VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Scherer, Hannah H."

Browsing by Author "Scherer, Hannah H."

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4-H Curriculum Development: New Processes & New Partners
Pearson, Jocelyn; Bonnett, Erika; Price, Tonya; Proudfoot, Chad; Scherer, Hannah H.; Walden, Alyssa (2023-02-08)
4-H Presentation Contest in Homeschool Learning: A Case Study
Estep, Taylor (Virginia Tech, 2021-03-08)
The purpose of this project is to determine why homeschool teachers in Tazewell County, Virginia support and implement the Virginia 4-H presentations program and what potential life skills are learned by students. The theoretical framework for this study was the Experiential Learning Theory and Model. A qualitative case study was developed to determine why teachers utilize the contest and what potential life skills they feel students learn. The participants of this study were two Tazewell County homeschool teachers that implemented the program and subsequent contest each year with students. Teachers participated in a pre and post-interview that was audio recorded and transcribed. Themes that emerged included potential life skills learned and provided a better understanding as to why this contest has been supported for over 25 years. Recommendations from the research include conducting a similar study throughout the state to examine a larger sample. Practitioner recommendations include introducing new ways to implement the contest into teacher’s educational curriculum and share other teachers’ rubrics and lesson plans for this contest. Both would be beneficial in creating a more universal contest.
Advancing the Global Land Grant Institution: Creating a Virtual Environment to Re-envision Extension and Advance GSS-related Research, Education, and Collaboration
Hall, Ralph P.; Polys, Nicholas F.; Sforza, Peter M.; Eubank, Stephen D.; Lewis, Bryan L.; Krometis, Leigh-Anne H.; Pollyea, Ryan M.; Schoenholtz, Stephen H.; Sridhar, Venkataramana; Crowder, Van; Lipsey, John; Christie, Maria Elisa; Glasson, George E.; Scherer, Hannah H.; Davis, A. Jack; Dunay, Robert J.; King, Nathan T.; Muelenaer, Andre A.; Muelenaer, Penelope; Rist, Cassidy; Wenzel, Sophie (Virginia Tech, 2017-05-15)
The vision for this project has emerged from several years of research, teaching, and service in Africa and holds the potential to internationalize education at Virginia Tech and in our partner institutions in Malawi. The vision is simple, to develop a state-of-the-art, data rich, virtual decision-support and learning environment that enables local-, regional-, and national-level actors in developed and developing regions to make decisions that improve resilience and sustainability. Achieving these objectives will require a system that can combine biogeophysical and sociocultural data in a way that enables actors to understand and leverage these data to enhance decision-making at various levels. The project will begin by focusing on water, agricultural, and health systems in Malawi, and can be expanded over time to include any sector or system in any country. The core ideas are inherently scalable...
Agricultural Cyberbiosecurity Education Resource Collection
(2023-11-02)

The Agricultural Cyberbiosecurity Education Resource Collection contains resources for formal and non-formal agricultural educators working with middle school aged youth. Reference materials for facilitators introduce key concepts, youth-facing fact sheets present these concepts at a 6th grade level, and four hands-on activities integrate agriculture and cyberbiosecurity concepts. Cyberbiosecurity is an emerging field that focuses on creating security measures for digital aspects of our food and agriculture systems, creating a structure and opportunity for a safe food system that can meet the large needs of a growing population and world. The Agricultural Cyberbiosecurity Education Resource Collection was developed through a project aimed at supporting formal and non-formal agricultural educators in integrating cyberbiosecurity topics and research-based strategies for engaging middle-school-aged girls in STEM into their educational programs. The project is an outreach effort of the Virginia Tech Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture and was supported, in part, by the CCI Southwest Virginia Node Cyberbiosecurity Seed Grant program and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields (WAMS) Grants Program, award #2020-38503-31950. The open educational resources in this collection were developed through partnerships with scientists, middle school teachers, and Extension agents. Are you reviewing or adopting this collection for a course?
