Engaging students in diverse cultural experiences provides students with innovative learning experiences that will empower them to serve and lead. A higher level of learning occurs through observation, thought, and experience in a meaningful learning environment: 

• ALEC students engage in diverse and cultural high impact field experiences developed in line with theoretical foundations. Students actively test their knowledge gained through hypothesis testing, theory, and lecture, which builds a foundation for deep learning. Students apply new skills through rigorous projects that cause students to take action, develop their own questions, observe and retain key information, and realize how hard it is to do something well.

• ALEC courses that integrate high impact field experiences encourage students to embrace their education and take it to the next level through developing as an individual, inquiring the unknown or misunderstood, and immersing themselves into each environment entered.

Submitted by Billy McKim

Solving local, national, and global problems requires both organizational leadership development and individual leader development (Quinn & Van Velsor, 2010). Graduates of the leadership programs in the department are expected to translate theory into practice. They are expected to understand themselves as leaders and then translate that into an understanding of others they work with.

ALED 340: Survey of Leadership Theory is required for Agricultural Leadership and Development majors and University Studies – Leadership majors. The course exemplifies leadership as a scholarly discipline by drawing upon the study of multiple leadership theories and how those theories have evolved over time. Approximately 200 students each semester are required to use their written communication skills to articulate a deeper understanding of one of the theories by relating it to their daily lives. As a result, the course impacts students’ perception about the translation of theory to practice. Students acquire insights that directly impact their leadership philosophy and how they ultimately work with, and lead others in the workplace as they solve urgent and complex problems they may encounter.

Submitted by Lori Moore

Solving local, national, and global problems requires that students be able to critically analyze issues and communicate defensible solutions to them.

Situation: If one went solely by the news media, one would think that there is a dearth of ethical leaders in business and public service.  A 2000 study found that only 24% of the public trusted business leaders and only politicians and journalists ranked below them (BMA/MORI, 2000).  Universities need to produce ethical leaders if we are to reverse this perception of unethical leadership.  Becoming conscious of the impact that their decisions make on others is a skill that students must develop if they are to become ethical leaders.

Response:  Ethical decision making is infused across several ALED courses at a shallow and moderate level of understanding.  ALED 424, Applied Ethics in Leadership, provides students with ethical decision making practice at a deeper level of understanding.  Approximately 100 students complete this course each year.

Students practice critical thinking as they interact with leaders from a variety of professions and analyze ethical dilemmas faced by today’s leaders.  By analyzing the decisions of leaders and applying ethical and moral theories, students gain insights to the process of critically analyzing problems before decisions are made, allowing them to see the potential impact of those decisions and choose the right course of action. 

Submitted by Barry Boyd

• COALS and TAMU undergraduate enrollment will significantly increase in two newly developed ALEC/ALED courses, "Global Social Justice Issues in Agriculture," and "Global Agricultural Issues."

• Students’ participation in ALEC international courses enhances their understanding of the interconnected factors in agricultural, business, and industry
• Increased ALEC study abroad offerings from zero to seven in 3 years.

Submitted by Gary Wingenbach

ALEC 644 The Agricultural Advisor in Developing Nations – Graduate students completing this course will have acquired important insights for succeeding as agricultural change agents in intercultural settings.

Submitted by Manuel Piña, Jr.

Students take active roles in bettering their communities through social justice programs and volunteerism during and after participating in in ALEC international courses.

Submitted by Gary Wingenbach

Engaging students in diverse cultural experiences provides students with innovative learning experiences that will empower them to serve and lead. A higher level of learning occurs through observation, thought, and experience in a meaningful learning environment:

• ALEC students engage in diverse and cultural high impact field experiences developed in line with theoretical foundations. Students actively test their knowledge gained through hypothesis testing, theory, and lecture, which builds a foundation for deep learning. Students apply new skills through rigorous projects that cause students to take action, develop their own questions, observe and retain key information, and realize how hard it is to do something well.
• ALEC courses that integrate high impact field experiences encourage students to embrace their education and take it to the next level through developing as an individual, inquiring the unknown or misunderstood, and immersing themselves into each environment entered.

