Enhancing the Undergraduate Curricula (2009-2012)
Funded by USDA: NIFA Higher Education Challenge Grant Program (FLAE-2009-00865)
The purpose of this project is to globalize the undergraduate curricula with contextually-rich reusable learning objects (RLOs) and authentic case studies that address multidisciplinary issues. The audience for this project is all undergraduate students in food and agricultural sciences. The primary product for this project will be reusable learning objects (RLOs) containing scientific information aligned with USDA priority areas and grounded in a global context (Latin America and the Caribbean Basin). The anticipated measurable outcomes of the project include: (a) 80% of the faculty will report increased knowledge of the global aspects of their discipline by the end of their direct experience; (b) 80% of the faculty will report increased knowledge and appreciation of culture in their host country by the end of their direct experience; (c) 70% of the faculty will report increased willingness to participate in future multidisciplinary, issues-based teams by the end of their direct experience; (d) 70% of the faculty will report increased ability to teach globally-relevant food and agricultural sciences topics within three months after their direct experience; (e) 70% of the faculty will report integrating at least one reusable learning object into one or more of their courses by the end of the third project year; and (f) 70% of the students taught with RLOs will have more favorable attitudes about global issues and Latin America by the end of the third project year.
