Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10919/51287

The Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS), http://www.cals.vt.edu/online/, is uniquely positioned to meet the evolving and dynamic needs of today’s agricultural professionals. The program offers concentrations in the areas of agribusiness, applied animal behavior and welfare, applied nutrition and physical activity, education, environmental science, food safety and biosecurity, and leadership studies, as well as plant science and pest management. In addition to engaging classes, students benefit from the opportunity to work on-on-one with well-respected faculty in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to complete a rigorous final project, using what they've learned and developing real-world research and communication skills. This collection showcases final projects completed by current and former OMALS students.

Directions for final project and report submission

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 102

4-H Agent Longevity and Youth Participation and Perception: A Case Study
Ransdell, Leona P. (Virginia Tech, 2018-12-13)
This study examined the influence of the 4-H agent and how the length of time an agent is employed in a community affects the perception of the quality and visibility of the 4-H program based on the theory of Positive Youth Development. The objective of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between the length of time an agent has been employed in a county and what effect, if any, it has on the perceptions of the youth ages 14-19 that are enrolled in the 4-H program. A total of 138 youth participated in the survey from 21 different counties in Virginia. The study found the positive influence of the 4-H agent in a county and the 4-H program and that these employees are an important part of a youth’s 4-H career. Further research is needed to determine the time at which agents begin to make significant impact on the youth enrolled in their county programs. Programmatic recommendations include conducting a more in depth needs assessment including agents in the 8-11 year employment range and outside stakeholders.
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.
The Academic Experience of African-American Male Student-Athletes
Hill, Ahmed (Virginia Tech, 2019-12-09)
This paper explores the academic experience of former African-American student-athletes who have graduated from Virginia Tech. Student-athletes choose to attend college for many different reasons and once enrolled, they often face challenges such as time management. Academic support centers have developed throughout the country at various institutions to assist student-athletes with the academic challenges that they may face. Through interviews with former student-athletes, this paper was developed to answer two research questions: What experiences have positively impacted African-American male student-athletes’ academic success and graduation? And, what support initiatives and/or programs have student-athlete support offices implemented at Virginia Tech to support African-American male student-athletes? Seven former student-athletes were interviewed in this study and results show that the majority of those interviewed chose to attend Virginia Tech to play basketball and to receive a strong education. The biggest challenge faced by student-athletes was time management. The most utilized resources were: academic advisors, professors, tutoring, and relationships with coaches, teammates, and others. All of the student-athletes interviewed had a positive experience at Virginia Tech and were pleased with their decision to obtain a degree. In terms of the programming for African-Americans, common themes were that they did not want to be stereotyped. Implications and recommendations based on this research include continuing to support the African-American student-athlete population by developing relationships with them.
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.
Agritourism Safety in Virginia
Preisser, Afton (Virginia Tech, 2017-11-17)
Safety is a concern for agritourism venues because an operating farm may expose visitors to many unfamiliar conditions, situations, and/or animals, which opens the farm operation to potential liability risks during these interactions. The purpose of this research was to review current safety protocols on Virginia agritourism operations and seek information that was needed to improve for the future. Based on a survey sent to Virginia operators, numerous areas were identified which would benefit from further education and risk management information. Insurance offerings tailored to agritourism operations are needed, in addition to improved employee screening and training for operations management. The survey found that 25.24% of responses do not do any type of pre-employment screening while over 7% do not participate in walkthroughs before events. The purpose of this research was to document specific protocols already in place, identify, and describe critical areas of improvement for Virginia agritourism event, venue, and visitor safety practices.
Agroforestry Education: The Status and Progress of Agroforestry Courses in the U.S.
Wright, Matt (Virginia Tech, 2017-04-24)