Submitted by Billy McKim

My efforts impact the charge to increase networking and improve the agricultural knowledge base by ensuring that adequate resources are available and expended in venues such as International Week, by collaborating with development teams in Afghanistan, and by identifying existing resources that are suitable for utilization in international settings.  Departmental faculty working in Afghanistan used IMS materials presented through a digital format that I develop.  I actively seek to partner with individuals having skill sets appropriate for extending the educational outreach of our products.

Submitted by Kirk Edney

-ALEC 624 Developing Funded Research Projects  – Graduate students completing this course will have experienced 12 key steps in developing competitive proposals to be submitted to a federal agency and will have engaged community partners in the development and submission of complete proposals for funding.

Submitted by Manuel Piña, Jr.

My efforts support the dissemination of agricultural education research through personal and collaborative scholarship, through providing professional development opportunities, and through identifying and developing innovative models of curriculum development and delivery.  Our Poultry Science Manual, 6^th edition is employed ‘coast-to-coast’ as a student resource.  I am in the process of refining our assessment materials with a focus on validity and reliability.  These materials, as well as those developed in conjunction with the Educational Excellence project, have the potential to improve student test scores in Texas and other states.  Our entry into a shared-services arrangement with the AgriLife Copy Services and Extension Bookstore optimizes space while providing opportunities for smoother workflows and expanding the audience for both IMS and Extension Bookstore publications

Submitted by Kirk Edney

• Faculty and students work collaboratively with host country nationals to identify and solve food and agricultural science problems facing rural communities in developing nations.
• Aggie students who focus their studies on ALEC international courses become models of global citizenship upon graduating from the ALEC Department

Submitted by Gary Wingenbach

ALEC 645 Initiating, Managing, and Monitoring Projects of International Agricultural Development – Graduate students completing this course will have acquired knowledge and developed an extensive network of experts and practitioners to engage and succeed in international agricultural development projects

Submitted by Manuel Piña, Jr.

The Agriculture eLearning Development Certificate Program was established to provide individuals with skills, knowledge, and expertise in the area of technology-enhanced instruction.  Twenty-two students have completed the program through both academic and continuing education.  Over half of the graduates of the program are using these skills and many of these have gained employment in areas including curriculum design, training, and administration.

Submitted by Theresa Murphrey

1. The high unemployment rates and increased movement toward technology in our society has likely encouraged many adults to go back to school. Even if they haven't lost their jobs, many likely fear that their jobs could disappear (or they could get leapfrogged for better jobs) in the future.  Online classes give people more time to be with their families and to more time to work to pay for their education. Online classes save the hassles of parking, driving at night (or having to get off work to take day classes), getting parking stickers, and buying extra gas, even when the school of interest is just down the road. The great thing about online classes is they present so many new opportunities for learning. I live in North Carolina and am able to take a class offered by Texas A&M. Since so many institutions offer so many online courses, the attraction of going to school can be greater because students now have better chances to discover more courses that meet their interests.

2. I am a 13 year Texas AgriLife Extension Service employee. I am 2/3 of the way toward completing a Doctorate in Ag Education. I work 45 to 80 hours a week as a County Extension Agent. Without online education, I would not be able to pursue a lifelong dream of earning my doctorate degree. I raise and sell show wethers in my "free time." I am married with two small children. We participate in T-Ball, Softball, 4-H with the kids. My wife is a math/science teacher and coaches private cheerleading lessons almost every weekend (she is about to finish her Principal Certification, yay). We are busy like everyone else.

Online technology allows me to work and earn my paycheck, participate in family activities, continue my outside income interest and earn a degree. My only other option would be to drive to College Station (2 hours) and attend classes and then drive back. The learning curve was very steep in the beginning. I was familiar with Centra but not with Blackboard, Camtasia, powerpoint with voiceover, etc. I can personally say the benefits of having DSL only makes online education that much more easy. The class work is time consuming and stressful as is, waiting for dial up internet would only add to the stress level. Online education is the future, I am so honored to be a part of it.

