate and graduate level course in teaching methods. Dr. Knight is noted for his expertise in teaching methodologies and has won several teaching awards. He is a master teacher and currently teaches related courses at the University of Arizona.

Two graduate students will be employed to help with the project. One will be a certified agriculture teacher while the other will be competent in web page design.

In addition to completing the five on-line courses developed by the project team, the LEAP student must also complete a course in adolescent psychology and one in educational psychology. These two courses are required for teacher certification in North Carolina. Since a number of universities currently have these courses on-line, the student will be given the option of taking the existing on-line courses or completing the courses from locally accessible universities. These two courses are available from most universities in the United States.

The capstone course will be a three credit hour teaching internship - AEE 641. Outstanding agricultural education programs across the nation will be identified with assistance from the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAEE). LEAP students will be placed in those programs to "practice teach." They will be supervised by mentor teachers identified by the NAEE. University agricultural educators from institutions within the state will be asked to assist in the supervision of the interns. Additionally, video conferencing hardware and software will be used so that the project staff at North Carolina State University can observe the student teaching experience from a distance.

All during the program the student will be developing a teaching portfolio. This portfolio will contain samples of work such as lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, tests, etc.

It is envisioned that the average student will take two years to complete the program. This is based upon the assumption the individual is employed full time and is working on teacher licensure in addition to being employed. In order to communicate effectively with individuals in the program, the word semester is used. However, students can progress through a course more quickly if they have the ability and determination. The suggested sequence of courses is

Year 1 - Fall Semester
AEE 500 Agricultural Education, School and Society
A course in adolescent psychology (a listing of universities who have this course on-line will be provided to the student. Several universities have such a course on-line, so there is no plan to duplicate the efforts of others)

Year 1 - Spring Semester
AEE 528 - Instructional Design and Course Development in Agricultural Education
AEE 503 - Youth Organization Management

Year 1 - Summer Semester
A course in educational psychology (a listing of universities who have this course on-line will be provided to the student. Several universities have such a course on-line, so there is no plan to duplicate the efforts of others. )

Year 2 - Fall Semester
AEE 535 - Teaching Agriculture in Secondary Schools
AEE 522 - Occupational Experience in Agriculture

Year 2 - Spring Semester
AEE 641 - Internship in Agricultural Education



4. Population to be Served and Target Audience(s):

The target audience and population are individuals who have degrees in agriculture who desire to become certified to teach agriculture.



5. Collaborating Institutions and Other Partners:

In order for a project of this scope and promise to be truly successful, it is crucial that a coalition of other universities and professional organizations be involved in the development and implementation of the program. Faculty from five universities other than NC State and two major organizations in agricultural education have agreed to be involved in this effort. The involvement of the faculty from the five other universities was described in detail in the programming section of this proposal. To briefly review:

Two faculty members from the University of Delaware will be involved in the development of the on-line course AEE 500 Agricultural Education, Schools, and Society.

One faculty member from the University of Missouri will be involved in the development of the on-line course AEE 503 Youth Organization Management.

One faculty member from Fort Valley State University will be involved in the refinement and further development of the on-line course AEE 522 Occupational Experience in Agriculture.

A faculty member from Wayne State University will be involved in the development of the on-line course AEE 528 Instructional Design and Course Development in Agricultural Education.

One faculty member from the University of Arizona will be involved in the development of the on-line course AEE 535 Teaching Agriculture in Secondary Schools.

The faculty and universities involved in this project have not previously collaborated on any agricultural education initiatives. The field of agricultural education is somewhat small and most of the people involved in the project know each other professionally, but this will be the first time they have worked together in a formal relationship such as this. Each participating faculty member and institution was selected purposefully. A combination of faculty expertise and institutional characteristics were considered in selecting the collaborators. The faculty expertise was described in the programming section. The reasons for selecting the particular institutions are listed below.

The location of the University of Delaware was a critical factor in choosing this partner. There are several states in the North Atlantic and New England region with no university agricultural education programs. Two of these states are contiguous to Delaware. The number of states without university agricultural education programs may increase with upcoming retirements. The University of Delaware is in a strategic position to advertise and market the LEAP program in this region.

The University of Missouri is located in mid-America and can serve the middle section of the United States in promoting and working with the LEAP program. The American Association for Agricultural Education web site is managed out of the University of Missouri.

Fort Valley State University is an 1890 land-grant university. There is a critical need for more minority teachers in agriculture. Hopefully the involvement of Fort Valley State University will lead to the involvement of more minorities in the LEAP program.

Wayne State University was selected because the university does not have an agricultural education program and is not a land-grant college. An outside opinion is always valuable in a project such as this to give the project additional perspective.

It is anticipated that the University of Arizona can promote the program in the western United States. Currently the University of Arizona has a web site titled "Desert Roses" that serves as a resource for female teachers in the profession. The LEAP program would be symbiotic to that effort.

During the fall of 2000 there will be extensive electronic collaboration among the team members regarding the format, structure, and content of the on-line courses and program implementation issues. The individuals involved in the project will meet as a group at the National FFA In-service Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana in February, 2001. At this meeting any remaining design issues will be resolved and the program will formally be announced to the state agricultural education leaders who attend this in-service meeting (nearly every state will be represented).

