EDUCATING THE UNDERGRADUATE AGRIBUSINESS MAJOR

Undergraduate programs in agribusiness education have attracted much interest in recent years. Many university facilities have developed agribusiness educational programs and others are considering the development of such programs. As these programs evolve throughout the country, there are many questions which relate to the structure and future directions of these educational efforts. A review of the issues related to agribusiness program development is presented. A planning process that can be used to focus on the many agribusiness educational issues and provide insight into agribusiness program development in outlined.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Designing Undergraduate Research Experiences for Nontraditional Student Learning at Sea

NOTE: This is a large file, 7.6 mb in size! The University of Washington, Tacoma (UWT) serves a large nontraditional student population. This article describes how nontraditional student learning in environmental sciences is especially enriched by access to unique hands-on field experiences that foster a sense of scientific ownership. The environmental science curriculum at UWT is based on an experiential learning model that enhances undergraduate education by involving students in ongoing research projects that extend beyond the classroom into the broader scientific community. During the summers of 2001 and 2002, undergraduate students from UWT participated in two very different marine research courses designed by environmental science faculty. By comparing these two course designs, the authors identified two primary issues of importance when setting up a field research program at sea. First, learning outcomes are dependent on the platform chosen for the research cruise, and thus the vessel to be used must be considered when designing a curricular model. Second, planning and implementation considerations need to be addressed regardless of the platform chosen. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Operations Management Curricula: Literature Review and Analysis

A review and analysis of studies on the interface between Operations Management (OM) academicians and industry practitioners indicate the existence of a persistent gap between what is being taught and what is relevant to practitioners in their daily jobs. The majority of practitioner studies have been directed at upper management levels, yet academia typically educates students for entry level or management trainee (undergraduate) and mid-management (MBA) positions. A recurring finding was that academicians prefer to teach quantitative techniques while practitioners favor qualitative concepts. The OM curricula literature shows some disagreements between academicians concerning subject matter, and a wide variety of teaching opinions. This paper provides an extensive analytical review of OM curricula literature along with their respective authors’ conclusions. From this analysis we suggest a customer-focused business plan to close the gap between industry and academia. This plan can be modified to account for faculty teaching and research interests, local industry requirements and institution specific factors such as class sizes and resources

Beyond Coding: Using Critical Computational Literacy to Transform Tech

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Interactive Real-Time Embedded Systems Education Infused with Applied Internet Telephony

The transition from traditional circuit-switched phone systems to modern packet-based Internet telephony networks demands tools to support Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) development. In this paper, we introduce the XinuPhone, an integrated hardware/software approach for educating users about VoIP technology on a real-time embedded platform. We propose modular course topics for design-oriented, hands-on laboratory exercises: filter design, timing, serial communications, interrupts and resource budgeting, network transmission, and system benchmarking. Our open-source software platform encourages development and testing of new CODECs alongside existing standards, unlike similar commercial solutions. Furthermore, the supporting hardware features inexpensive, readily available components designed specifically for educational and research users on a limited budget. The XinuPhone is especially good for experimenting with design trade-offs as well as interactions between real-time software and hardware components

Assessing collaborative and experiential learning

Collaborative and experiential learning has many proven merits. Team projects with real clients motivate students to put in the time for successfully completing demanding projects. However, assessing student performance where individual student contributions are separated from the collective contribution of the team as a whole is not a straightforward, simple task. Assessment data from multiple sources, including students as assessors of their own work and peers\u27 work, is critical to measuring certain student learning outcomes, such as responsible team work and timely communication. In this paper we present our experience with assessing collaborative and experiential learning in five Computer Information Systems courses. The courses were scheduled over three semesters and enrolled 57 students. Student performance and student feedback data were used to evaluate and refine our assessment methodology. We argue that assessment data analysis improved our understanding of (1) the assessment measures that support more closely targeted learning outcomes and (2) how those measures should be implemented

A Prospectus on Substantive Change

Prepared for The Commission on Colleges, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, October 1, 1987. For consideration by the Commission on Colleges at its December 5 and 6, 1987, meeting at the Salt Lake Hilton Hotel