3. I have really enjoyed my graduate studies online. I, too, working 40 hours a week would not be able to continue with my education if it was not offered online. Sure, I could attend classes face-to-face but I could have to make the drive and then lose hours from the workplace, which I probably left exhausted anyway! I have even worked with groups online and it has worked out well! I agree that for ones undergraduate degree that they should be placed in a face-to-face environment simply because they will need guidance, proper examples and coaching. Here in our graduate degree we have ways where we can apply our learning to our past and current workplaces.

Submitted by Robert Strong

Work of the Organizational Development Unit provides Extension Faculty with the knowledge, skills, best practices and tools to evaluate, report, and provide evidence of accountability for local, state, and federal stakeholders.  Providing this level of accountability leads to funding for Texas Extension thus helping Texans solve important community issues.

Collaborative work of the Organizational Development Unit provided comprehensive evaluation efforts to two state agencies on critical issues facing Texans.  Through the work on the evaluation of the Hurricane Ike project, new models for disaster recovery will be put in place for upcoming storms and other natural disasters.  Work with the H1N1 effort will lead to better communication strategies with health care practitioners and the public with regard to outbreaks or communicable diseases.
Submitted by Scott Cummings

The Organizational Development Unit coordinated the training of newly hired county Extension agents through the Program Excellence Academy.  Participants receive training to enhance their ability to plan, implement and evaluate programs in their communities.  The 2011 Cohort reported the following changes:
Ø  95.2% either are or will use multiple teaching methods
Ø  85.7% either are or will use lesson planning techniques learned in the Academy
Ø  85% either are or will utilize multiple data collection methods in evaluating programs

Submitted by Jeff Ripley

Summary: Leadership education practice and research, which prepares critical thinking leaders who have a positive impact on their organizations and communities.

Situation: In the world in which we live, people are looking for those who can lead them towards a common goal. This extends from college students seeking their first jobs to established workers seeking to extend their leadership development to graduate students looking to impact their chosen organizations and the community abroad.

Response: To aid in this endeavor, three undergraduate and one graduate level courses were created or re-designed to align with employer stated needs and to advance the TAMU ALEC program forward. Research was also conducted looking at the perceptions of leadership students on study abroad programs as well as those in the field of leadership education. Other research included mentoring and its impacts on undergraduates and application of leadership pedagogy.

Specifically, ALED 341: Team Learning was re-designed to incorporate a service-learning project. For this project, students worked with community programs in completing a needs assessment, developing a plan of volunteerism, and completing at least $1,000 worth of value for the organization. The class total was over $30,000 of time and money contributed to local organizations. Two undergraduates in this course will also be presenting research at a national conference, which emerged from this project.

Submitted by Jennifer Williams

Students across various academic disciplines have been recruited to become part of a learning community and  two courses in the ALEC Department.  Cultural, Leadership and Exploration for Sophomores (CLUES) , is a very diverse group of students whereas future leaders are taught beginning with  self-awareness, multiculturalism and leadership. It is imperative that students are knowledgeable about how to  focus on social justice issues with civility.

Submitted by Chanda Elbert

Work of the department focused on developing leaders of tomorrow through the Vice Chancellor’s AgriLife Advanced Leaders Program.  Fifteen participants completed cohort I and will be providing leadership to critical programs in teaching, research, extension, and service for Texans.

Submitted by Scott Cummings and Jack Elliot

Summary: Leadership education practice and research, which prepares critical thinking leaders who have a positive impact on their organizations and communities.

Situation: In the world in which we live, people are looking for those who can lead them towards a common goal. This extends from college students seeking their first jobs to established workers seeking to extend their leadership development to graduate students looking to impact their chosen organizations and the community abroad.

Response: To aid in this endeavor, three undergraduate and one graduate level courses were created or re-designed to align with employer stated needs and to advance the TAMU ALEC program forward. Research was also conducted looking at the perceptions of leadership students on study abroad programs as well as those in the field of leadership education. Other research included mentoring and its impacts on undergraduates and application of leadership pedagogy.

Specifically, ALED 341: Team Learning was re-designed to incorporate a service-learning project. For this project, students worked with community programs in completing a needs assessment, developing a plan of volunteerism, and completing at least $1,000 worth of value for the organization. The class total was over $30,000 of time and money contributed to local organizations. Two undergraduates in this course will also be presenting research at a national conference, which emerged from this project.