Please help us understand your use by filling out this form. How to access the collection
The main landing page for this collection is https://doi.org/10.21061/cyberbiosecurity. Published as open educational resources, all resources are provided in durable (PDF) and customizable (MS Word) formats. They are also hosted on the free, open-access, open educational resource repository called GoOpenVA in a unique resource collection, Ag Cybersecurity Virginia Tech, at https://goopenva.org/curated-collections/143. ISBN for Agricultural Cyberbiosecurity Reference Guide
PDF: 978-1-957213-61-3 Included resources
1: Agricultural Cyberbiosecurity Reference Guide, which includes background information on key topics in agricultural cyberbiosecurity (Fact Sheets), a glossary, and context for the overall project and contributors - Agricultural_Cyberbiosecurity_Reference_Guide.pdf
2: Fact Sheets, which cover nine topics (Big Data, Bioeconomy, Biomanufacturing, Biosecurity, Biotechnology, Cyberbiosecurity, Data Literacy, Precision Agriculture, Sensor) with separate facilitator and youth versions - Big_Data_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Bioeconomy_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Biomanufacturing_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Biosecurity_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Biotechnology_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Cyberbiosecurity_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Data_Literacy_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Precision_Agriculture_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Sensors_Fact_Sheet_Facilitator.pdf - Big_Data_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf - Bioeconomy_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf - Biomanufacturing_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf - Biosecurity_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf - Biotechnology_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf - Cyberbiosecurity_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf - Data_Literacy_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf - Precision_Agriculture_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf - Sensors_Fact_Sheet_Youth.pdf
3: Activities, which includes a Facilitator Guide and a Youth Activity Guide that address vulnerabilities in agricultural systems, traceability in hydroponic greens production, cybersecurity concerns with technologies commonly used in the livestock industry, and data quality in automation of food production. - Food_System_Vulnerabilities_Facilitator_Guide.pdf - Food_System_Vulnerabilities_Youth_Guide.pdf - Hydroponics_Facilitator_Guide.pdf - Hydroponics_Youth_Guide.pdf - Livestock_Tracking_Facilitator_Guide.pdf - Livestock_Tracking_Youth_Guide.pdf - Soil_Nutrient_Facilitator_Guide.pdf - Soil_Nutrient_Youth_Guide.pdf MS Word documents are available as an editable, customizable option for items 1-3. - Fact_Sheets_Facilitator_PDF_and_Customizable.zip - Activities_Facilitator_and_Youth_Guides_PDF_and_Customizable.zip - Editable_templates.zip Resources were developed for use with a middle school youth audience, can be used in formal or non-formal educational settings, and are aligned with Virginia Standards of Learning for science and computer science and Career and Technical Education Competencies for agricultural education. About the editors
David Smilnak
David is a Ph.D. student and graduate assistant at Virginia Tech. His work involves individual research towards his dissertation as well as writing papers, giving presentations, and coordinating groups of people for those projects. Generally, he's working with graduate students and faculty members at Virginia Tech, or agricultural professionals including teachers, Extension Agents, and farmers. He is working on a couple of projects, one of which is Initiating the Rural Cyberbiosecurity Workforce Pipeline Through Empowering Agricultural Educators and Supporting Middle School Girls. He enjoys the different types of people he gets to work with and occasionally he gets to go to a farm as well! Hannah H. Scherer
Hannah is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech. She is interested in how to make education more interesting and relevant to learners. In this role, she works with teachers, students, 4-H agents, and lots of other folks to try out new ideas for lessons and collect information to understand what works and what doesn’t. As part of this work, she was able to direct the Initiating the Rural Cyberbiosecurity Workforce Pipeline Through Empowering Agricultural Educators and Supporting Middle School Girls project and help make everything happen. Special thanks
This work is supported through the CCI Southwest Virginia Node Cyberbiosecurity Seed Grant program, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields (WAMS) Grants Program, award #2020-38503-31950, with design, publication assistance, and project management support from the Open Education Initiative of the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. Suggested citation
Smilnak, David, and Hannah H. Scherer, eds. (2023). Agricultural Cyberbiosecurity Education Resource Collection. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. https://doi.org/10.21061/cyberbiosecurity. Licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Accessibility
Virginia Tech is committed to making its publications accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Please contact openeducation@vt.edu if you are a person with a disability and have suggestions to make these resources more accessible.
