How Do Faculty Contribute to the Agronomy Assessment Program?

Faculty members are responsible for the curriculum and its associated learning experiences that allow a student to earn a degree. Therefore, our faculty assumes the responsibility to assess the success of their curriculum by examining the degree to which learner outcomes are achieved. The items below will allow you to see how Agronomy faculty members have constructed our curriculum, and how they measure and document its effectiveness.

A mature assessment program also requires that all faculty involved with the curriculum demonstrate knowledge of contemporary practices in outcomes assessment. You are invited to examine how we continue to develop our assessment skills and knowledge in order to keep our curriculum as effective as possible.

Click on the icon beside each entry to examine the Agronomy Department's. . .

curriculum requirements for students to achieve this degree
measurable outcomes for each major learning goal of our curriculum. (e.g. How will one know that the major learning goals have been accomplished)?
use of direct and indirect measures of outcomes achievement and how these measures are consistent with program goals.
methods of keeping teachers current and knowledgeable in the practice of outcomes assessment. Examine how . . .
faculty use assessments to explore and improve teaching strategies.
faculty explain the practices and principles of outcomes assessment used in their department and by the college.
faculty communicate with others within and outside of ISU about assessment practices used and considered.

Curriculum Requirements

Click on one of the five options within the Agronomy degree program to view a listing of its requirements.

• Business and Management
• Agroecology
• Soil and Environmental Science
• Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
• Research and Development

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Measurable Outcomes

Agronomy Learner Outcomes (pdf)

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Direct and Indirect Measures of Outcomes

Direct Measures: Measures embedded in courses (pdf)

Indirect Measures: Learner outcome coverage in agronomy courses

Interviews were conducted with instructors of undergraduate agronomy courses during fall 2002 to determine the coverage of learner outcomes within agronomy courses and the agronomy curriculum. The cumlination of this activity was a report, Agronomy Learner Outcomes: Emphasis, Assignments, Learning Assessment, and Needs.

Several important insights were gained from these interviews with agronomy faculty.

• Faculty are very comfortable with designing assignments and experiences that address technical knowledge.
• Many of the assignments and experiences are real-world examples and cross learner outcome boundaries (i.e., they address one or more leaner outcomes through one assignment or experience).
• There is a variety of embedded course assignments and experiences that are currently being used (e.g., papers, oral report, management reports, exams, and debates). Also, there are a variety of ways these assignments and experiences are being assessed (e.g., rubrics, scoring sheets, professor judgment, answer keys).
• Some of the experiential learning opportunities (e.g., leadership, internship) are not currently being assessed.
• There does not seem to be a shared understanding of what our learner outcomes mean or represent.
• Faculty were open to exploring new ways to design experiences and assignments for students to achieve the learner outcomes as well as new ways to assess student learning. However, time appears to be a large deterrent.
• There was a prevalent theme from several upper-level teachers that students written communication skills (oral communication is strong) and critical thinking skills could be improved.
• Faculty needs for outcomes assessment include personnel or faculty release time, faculty training and conversations, new tools, time, and a better understanding of the process.

 

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Faculty Use of Assessments

Faculty retreat, May 2003, "Embedding Agronomy Learner Outcomes in Courses and Course Syllabi"

Faculty retreat, May 2004, "Sustaining Agronomy Outcomes Assessment"

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Faculty Explain Assessment Practices and Principles

Poster presentation to Baker Council, March 2003

Presentation to Baker Council, March 2004

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Faculty Communication with Others about Assessment

Faculty Improvement in Outcomes Assessment

Three Agronomy Curriculum Assessment Committee members participated in Connecting Student Learning Outcomes to Teaching, Assessment, and Curriculum. Alverno College, Milwaukee, WI. June 24-25 , 2002.

Five Agronomy Curriculum Assessment Committee members attended Improving Student Learning in Your Department, a five-part workshop sponsored by the Iowa State University Center for Teaching Excellence. Fall 2002.

Two Agronomy Curriculum Assessment Committee members participated in Connecting Student Learning Outcomes to Teaching, Assessment, and Curriculum. Alverno College, Milwaukee, WI. June 16-17 , 2003.

Presentations

Cook, M. D., Gibson, L., Mullen, R. E., Polito, T., Pogranichniy, S., Wiedenhoeft, M. 2003. Using outcomes assessment to improve the agronomy undergraduate curriculum. Baker Council Meeting, Ames, IA. March 25, 2003.

Cook, M., Polito, T., Wiedenhoeft, M., Gibson, L., Pogranichniy, S., & Mullen, R. 2003. Using outcomes assessment of a program to change classroom instruction. Symposium conducted at the American Society of Agronomy Meetings, Denver, CO.

Gibson, L., Cook, M., Wiedenhoeft, M., Polito, T., Pogranichniy, S., and Mullen, R. Measuring curriculum outcomes with grading rubrics. In 2003 Agronomy Abstracts. ASA, Madison, WI. View PowerPoint
View Adobe PDF

Pogranichniy, S., Cook, M., Polito, M., Wiedenhoeft, M., Gibson, L., and Mullen, R. 2003. Mapping learner outcomes within an agronomy curriculum. In 2003 Agronomy Abstracts. ASA, Madison, WI. View PowerPoint
View Adobe PDF

Wiedenhoeft, M., Cook, M., Polito, T., Pogranichniy, S., Gibson, L. and Mullen, R. 2003. Embedding measures of learner outcomes within agronomy courses. In 2003 Agronomy Abstracts. ASA, Madison, WI. View PowerPoint
View Adobe PDF

Wiedenhoeft, M. H., & Cook, M. D. 2004, June. Engaging employers in departmental student outcomes assessment. American Association of Higher Education Assessment Conference, Denver, Colorado. View PowerPoint

Mullen, R.E., M. H. Wiedenhoeft, T. A. Polito, S. L. Pogranichniy, and M. D. Cook. Model for sustaining departmental student outcomes assessment. In 2004 Agronomy abstracts. ASA, Madison, WI. View PowerPoint
View Adobe PDF

Pogranichniy, S. and L. Gibson. Assessing the effectiveness of a leadership requirement for agronomy majors. In 2004 Agronomy abstracts. ASA, Madison, WI. View PowerPoint
View Adobe PDF

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