Submitted by Jennifer Williams

Hispanic Leaders in Agriculture and Environment and Leadership Development for Success and Change are two complementary externally-funded projects for graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to develop and/or hone leadership skills to succeed as professionals and represent the interests of U.S. minority populations in their future professional roles

Submitted by Manuel Piña, Jr.

It is the responsibility of agricultural education to educate and inform the public and policy makers about agriculture, food, and natural resources.  Reaching the public and policy-makers requires agricultural educators to understand the most effective behaviors, characteristics, and techniques to convey information to these groups. More than 1,500 Extension educators from 30 states contributed to the development of an assessment to measure effective behaviors, characteristics, and techniques associated with effective teaching in non-formal settings. Effective teaching measures were incorporated into a three-component model to assess effective teaching in extension education.  Triangulation of teacher effectiveness in extension education provides credible and valid evaluation data for extension educators and state administrators, and could provide long-term improvement in extension program delivery for local stakeholders.

Submitted by Billy McKim

Losing new teachers costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year.  Statewide efforts to improve new agricultural science teacher retention across our state not only save taxpayer dollars, but increase the quality of education for students in our state by ensuring that highly qualified and capable teachers are available to engage learners and help them develop lifelong skills in career and technical education.

Submitted by Julie Harlin

Several hundred TAMU-prepared/educated teachers of agricultural science teach annually several 10s of 10000s of secondary school students knowledge, skills, and abilities in agricultural science and technology. These students, in turn, become agribusiness people, agricultural scientists, agricultural producers, agricultural marketing specialists, agricultural technicians, etc, in Texas and across the nation. The academic efforts in agricultural science teacher preparation are multiplied 100-fold by the teachers of agricultural science from that program.

Submitted by Gary Briers

The educational system in the United States has faced tremendous scrutiny in recent years. Heightened efforts currently focus on reforming and improving the educational system. Educational programs targeting reform call for an increased focus on accountability, assessment, and data collection. A self-assessment protocol was developed as the first step in validating effective teaching within agricultural education, based on the input of 1,631 agriculture teachers in 37 states. Additionally, a three component framework was developed to guide future needs assessments and evaluation of agricultural education teachers. The self-assessment protocol and model contribute to increased accountability, assessment, and data collection; thereby, improving the educational system.

Submitted by Billy McKim

The agricultural science major prepares students for careers in teaching agricultural science education in secondary schools. One area of improvement that is duly noted in previous research is the lack of involvement and participation in supervised agricultural experiences (SAE). Through a collaborative effort, the Texas SAE Builder was created as a resource for agricultural science teachers in Texas to provide curricula, relevant examples, and a step by step process for encouraging SAE involvement. The Texas SAE Builder was introduced at the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas annual conference in July of 2011. As of December 2011, over 700 students have signed onto the SAE builder with over 350 hours of additional instruction on SAE being provided to participants.

Submitted by John Rayfield

Situation: To increase the rigor and credibility in the leadership program, an honors track was created to increase the perception of leadership as an intellectually responsible discipline.  This honors track involves students who are honors-eligible that complete a certain number of honors courses in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications.

Specifically, ALED 301-Honors was developed purposefully to expose honors students to the scholarship of leadership, with a specific goal to help them develop critical thinking skills.  The course was offered for the first time in Spring 2012.  Plans are to get students enrolled in this course to participate in undergraduate research and further their critical thinking skills.

Submitted by Summer Odom

My efforts support the equipping of agricultural science and transportation, distribution, and logistics teachers with appropriate knowledge and understandings by managing the TEA Educational Excellence project.  Resources developed through this project are delivered electronically on a complimentary basis.  I also partner in the management of our Advanced Plant & Soil Science contracts.  Workshops and other outreach efforts are geared to further the familiarity with the resources available through this project and the contract, as appropriate.  There are approximately 1800 agricultural science teachers and 200 TDL teachers in Texas.  This information is also presented to teachers at nationwide venues.  STEM and other integration efforts are a major emphasis of this project.

Submitted by Kirk Edney