Two agricultural education organizations are partners in this effort--the National FFA Organization and the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAEE).

The National FFA Organization (www.ffa.org) is the organization to which agricultural students in high schools belong. If the FFA is to thrive and grow, there must be an adequate supply of agriculture teachers to serve as FFA club advisors. The FFA sees this project as being vital to the long-range growth of the FFA. They will provide FFA materials free of charge to LEAP participants, provide free booth space at the National FFA Convention to promote the program, have a link on the FFA web site to the program, and feature the program as part of their national in-service meeting.

The Executive Committee of the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAEE) (www.naee.org) has formally endorsed the LEAP proposal. The NAEE will be instrumental in identifying quality agricultural education programs in the various states where LEAP participants may do their internships. Additionally, the NAEE will identify experienced teachers who could serve as mentors to LEAP participants.

Electronic letters of support from the FFA and NAEE are found in the file "Support.doc" There is also a letter from Dr. Debbie Andrews, Chief Certification Officer, at North Carolina State University that indicates program completers will be recommended for teacher certification.





6. Additional Rationale for Project

"In the next ten years we need to recruit 2.2 million teachers" - Secretary of Education Riley

There is substantial evidence to indicate that American education is facing a serious shortage of qualified teachers. This shortage has profound implications on many facets of our life ranging from finding qualified workers to educational opportunities for minorities to preparation for higher education. Fifty-five high school agricultural education departments closed in 1998 because no teachers were available. Efforts to expand high school agricultural education programs in North Carolina and in the nation have been severely hampered because of the teacher shortage.

The teacher shortage has serious implications for several populations. Consider the following facts:

·In school year 1993-94, 15 to 32 percent of public secondary students and 11 to 36 percent of private secondary students were taught the core subjects by teachers who did not major in that subject at the undergraduate or graduate level.
·The teacher shortage in high-poverty schools for teachers in mathematics, physical science, and biological/life sciences exceeds 50 percent.
·About 42 percent of all public schools in the United States have no minority teachers. By the early 21st century, the percentage of minority teachers is expected to shrink to an all-time low of 5 percent, while 41 percent of American students will be minorities.
·Fully prepared teachers are more effective in the classroom, and their students demonstrate larger achievement gains than students who teachers are not fully prepared.

The teacher shortage is not going away. Because of the teacher shortage, many elementary and secondary students are not receiving a quality education. This is especially true of schools in rural areas and in the inner city. This has profound implications for higher education because universities must cope with students who are not academically prepared. Furthermore, research at Ohio State found agricultural teachers to be a major influencer of students decisions to enroll in college. Research at the University of Illinois found the best predictor of graduation from the College of Agriculture to be enrolled in high school agriculture.





7. Significant Impacts:

In Joel Barkers award winning video "The Business of Paradigms," he describes how the Swiss watchmakers discovered the quartz movement watch but rejected it because it did not fit with their paradigm of how watches were made. However, the Japanese embraced the quartz movement and now dominate much of the timepiece industry.

The participants in this project have no plans to dominate the agricultural teacher certification arena; however the LEAP project has the potential to radically change how agriculture teachers are prepared. Most teacher certification programs are time and place bound. Individuals desiring teacher certification in agriculture typically have to travel to the state land-grant university and take the appropriate courses whenever they are offered. Often the land-grant universities are not centrally located or easily accessible and the courses may not be offered when the students need them. The LEAP program can remove those barriers and promote the use of agricultural communication networks.

It is anticipated the LEAP program will have a significant impact on increasing the supply of agricultural teachers and raising the standard for traditional agricultural educators who have not yet embraced the technology paradigm shift. This program will "raise the bar" in agricultural education, promote cooperation among universities, and encourage other universities to become involved in the use of agricultural communication networks.





8. Describe the plans for research, assessment, evaluation and dissemination as applicable to the project:

For the past three years, detailed data have been collected on the GRAEDE participants at North Carolina State University. Comparisons have been on student achievement and student satisfaction between the traditional on-campus students and those taking courses via GRAEDE. There have been no significant differences. This type of research effort will not only continue, but will be expanded.

Formative Evaluation:

Data will be collected on gain in knowledge (using a pre-test post-test design) and student satisfaction (using a Likert-type scale) while the students are enrolled in LEAP classes. These data will provide a formative evaluation of the program and will be used in each LEAP course. The data will be compared with agricultural education students in similar traditional classes at the participating universities to provide a basis to determine if there are differences between the two approaches to teacher preparation.

Summative Evaluation:

There will be three stages of summative evaluation.

Stage 1 - Near the end of the teaching internship, LEAP participants will be asked to evaluate how well they were prepared to teach. A Likert-type attitudinal scale will be used along with open ended questions designed to measure particular areas of strengths or weaknesses in their LEAP preparation. The same instrument will be used with traditionally prepared student teachers. Additionally, the mentor teacher of both LEAP teachers and traditionally prepared teachers will be asked to use the same instrument to evaluate the preparation level of the intern teachers. The two groups will be compared. If discernable trends emerge, adjustments will be made in the LEAP courses to address the concerns.