Agricultural Grading Manual Training Tools: An Evaluation
Hall, Kierra (Virginia Tech, 2020-05)
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) implements federal regulations and guidelines to ensure that the food supply is safe for consumers. The job roles for inspectors who work for USDA include in-plant inspections, lot sampling, and conducting audits in plants, on farms, and at entry ports. In order to efficiently complete each task, all inspectors must be thoroughly trained. This work examined current USDA applesauce grading manuals in order to evaluate and offer recommendations to improve the quality of the training materials that are used to train USDA inspectors. Utilizing an implementation evaluation, participants were given a questionnaire pertaining to the applesauce grading manual. The participants in the study determined that the overall applesauce grading manual was easy to navigate. However, some participants found the manual difficult to understand and needed some modifications. It was recommended that adding supplemental documents like color charts, and more specific measurements would make the manual more efficient. These changes could produce more efficient and confident inspectors.
Argumentative Writing “Egg Proj-chick”: A Chick Hatching Unit of Study for Teaching 7th grade Argumentative Writing Skills
Merrill, Suzanne (Virginia Tech, 2013-12)
This project introduces lessons using animal-assisted education techniques as an approach to reengaging students in the classroom. An informal observation of children who were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) yielded preliminary evidence that the disengaged students began to gain self-control and be more cooperative with others. A more comprehensive examination of this phenomenon seemed to be a worthwhile endeavor, which was the impetus for this project. The animal-centered unit of study designed by the author is the first-known, formal attempt to utilize the beneficial, therapeutic effects of animals in a non-science, academic unit to maximize learning potential. This project is a compilation of lesson plans that can be used in a unit for 7th graders on argumentative writing using chick hatching as the topic. The persuasive writing unit uses a chick-hatching project as the axis around which its lessons revolve. The aim of the unit is to provide a framework around which data pertaining to children’s learning can be collected and analyzed. The Ewing Township District Language Arts Supervisor evaluated the lesson plans and determined that they met Standard W.6.1 in the 2010 Common Core Standards for English Language Arts. It is recommended that research be conducted to determine whether or not there are correlations between the use of animals for academic purposes and the cognitive development of youth.
The Art and Science of Teaching Agriculture: Four Keys to Dynamic Learning
Whittington, M. Susie; Rudd, Rick; Elliot, Jack; Drape, Tiffany; Faulkner, Paula; Greenhaw, Laura L.; Jagger, Carla; Mars, Matt; Marsh, Marla; Marsh, Monica; McCubbins, O.P.; McKim, Aaron J.; Odom, Summer; Redwine, Tobin; Rice, Amber H.; Rubenstein, Eric; Scherer, Hannah H.; Smith, Kasee L.; Specht, Annie; Vincent, Stacy K.; Wang, Hui-Hui; Warner, Wendy; Westfall-Rudd, Donna (Virginia Tech Publishing, 2023-12)

The Art and Science of Teaching Agriculture: Four Keys to Dynamic Learning is a 240-page methods of teaching book. Specifically, it is a collection of thoughts, best practices, strategies, and techniques for planning, delivering, and assessing teaching and learning. This resource is assembled from among the best teaching professors in agricultural communication, education, and leadership in America. The authors offer the opportunity to build confidence in planning, delivering, and assessing the depths of the variables inherent in learning for secondary and postsecondary educators in both formal and nonformal educational environments. You will quickly grasp the four fundamental keys of solid, basic, time-tested formal and nonformal teaching: Laying the Foundation, Connecting with Students, Designing Instruction, and Applying Learning. These keys are shared with you through the unique voices of the authors to provide a multiperspective approach to teaching. Are you reviewing or adopting this book for a course?
Please help us understand your use by filling out this form. How to access this book
The main landing page for this book is https://doi.org/10.21061/teachagriculture.
The open textbook is freely available online in multiple formats, including: PDF, ePub, and Pressbooks.
