High School Students\u27 Perceptions of a College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Declining enrollment in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources fueled discussions about changing the name of the college as a means of reversing the trend. In spring 2005, a comprehensive study was launched to assess the perceptions of key college populations. This study relates to one of those four populationsresident, college-bound high school seniors. A survey developed by Kansas State University was a starting point for the development of a mailed survey to evaluate the college\u27s image, the influence of the college\u27s name, the level of awareness of program offerings and career opportunities, and to identify actionable changes. A sample (4,500) stratified by county classification yielded 479 responses (10.6%). High school seniors were generally unaware about the college and the opportunities it offered to students, and were unsure if they would recommend the college to prospective students. Rural students were more likely to consider attending a community college and then transferring than were micropolitan or metropolitan students. Changes in university and college marketing strategies were recommended, and it was concluded that insufficient evidence existed to warrant changing the name of the college at this time. Replication of the study in three to five years was recommended. have staff from the Food Processing Center at UNL with market assessment expertise lead the development of survey instruments and conduct the surveys. The faculty subcommittee was charged with overseeing the survey process and presenting the results and recommendations toCASNRfaculty. In the resulting study, this team surveyed sample populations within four basic categories: collegebound Nebraska high school students, current UNL students, current UNL faculty, and CASNR stakeholders. This paper presents results from the survey of college-bound Nebraska high school students. While all the populations provided useful feedback, the survey of college-bound Nebraska high school students was of greatest interest since it provided the most direct information on impacts for recruiting students intoCASNR

Awareness and Acceptance of Biotechnology Issues among Youth, Undergraduates, and Adults

To be successful both domestically and internationally, biotechnology must establish an acceptable position in the sociopolitical framework. This United States (US) study assessed levels of awareness and acceptance of biotechnology issues among youth (n = 283), undergraduate students (n = 330), and adults (n = 166). The percentage of adults who were aware of how biotechnology would affect food, health, and the environment was almost three times that of youth respondents. It was concluded that consumer groups would most likely be impacted by accurate, unbiased agricultural biotechnology information delivered through the Internet and newspapers that originates from reliable, accessible, and science-based sources

Learning Gains and Response to Digital Lessons on Soil Genesis and Development

Evolving computer technology is offering opportunities for new online approaches in teaching methods and delivery. Well-designed web-based (online) lessons should reinforce the critical need of the soil science discipline in today\u27s food, energy, and environmental issues, as well as meet the needs of the diverse clientele with interest in agricultural and/ or environmental disciplines. The objectives of the project were to: (1) develop web-based lessons in soil genesis and development and (2) evaluate context-based case studies or application lessons (agronomic, environmental, and ecological situations) to teach soil genesis and development. Six principles lessons, along with three applications lessons, were developed for use by undergraduate soil science courses. Pre- and post-tests were used to assess learning gains. A postactivity survey was also used to assess perceptions of the web-based lessons by student users. Students\u27 test performance from pre- to post-test improved by 69%. Although there were no differences in post-test gains among learning styles, or between genders, the students majoring in professional golf management had higher post-test gains than other majors. Since their inception in 2006, lessons have continued to be both primary and supplemental resources for multiple courses serving over 140 students each year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Oregon State University-Cascades. The lessons will be especially useful for teachers who do not have extensive training in soil science yet cover the subject as part of a basic earth science course