Stage II - One year after completion of the LEAP program, students will be involved in a follow-up. First the number of program completers who entered teaching will be compared with the number who entered teaching from traditional program completers at the cooperating universities. Of those currently involved in teaching, the high school principal or vocational director will be asked to complete the same instrument used in Stage I. Traditionally prepared teachers and LEAP teachers will be compared.

Stage III - One of the issues involved in alternatively certified teacher preparation programs is retention. Research shows alternatively prepared teachers often leave the profession after 1-2 years at a much higher rate than traditionally prepared teachers. A second follow-up will be conducted three years after the individual completes the leap program. The number of LEAP program completers who are still in teaching will be compared with the number who are still teaching from among the traditional program completers at the cooperating universities

It is obvious that the evaluation of the program will occur over several years. This is a long-term program and cannot be adequately evaluated after one year. However, there are two components of the program that can be evaluated after one year:

1. Were the five courses developed? This can be answered with a simple yes or no.

2. Are the courses of quality? After the courses are developed, agricultural teacher educators who teach similar courses will be invited to review the courses. Their assessment of the courses will be considered to be part of the evaluation process. It is hoped that other universities will "buy-in" to the program after being invited to review the courses.

Several approaches will be used to disseminate the project. 1. The LEAP program will be featured at the National FFA In-Service meeting in which all state agricultural education leaders attend. 2. Research based journal articles will be submitted to the professional journals in the field and research papers will be presented at national conferences. 3. Press releases and informational brochures announcing the program will be mailed to all colleges with agriculture programs, teacher certification bureaus in each state department of education, and the leading agricultural periodicals. 4. An information booth about the program will be staffed at such events as the National FFA Convention and the annual convention of the Assocation for Career and Technical Education.





9. Broader Impacts:

The LEAP project has the potential to serve as a model for other agricultural programs. Currently, there are a few isolated efforts in agriculture where complete certification or degree programs using agricultural communication networks are in operation. This success of this program could provide the impetus for other disciplines in agriculture to follow suit.

Another area which has tremendous potential for impact is teacher training. Agricultural Eduation is not the only area facing a teacher shortage. The area of Family and Consumer Science Education (formerly Home Economics Education) is experiencing a severe teacher shortage. It would be relatively simple to spin off a teacher certification program in Family and Consumer Science Education modeled after this program. Other areas of teacher education could also use this model.

The LEAP program has the potential to reach several underserved populations. The number of females involved in agriculture has slowly risen during the past two decades. However, this number is still below 30 percent in many agricultural fields,including agricultural education. This program would allow females who have degrees in agriculture who may be geographically bound to a specific area or who have family responsibilities preventing their return to the university to broaden their employment options.

This program could also be attractive to persons with disabilities, especially physical disabilities. The barriers encountered on many college campuses would be removed by using distance education technologies.

By involving Fort Valley State in the program, we hope to send a message to minorities who tend to discount careers in agricultural fields, that being involved in agriculture is OK and we are trying to make the courses available. Only a handful of 1890 universities still have agricultural education programs (Prairie View, Southern, Alcorn, Alabama A&M, North Carolina A&T, Fort Valley State and perhaps University of Maryland, Eastern Shores). This program would allow agricultural students at such universities as Virginia State, Florida A&M, and Tennessee State to obtain teacher certification in agriculture.

One final impact is the collaboration model. Up until recently each university with an agricultural education program tended to operate in an isolated manner. In this day and age, that is not a good model. In the spring of 2000, a faculty member at North Carolina State University enlisted faculty members from Utah State and Mississippi State to develop an on-line graduate course title "Adult Education in Agriculture" (http://www.ncsu.edu/cals/agexed/aee523). This was a successful collaboration and provided the foundation for this effort. Additional collegiate collaborations in agriculture could emerge from this project.





10. Proposed Timetable:

January, 2001 - Each team identifies tentative course content and structure.
February, 2001 - Project consortium meets and finalizes course content and structure.
March-October, 2001 - Two complete on-line units (lessons) will be developed each month for each course. This includes the pre-test, identification of on-line resources, electronic preparation of journal articles to accompany each lesson, development of PowerPoint presentations and audio and video vignettes, preparation of assignments and exams, and other tasks related to getting the lessons on-line.
August-November, 2001 - Informational brochures and news releases about the LEAP program will be developed and disseminated.
November, 2001 - The courses will be mounted on the web and other professors will be invited to assess the courses.
December, 2001 - Students will enroll in the LEAP program.
January, 2002 - The LEAP program will be implemented.





11. Project Personnel and Time Commitment:



Gary E. Moore - NC State - 15%
Jim Flowers - NC State - 12%
Barry Croom - NC State - 8%
George Bostick - NC State - 8%
Pat Barber - Delaware - 8%
Richard Bacon - Delaware - 8%
Jim Knight - Arizona - 8%
Jim Dyer - Missouri - 10%
Curtis Borne - Fort Valley State University - 8%
Gary Morrison - Wayne State University - 8%