A paperback print version (in color) is available for order here. ISBNs
ISBN (PDF): 978-1-957213-71-2
ISBN (Pressbooks): 978-1-957213-72-9
ISBN (EPUB): 978-1-957213-70-5
ISBN (print): 978-1-957213-66-8
Table of contents
Key #1: Laying the Foundation
1. The Discipline of Agricultural Education
2. Psychology of Learning
3. Principles of Teaching and Learning
Key#2: Connecting with Students
4. Learning as Problem Solving
5. Inclusive Teaching
6. Dynamics of Teaching
Key #3: Designing Instruction
7. Planning for Effective Instruction
8. Delivering Content With Technology
9. Assessing Agricultural Education
Key #4: Applying Learning
10. Applied Leadership Development through FFA
11. Supervised Agricultural Experiences
12. Effective Use of the Agriculture Laboratory Environment to Support Student Learning
About the editors
M. Susie Whittington
M. Susie Whittington, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Professor of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and Executive Director of the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program at the Ohio State University. She was the first woman inducted as a Fellow in the American Association for Agricultural Education. Rick D. Rudd
Rick D. Rudd, PhD, is the Community Viability Chair of Excellence and Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education (ALCE) at Virginia Tech. Rudd served as ALCE Department Head from August 2006–July 2019. He served as Interim Associate Dean and Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension and Professor in 2009–2010. He received his PhD from Virginia Tech in 1994. He earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the Ohio State University. Jack Elliot
Jack Elliot, PhD, is the Regional Director for Africa for the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development. He serves on the USAID Higher Education Learning Network Steering Committee and leads the Council of Research and Evidence (CORE). He is a professor in the Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications (ALEC) where he served two terms as the Department Head. Elliot received his BS and MS in Agricultural Education and Agricultural Economics from Washington State University. He earned his PhD in Agricultural Education from the Ohio State University. He was awarded the FFA National VIP Award in 2023. Project support
Support for editorial work, graphic design, accessibility, publication assistance, and project management was provided by the Open Education Initiative of the University Libraries at Virginia Tech. Suggested citation
Whittington, M. Susie, Rick Rudd, and Jack Elliot, ed. (2023). The Art and Science of Teaching Agriculture: Four Keys to Dynamic Learning. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. https://doi.org/10.21061/teachagriculture. Licensed with CC BY NC 4.0. View errata | Report an error Accessibility
Virginia Tech is committed to making its publications accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Open Education Initiative is committed to continuous improvement regarding accessibility. The text, images, headings, and links in the PDF and HTML versions of this text are tagged structurally and include alternative text, which allows for machine readability. Please contact openeducation@vt.edu if you are a person with a disability and have suggestions to make this book more accessible. Illustration and cover design: Kindred Grey
"Care and authenticity is something that I was seeking": Mentoring experiences of African American undergraduate students studying agriculture at an 1862 Land Grant Institution
Harris, Kayla Michelle (Virginia Tech, 2019-07-01)
Studies show that mentoring has a significant impact on the educational successes of minority students and the development of their personal and professional identity within their particular field of study. Within these mentoring relationships an environment is created to where students feel comfortable to discuss their various personal concerns that impact their matriculation through their undergraduate experience in a variety of ways. The purpose of this study is to document the experiences of undergraduate African American students majoring in agriculture while enrolled at a predominately white land grant institutions and explore opportunities for using mentoring as a tool and factor in assisting these students in persisting towards their undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech. The foundation of the study was based on Bean and Eaton's Psychological Model of Retention and Rodgers and Summers' Revised model of retention for African American students at PWIs. Findings from this study were articulated by students conceptualization of mentors as a supportive guide in contrast to procedural advising relationships, additionally how students have experiences mentorship with mentors with a range of identities; student interactions within their colleges and departments as well as their both indirect and direct mentorship experiences; their support, interaction and connection to the African American community on campus during their undergraduate tenure; and how the university's bureaucratic structure has an impact on their experience as African American students.
Career Development for Teens Through the Southern Virginia Workforce Readiness and Preparedness Summit
Dolan, Amanda M. (Virginia Tech, 2019-08-30)
A 2019 needs assessment distributed by the Pittsylvania County unit of Virginia Cooperative Extension indicates that professional development is among the top five priority issues for youth in the county. Despite an economics and personal finance course being a requirement for all Virginia public high school students, youth still do not receive adequate exposure to the elements of career readiness before graduation. Using the experiential learning model as the foundation, this project aims to immerse high school students in a non-traditional classroom environment to learn and develop soft skills such as a proper handshake, the importance of eye contact when communicating, the value of networking, and a general overview of proper etiquette. Additional project goals include teaching students how to write resumes and cover letters, how to prepare for a variety of interview styles, and how to present themselves as polished professionals. An evaluation of this program indicated that participants feel more prepared for their futures/careers, know what to expect in an interview, know how to write a resume, have improved their communication skills, and have learned how to dress professionally.