Many agroforestry leaders today believe that an increase in agroforestry coursework, certifications, and institutional degree programs would help agroforestry professionals gain the proper education and training needed to better promote agroforestry implementation (Gold, 2015; USDA, 2011). In 1990, thirty-nine SAF forestry accredited institutions were surveyed throughout North America. The survey revealed that at least fourteen schools were offering a course in agroforestry (Warren & Bentley, 1990). In order to determine the current status of agroforestry course offerings today, we sent an electronic survey to one hundred and twenty seven institutions throughout the U.S. Focusing on land-grant and SAF forestry accredited institutions, the survey findings indicate growth in the number of institutions that are offering agroforestry coursework today. In addition, the number of temperate agroforestry course offerings has increased significantly and may now exceed tropical agroforestry course offerings by institutions in the U.S. The survey results also indicate a thorough adoption of interdisciplinary teaching methods by agroforestry educators. Nonetheless, there is still considerable room for improvement. While most institutions that are currently providing agroforestry courses would like to continue offering them, the number of institutions that have discontinued their offerings since the prior 1988 survey is concerning. In addition, while SAF and 1862 land grant institutions are the strongest proponents of agroforestry, most institutions still do not provide agroforestry courses and are not likely to offer them in the near future. Lack of resources, lack of student interest, and lack of faculty expertise were often cited to this end. A much needed contribution to agroforestry education, this project provides a clearer picture of institutional agroforestry offerings today.
An Analysis of Influencing factors and logjams in the Existing Vegetable Value Chain in Waling, Nepal
Baral, Govinda R.; Friedel, Curtis R.; Alwang, Jeffrey R.; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M. (Virginia Tech, 2016-05-02)
Nepal is known for its three unique topographical regions: Mountain, Hill, and Terai. Since the Himalayan range is cold and damp and therefore unable to produce vegetables, most of the agricultural products such as vegetables, fruits, cereal crops, coffee, and tea are grown in Hilly and Terai regions. Waling, a city located in the hilly district of Syangja, has engaged in high production of vegetables. Its residents have embraced the production and marketing of vegetables as their main source of income generation. Despite the economic potentiality of vegetables, famers have been unsuccessful in garnering maximum benefits. The vegetable value chain, which ranges from conception to consumption, is affected by numerous factors that have generated obstacles in maximizing benefits and minimizing risks. Hence, the objective of this study was to analyze the influencing factors and log jams in the existing vegetable value chain through famers’ interviews, focus group discussion, and consultation with farmers’ groups, institutions, and individuals through phenomenological study. The study identified lack of effective technologies for packaging of grown vegetables, frequent price fluctuation, poor group management, and unavailability of quality seeds as the log jams of this value chain. In order to reduce and possibly eliminate these log jams, agricultural professionals should develop packaging methods using cardboard boxes and plastic carets that are readily available in the markets of major cities of Nepal, coordinate farmers and wholesalers during the product flowing process, and establish a cold store to preserve products and maintain quality.
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.
A Beginning Farmer and Rancher Community Learning Network in the Greater Richmond Area: Program Development and Initial Evaluation
Maxwell, Charlotte H. (Virginia Tech, 2017-07-17)
The mission of the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition (VBFRC) Program for Greater Richmond is to develop programming that fits the needs of beginning farmers in the area. This project initially focused on Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover and Powhatan residents and contributed to the larger statewide initiative. The developed program reaches more counties in the Greater Richmond area and continues to contribute to the statewide initiative. The initial mission of this project was to introduce the participants to the VBFRC Whole Farm Planning curriculum, conduct a needs assessment and create a plan of action to address those needs. The initial mission was accomplished through two whole farm planning classes and a third meeting where the beginning farmers participated in a needs assessment discussion and created an action plan to meet their needs. Participants were able to voice their opinions on which needs to prioritize and what events they want to hold in the future. The secondary mission will be to develop a learning community with new farmers and established farmers in the area. The secondary mission does not have a set end time as we will work to connect farmers together in this community-learning network. This project resulted in a program for the participants based on their input with the Extension agent serving as an event facilitator. The whole farm planning classes were evaluated through a paper survey and interviews, the needs assessment and action plan were created through discussion. The Social Exchange Theory was selected as the theoretical framework for this program. In order for the community-learning network to work, a beneficial social exchange will need to be present. The results of the surveys, interviews and needs assessment are being used to inform the program and The development of this program and its evaluation helps to strengthen the agricultural community as well as increase programming offered specifically for beginning farmers by the local Virginia Cooperative Extension offices.