A Case Study of an Agricultural Teacher's Planned Behavior When Working With Students With Special Needs
Greaud, Michelle L. (Virginia Tech, 2021-07-29)
Students with special needs are often placed in agriculture and other CTE classes. Literature has shown that teachers often feel unprepared to deal with this population of students. The Theory of Planned Behavior framed this case study of an exemplar agriculture teacher. Evidence of the teacher's planned behavior was supported by triangulation of interviews with the teacher, special education coordinator, special education aide, and lesson plans. This triangulation also showed that the teacher is an exemplar agriculture teacher in his work with students with special needs. Multiple themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews. An important theme was the need for agriculture teachers to participate in IEP meeting either by attending in person or by providing feedback prior to the meeting. Another important theme was the need for materials to be adapted for students with special needs both within lesson plans and as needed while the teacher is teaching the lesson. Recommendations for practice include providing information about special education laws, disabling conditions, and information on utilizing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to pre-service and in-service teachers. It is also recommended that teacher preparation programs include having pre-service teachers work with students with special needs. Professional development workshops that discuss best practices for teachers when working with students with special needs can be beneficial. It is important for teachers to realize that not all students are the same but that everyone is better served if all teachers do their best at helping students achieve their highest potential. Because in the end, we all just want to be accepted for who we are.
A Case Study of How Modern Agricultural Education Programs May Be Designed to Support Innovative Agricultural Content
Webb, Randall Curtis (Virginia Tech, 2018-08-15)
The agricultural industry is changing every day, and new innovations are being developed faster than educational resources can be developed. Secondary agricultural education is faced with the challenges of keeping up with the changes in the industry. Determining how to bring cutting edge innovative content to the classroom is difficult and without a clear vision of what is relevant it is impossible. The purpose of this case study was to determine how modern agricultural education programs may be designed and developed to support innovative agricultural content. The researcher focused on the planning theory of (Cervero and Wilson, 2006), as well as the Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers, 2003) for the theoretical framework of the research. The case study used a qualitative approach to examine the phenomenological views of stakeholders and artifacts collected to support the innovative program design. This qualitative study used interviews to describe and find the meanings to how modern agricultural education programs may be designed and developed to support innovative agricultural content. The findings of this study delivered a clear picture of this innovative agricultural education program. There were five categories and nine themes to emerge from the data collected, these categories and themes support the role the participants have played in the design and development of this innovative agricultural education program. The study showed that teachers were the key to a successful program. Teachers were then connected to professional development, program support, curriculum, and expectations of students at the end of their agricultural education program.
A Case Study of Integrative Agricultural Education: Integrating Mathematics to Develop Students Quantitative Reasoning
Robinson, Kelly Denise (Virginia Tech, 2017-05-24)
Preparing students to be life-long learners that are career and college ready is a goal of agricultural education. Changing expectations of education have pointed to agriculture educators as potential leaders in the STEM education movement. Literature related to STEM education in agricultural education is lacking in guidance for teachers, administrators, and curriculum developers in integrating academic content related to STEM content areas. A review of STEM education literature coupled with the framework of quantitative reasoning, lead to a conceptualization of a framework for integrative agricultural education. This framework was implemented through a case study to investigate collaborative efforts in curriculum development in agricultural education with a specific focus on integrating mathematics to develop students' quantitative reasoning skills. Teacher characteristics were identified that seemed to support the implementation of integrative agricultural education practices. Teaching and planning strategies were also identified in the case study. Recommendations suggest support of collaboration between agriculture and mathematics teachers would best support curriculum design and aid in the quality of instruction that follows.
Conducting an Outcome Evaluation of Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Kids’ Marketplace Curriculum
Walden, Alyssa (Virginia Tech, 2019-08-08)
Statement of the Problem: In 2003, Heather Greenwood, an Extension Agent within Virginia Cooperative Extension, created the Kids’ Marketplace curriculum. Since that time, the materials have undergone one revision in 2015 and have been used statewide in educating youth on financial literacy. The current curriculum includes an evaluation tool that asks participants to choose “Yes,” “No,” or “Maybe” to several questions surrounding whether or not they learned a specific skill or completed certain tasks within the program. While this information has consistently been used to create statewide impact statements, the questions asked of students are not correlated with the stated program objectives in a meaningful way and cannot show whether the program is teaching youth the desired outcomes.
Creating a Universal 4-H Non-Ownership Livestock Project Record Book to Capture Impacts of Increased Agriculture Literacy and Life Skill Development
Wright, Carly; Scherer, Hannah H.; Carter, Katherine; Bonnett, Erika (Virginia Tech, 2021-04-30)
Creating learning opportunities for students with Science on a Sphere
Bates, Kara (Virginia Tech, 2014-07)
In many classrooms, teachers are looking for ways to increase student engagement. Disengaged students are not reaching their full potential and experience relatively high levels of anxiety and frustration, which negatively impacts learning. Providing multiple hands-on and problem-solving learning opportunities can increase student engagement. The new curriculum developed for use on the Science on a Sphere provides educators with a resource to create problem-solving learning opportunities in their classrooms by using cooperative learning. These opportunities will help students understand how to work in collaborative groups while learning about and solving science-related problems. The curriculum consists of activities themed around climate change and human health. Additionally, the curriculum has been aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning. To assess the curriculum, teachers and administrators reviewed, assessed, and provided feedback on the lesson plans and handouts. Overwhelmingly, most respondents stated that while the activities were well thought-out, would be beneficial for increasing students’ learning, and provided problem-solving learning opportunities for students, they would not feel comfortable using and interacting with the Science on a Sphere without first participating in some form of training. Therefore, prior to making this curriculum available to other teachers, professional development opportunities should be provided to teach educators how to use and interact with the Sphere.
Creating, Implementing, and Evaluating the Use of a Food Science and Technology 5E Based Curriculum Impact on Underrepresented Minority Youth Engagement in Science
Junious, Britteny Y. (Virginia Tech, 2016-09-26)
Increasing underrepresented minority youth (URMY) engagement in STEM education remains at the forefront of our Nation's educational battle. The aim of this study was to create, implement, and evaluate the impact of innovative food science and technology (FST) lesson plans on URMY engagement in, and attitudes towards science, and their awareness of the field of FST. The 2011 United States census recalls that URMY make up only 13.3% of the STEM workforce. This study identifies URMY as individuals representing one or more of the following demographics: Low income, African American, Latino(a) American, and Indian American. Eight 5th-6th grade youth participated in a seven-week program, The Enliven Program (TEP), which is a STEM education program created for the purpose of this. The Enliven Program focuses on youth engagement in science learning through the implementation of a FST curriculum. The lessons delivered in TEP utilized the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) 5E instructional model as its foundation. This model focuses on five phases of student centered learning: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. Data was collected using a fixed-mixed methods design. A qual-quan approach was employed to measure youths' positive behavioral and cognitive engagement in science learning. Measures of positive behavioral and cognitive engagement demonstrated that youth were positively behaviorally and cognitively engaged in the science learning activities. Furthermore, relationship building played an instrumental role in maintaining youth participants' positive attitudes towards and engagement in TEP activities. The results display an overall increase in youth's desire to do science and self-concept in science.
Developing an "Attitude of Gratitude": 4-H School Enrichment for Youth in 4th and 5th Grades
Rose, Kelly M. (Virginia Tech, 2017-05-19)
Youth today are exposed to a great number of stressors. Standardized testing, peer pressure, and even product marketing stress youth and have negative effects on their mental health. Many studies have supported a positive correlation between gratitude and positive outcomes in adults, but there are few studies that focus on youth. The project reported here had three objectives for youth in grades and 4 and 5: improve written communication skills by creating handmade notes, improve positive social interaction, and increase gratitude scores. Five classrooms were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control conditions. A gratitude assessment was administered to students in the participating 4th and 5th grade classrooms (n=123) prior to the interventions, again immediately following the interventions and finally three-weeks post-interventions. All participating classrooms were provided with blank note cards, envelops, inkpads and stamps. Both groups received instruction on the mechanics of writing a note and addressing an envelope for five consecutive school days. The treatment group was instructed to focus on gratitude while the control group wrote about daily activities. Written communication skills were assessed on the first day of instruction and again on the final day of instruction. The project results reflected modest gains in both writing skills, gratitude, and improved behavior for most classes, but none proved statistically significant with a two-tailed, independent t-test and the effect size was small. Qualitative data was encouraging as teachers were interested in implementing the project for the following school year with a few modifications.