Capacity Building for Fundraising Coordinators: A Model for Increasing Rural Community Engagement
Atkins, Robin W. (Virginia Tech, 2017-09-15)
The purpose of this project was to develop a how-to manual for coordination of fundraisers in rural communities using Newport, Virginia as a model case. In preparation for the development of the manual, 78 adults in the Newport community completed a three-part survey on trends in volunteer characteristics, reasons for volunteering, and volunteering outcomes. The results showed that the motivators were based on factors involving the volunteer as a person and others, and were not reported as impacted by any demographic differences. The volunteer outcomes were shown to be based on the participants making a worthy contribution, and thinking fundraising is necessary to a viable community. After the completion of the manual, a draft was sent to five panelists who have helped organize comparable fundraisers. Recommendations were made to conduct a follow-up survey or interview with participants from a specific fundraiser in Newport in three to six months after the how-to manual has been implemented into the community. This will assess whether or not the manual is a viable tool in organizing the fundraisers and assess how the manual is being used, expand volunteer opportunities to include more visibility and coordination with local high schools and community colleges who offer a tuition-waiver education in exchange for community service hours, and create a “Community Engagement” fund that would provide need-based funds to community members in exchange for community service.
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 Exploring Lunchtimes: Implications for Equitable Access to the National School Lunch Program
Smith, Jeanell (Virginia Tech, 2023-09-25)
It is recommended that 20 minutes be provided for students to eat lunch at school. Research has shown that adequate seated lunchtime can ensure that children consume enough food, which may help address child food insecurity concerns. It may also improve dietary quality. The school that is the focus of this case study is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, in a community with relatively high rates of food insecurity. The school participates in CEP, with all students eligible for free school meals. The goal of this study was to assess the current school lunch environment in the cafeteria, using the Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results (SOAR) framework, to help inform strategies to increase seated lunch time and ultimately address food insecurity and dietary quality. The study involved 12 one-on-one interviews with cafeteria stakeholders, including cafeteria monitors, cafeteria staff, teachers, and administration. The interview results answered the four research questions and utilizing the asset-based SOAR framework, revealed what is going well in the cafeteria, what opportunities are available for improvement, the collective goals of the stakeholders, and how the stakeholders would define success. The strengths included mandatory quiet time at the start of each lunch period to focus on eating and verbal cues during lunch to provide structure and time management for the students. The opportunities included cafeteria staff providing quality images, detailed descriptions, and tastings of menu items for students and staff. The aspirations of the stakeholders include a deep passion for creating a safe and nurturing environment in the cafeteria. The goals are to increase the amount of time students have to eat lunch and build on the current strengths to continue to improve the cafeteria environment. Recommendations to achieve these goals are offered in a tiered approach and include uniform cafeteria monitor training, expanding nutrition education, and increasing time allotments for lunch.
A Case Study Investigating Skill Development Through 4-H Livestock Projects
Romano, Timothy (Virginia Tech, 2018-06-19)
The purpose of this project is to determine what important skills youth gain from participating in 4-H livestock projects. This goal was important not only to 4-H, but to Cooperative Extension as an organization. The theoretical framework for this study was Richard Lerner’s Positive Youth Development (PYD). The participants of this study are all 4-Hers who participated in 4-H livestock projects. A qualitative case study was developed to determine what skills youth gained through livestock projects. A total of five youth participated in the research interviews. Responses to interview questions proved that there are important skills gained from livestock projects. A follow up interview with each participant would be beneficial to gain more detail on benefits that are gained through livestock projects.
The Choice of Football Helmets: Relationships between College Football Athlete’s Problem Solving and Preference for Helmet Safety
Coggsdale, Peyton; Friedel, Curtis R.; Kaufman, Eric K.; Walz, Jerald H. (Virginia Tech, 2024-05-08)