Evaluating the “Drone the Unknown” 4-H Program Curriculum
Robbins, Hannah (Virginia Tech, 2018-12-10)
Within the past ten years, there has been an increase in the demand for more STEM-based programs as is evident by the increase in STEM related careers and opportunities. In order to keep up with these career opportunities and continue to encourage youth to engage in developing technology, it is critical to expose them to programs highlighting STEM topics. Currently there is no official 4-H curriculum using drones as the main component for the instruction. This realization sparked the inspiration of a new program curriculum called “Drone the Unknown”. In this five-part curriculum, students are engaged with multiple STEM related SOL topics and 4-H life skills. This curriculum development and evaluation project serves to determine how effective this drone curriculum is in reinforcing these topics according to a review by 4-H professionals.
Evaluation instrument use for camp practitioners: A review of evaluation instruments for a one-week or short-term residential camp context
Makufka, Craig (Virginia Tech, 2019-12-19)
For camps, designing and executing experiential-based programming, as well as their structure is central to their value of providing opportunities for positive youth development. Those within the camp community, inherently understand this value and see it throughout the many characteristics of camp. However, demonstrating these positive outcomes can produce challenges to camp practitioners. This report presents recommendations for evaluation instrument implementation for interviews, observations, and surveys. Using a one-week or short-term residential camp context lens, this report is able to provide real-world factors and structure that affect and should be considered when implementing an evaluation approach. A brief introduction and purpose of the project is described first, followed by background information on evaluation, and then the description of the report’s camp context lens. From there, each evaluation instrument is generally described, and recommendations stated. These recommendations are meant to provide camp practitioners with a guide in helping them decide which evaluation approach and instrument suits the needs of their camp. In providing recommendations through a specific camp context lens, this report tries to present the information in a way that camp practitioners can use and will aid in demonstrating their camps’ value to their stakeholders, especially in terms of positive youth development outcomes. The report concludes by highlighting some important evaluation implementation points from the paper, as well as a few best practice recommendations for camp practitioners moving forward.
Experiential Learning and Professional Identity Development for Scientists Participating in K-12 Outreach: A Case Study of the Graduate Extension Scholars Program
Wilk, Ayla Arsel (Virginia Tech, 2016-06-28)
To address 21st century environmental and economic issues, the practice of agricultural science has become more interdisciplinary, collaborative, and reliant on wider community connections. These changes have fueled demands to improve public agricultural literacy and strengthen the agricultural science workforce, increasing expectations for high-quality undergraduate teaching and public scholarship by agricultural science faculty. Unfortunately, faculty often lack professional preparation for this aspect of their work (Bagdonis and Dodd, 2010; Blickenstaff, Wolf, Falk, and Foltz, 2015). In other STEM fields, K-12 outreach by graduate students has gained popularity as a way to improve scientists' skills and outlook toward public scholarship. This thesis explored learning and professional identity development for participants in a K-12 outreach program for graduate students in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Virginia Tech. The theoretical framework of Kolb's (1984) experiential learning cycle and Lave and Wenger's (1991) situated learning theory were employed to explore these processes. Findings revealed that the Graduate Extension Scholars saw themselves as educators and public scholars both before and after participating in the program. Motivations for participation were related to identified gaps in their professional preparation. Participants believed that their knowledge, skill, and professional identity around teaching and public scholarship had been strengthened by their participation in the program. The program's constructivist experiential theoretical framework, community of practice, and extensive support structures were identified by participants as contributors to these outcomes. This study informs program evaluation and has broader implications for preparing future agricultural science faculty.

Browsing by Author "Scherer, Hannah H."

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