This study investigated the intricate interplay between football players' choice of helmets and their problem-solving styles. In light of the paramount importance of player safety in football, understanding the multifaceted factors influencing helmet selection is of utmost significance. The research specifically sought to uncover if there is a relationship between a player’s preferred problem-solving style and helmet choices, which may offer valuable insights into the decision-making process of football players. The study endeavored to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics of helmet selection in football, ultimately aiming to inform better decisions and enhance both player safety and satisfaction on the field.
College of Agriculture and Life Science (CALS) Faculty Professional Development Resource: Best Practices for Teaching at a Distance
Louvet, Matthew F. Sr. (Virginia Tech, 2021-05-11)
Professional development is a necessary component of most jobs and professions. University faculty members who teach in online or hybrid environments need professional development to improve their teaching, stay current with new technologies, and to interact with students in online environments. Universities are responsible to provide professional development for their faculty. This includes materials and information to assist them in being prepared to teach in an online environment. Professional development can be focused to a departmental or college level providing examples and training for faculty members to use and adopt. Communities of practice will form and grow from the sharing of examples and ideas. Having a single location for faculty to receive professional development, look up basic pedagogical knowledge, adopt templates and share ideas while staying abreast of technological best practices is an ideal situation. A resource was developed and structured to house the knowledge and information which supports the faculty, the administration and ultimately the students. This work examined the components of adult learning theory and instructional design theory together to create a single source location which if utilized supports the faculty with the knowledge and skills to set up and maintain a distance learning course. Interviewed instructors and administrators stated the resource would do what it was intended. Recommendations include additional text and video support for accessibility and further information chunking.
A Comparison of Social Media Engagement Tactics Utilized by the Washington Nationals Twitter Account
Caskey, Taylor C. (Virginia Tech, 2021-08-14)
The increase in social media usage over the years by people all over has impacted businesses today. Sports teams specifically have a huge platform and do their best to stay engaged with fans in order to increase fanship and game attendance. The Washington Nationals, who have been on Twitter since its start in March 2006, have adapted different styles and linguistics of tweets to engage with their audience (Swani et al., 2014). The paper outlines motivators for social use, twitter background, and social media marketing plans. This research focused on determining if there was a relationship between the type of tweet the Washington Nationals posted and the type of interaction they received. A regression analysis was run on the types of tweets and engagement numbers. These types of tweets include photos, videos, final score updates, and other forms of media. SME guided the research as the researcher attempted to answer what media is most likely to increase engagement. However, the regression analysis determined that there was no significant correlation. Final scores received the most overall engagement and likes while the video category received the most retweets and comments.
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 Framework for the Virginia 4-H Youth Livestock Ambassador Program
Edwards, Emmalee A.; Seibel, Megan M.; Carter, Katherine; Miller, Matthew (Virginia Tech, 2023-12-05)
This project focused on developing a framework for the Virginia 4-H Youth Livestock Ambassador program. A survey tool was developed to distribute to 4-H youth livestock and agricultural ambassador alumni in states with established, active programs, with the purpose of assessing the perceived impacts of participating in the programs. The survey was composed of Likert scale statements. The survey was distributed by program coordinators through their email listservs. Most participants responded favorably to the ambassador program, with most agreeing that by participating, they were positively impacted. Respondents especially thought that participating in the program had helped them feel more confident mentoring younger 4-H members and taught them how to act professionally. Interview questions were developed and asked to program coordinators of 4-H youth livestock or agricultural ambassador programs to gather information on various components of the program, including the application and selection process, ambassador requirements, training, program successes, and improvements to be made. Transcription data from the interview was compiled, trends were identified, and specific components of the programs were highlighted. Information was combined to create a draft guide for the Virginia 4-H Youth Livestock Ambassador program, as well as several key tools for the program, including a draft application and a draft service activities tracking document. Results from this project will be presented to the Virginia 4-H Youth Animal Science Extension Specialist with the goal of creating and implementing a Virginia 4-H Youth Livestock Ambassador program.
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.

Browse

Browsing Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences by Department "Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education"

Results Per Page

Sort Options