Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Recruitment:Approximately 8,000 eligible students in the upper level undergraduate programs and graduate programs at Texas A&M University, Purdue University, Ohio State University and Texas A&M University-Kingsville received the information about the new course through LISTSERVs, messages from professors, weekly newsletters, and forwarded emails. Eight posters were distributed in each of these institutions in respective Colleges of Agriculture, College of Education and School of Public Health and George Bush School . Students are studying in the following programs at least 23 departments were informed about this course. Changes/Problems:We have made changes in experiential learning projects based on discussion with collaborators and potential benefits of impact of students learning outcomes. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has engaged 21 faculty and four graduate students in learning how to develop online learning resources and educational modules. The flipped classroom module was shared with faculty and used to develop the online resources and case study modules. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results from the workshop were presented as a poster, oral presentation and published abstract to three communities of interest. First, Department of Youth Development and Agricultural Education at Purdue University; National Institute of Food and Agriculture Project Directors Conference; and, North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Conference. The title of the published abstract was, A Collaborative Workshop for a Food and Nutritional Security Course. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The class will be taught in the fall semester of 2017. Students will be assigned to complete three authentic assignments. First, students will document their place-based experiences and deliver a community-based assessment presentation. Second, they will collaborate with an expert who will help analyze the food security problem. Students will present the problem as a video. Finally, they will create an e-learning case study for undergraduate level as a tool to teach about the community profile, existing food insecurity issues, and proposed solutions to those issues. Reflections will be used to assess students' learning outcome by evaluating contextual variables and students' demonstration of knowledge application. During the midterm reflection, students will summarize their place-based experiences in the community integrating with their lecture modules. For the final reflection, students will propose solutions that are suitable and have high potential to be implemented in the community by integrating all classwork and lectures under all four key areas: nutrition, sustainability, hunger, and human impact. Instead of selecting one key area, each student will look at the problem using interdisciplinary and systematic approach to include all four key areas and express their interdependence.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? For Goal 1, Twenty one faculty were engaged in developing modules for the FSEP curriculum. A website was developed for the FSEP curriculum. Guidelines and rubrics for the authentic assignments were developed. The assignments will provide students with experiential experiences, effective collaboration skills, and the ability to develop e-learning tool to more effectively teach and communicate food security concepts. The FSEP curriculum will be tested in the Fall, 2017 semester. For Goal 2, A total of 36 graduate students at four universities are enrolled in the FSEP course. Throughout the semester, graduate students will be engaged in a distance learning course to improve their skills to integrate complex information from multiple scientific disciplines and synthesizing the knowledge as part of a cohesive study of FSEP using experiential and collaborative learning. For Goal 3, four academic institutions collaboratively worked together to build the FSEP curriculum in the area of food security to reduce duplication of educational resources across institutions by developing an educational program that addresses the growing national need for people trained in FSEP in the workforce. A website will serve as an open source repository of the FSEP that will be accessible to other academic institutions to adapt the course resources for their institutions. Furthermore, teams of students enrolled in the FSEP course will develop e-learning tools that could be used as online case study modules to enhance undergraduate education.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Knobloch, N., Charoenmuang, M., Fowler, D., and Patil, B. (2017). A Collaborative Workshop for a Food and Nutritional Security Course. (2017). NACTA Journal, 61(1), 39.

Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences include faculty and students from partner institutions such as Cornell University, Itacha, NY; International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C., Food SecurityCenter, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse, Stuttgart, Germany; Carbon Management Sequestration Center, Ohio State University, Department of Food Science, Ohio State University, John Glenn School of Public Affairs, Ohio State University, Department of Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Several entities of Texas A&M University (Conflict & Development Center, Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Department of Education & Communications, Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, Agriculture Economics, World Coffee Center, Department of Biological and Agriculture Engineering) and West Texas A&M University. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The national symposium was arranged on "The nexus of Food& Nutritional Security, Sustainability and Hunger" at Texas A&M University which was attended by faculty, students, and public. This symposium helped several interdisciplinary faculty,who served as speakers and panel members, from partner institutions to understand challenges and prospects of Nutritional security issues while global food security is being addressed. Specifically, panel discussion provided an opportunity for faculty todevelop specific modules for the course to address certain challenges. We have developed specific theme areas which will eventually be addressed in the new course. Graduate students will take to the public to educate the implications of food and nutritional insecurity. It is also expected that students will educate consequenceof triple burden of hunger, malnutrition, hidden hunger to growing epidemic of obesity. There were five themes that emerged from participants about what they liked best about the symposium Presentations, topics, and speakers, including content, relevance and different disciplinary perspectives. The timing and promoting food and nutritional security and their relationship. Integration of different disciplines into a theme of food & nutritional security, hunger and sustainability. Discussion and perspectives on policy of food systems. Opportunities to ask experts questions about food security. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Symposium results evaluated by evaluation expert and the results will be disseminated through publication and newsletters in future. Symposium which addressed the current problem of food & nutritional security and their relationship between hunger and malnutrition was attended by general public and both undergraduate and students. There were six themes the participants shared regarding what they would like to see addressed in the future. More depth on a single topic. More understanding of topics, including agriculture growth in developing countries; agriculture sustainability is climate change; water and food security; regulatory environment of GMOs; biofortification; ways to improve regional staple crops; soil health and fertilizers; food distribution; good food quality; human nutrition with agriculture; and, hunger and policies. More emphasis on local and grassroots participation and partnership development, including the link between theresearch institute and the real world; the role of NGOs and the role of governments (e.g., USA, EU, Canada, Japan). More research on food security as there were more researchers in the audience. Role of Extension/Engagement/Outreach to increase public awareness of research More policy applications and solutions on food security What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Finalize Modules by corresponding with partners and collaborating institutions Obtain the approval for the course in each partner institutions Seek the feedback for the website from partner institutions Develop instructions and corresponding instructional resources that will be used to develop each module Develop assignments, guidelines, and rubrics Student-organized Seminar Community-based Assessment E-learning Tool Develop ill-structured problem Develop early informal feedback questions Develop exam questions Finalize schedule of modules by clustering 2-3 faculty expertise Finalize evaluation results of curriculum workshop and symposium

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Faculty from partner institutions were engaged through curriculum development workshop. To summaries accomplishments, it is critical to report the evaluation report of the workshop. All participants of the workshop shared the workshop met their expectations and only one faculty expressed concern about the time and commitments. Participants agreed the collaboration will be effective because progress that was made in the workshop is 100%. Faculty valued the input and expertise of the interdisciplinary faculty from several institutions participated in the workshop (100%). Faculty agreed the amount of work accomplished in the workshop to be adequate (100%), and worthwhile (83%). Majority of the faculty (83%) felt that they made a significant contribution toward the development of the course. It is importantto note that all participants felt that the ideas and experiences presented, the open discussion and integration among members, and the depth of the discussions, which lead to a tentative list of modules for the new course. Interaction among partner institution is initiated and several discussions among collaborators are ongoing to develop specific modules. Currently, discussions are ongoing as to how each module can be co-taught by appropriateexperts based on theme of the specific module.

Publications

Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:A group of 11 faculty who participated in the curriculum development workshop consisted of associate professors, professors, and professor emeriti from the disciplines of Agricultural Economics; Horticultural Sciences; Environmental Chemistry & Environmental Health; Plant Nutrition; Biotechnology; Soil Science; Water Engineering; Food Policy, Nutrition & Economics; and, Agricultural Education. In addition to the balance in faculty expertise, the group of faculty was seasoned with teaching experience and academic rank. Faculty ranged from having more than 3 to 40 years of teaching experience in higher education (average of 21 years) and 70% of the faculty were tenured (20% were untenured, but tenure-track; 10% were not in a tenure track position). About 73% of the faculty participants had collaborated with other faculty to develop a course curriculum in the last 5 years. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Prior to the faculty and curriculum development workshop, a conferencewas hosted by the project director and staff during the morning of April 30, 2015. In total, 125 faculty, staff and graduate students participated in the seminar. The seminar was evaluated using a questionnaire that participants completed. Participants were asked to rate the seminar using a 5-point scale based on statements that reflected the objectives of the seminar. Moreover, participants were asked open-ended questions to determine what they like about the seminar, how it could have been improved, and future topics they would like to see addressed. Twenty-three participants completed the seminar questionnaire: 26% were faculty, 44% were staff, and 30% were graduate students. Overall, participants agreed they had a better understanding of key concepts because of their participation in the seminar. First, 63% of the participants agreed ("a lot" & "absolutely") they had a better understanding of sustainability and food security. Second, 54% agreed ("a lot" & "absolutely") they had a better understanding of how hunger impairs a healthy lifestyle. Third, 54% agreed ("a lot" & "absolutely") they had a better understanding of the role of nutritional security in reducing risk of certain diseases. Fourth, 61% agreed ("a lot" & "absolutely") they had a better understanding of how policy decisions will affect future sustainability and food security. Finally, 50% agreed ("a lot" & "absolutely") they expanded their network with other colleagues interested in food security. Twenty-two comments were shared about what participants liked best about the seminar: (1) Relevant and integrated topics from different disciplinary perspectives (n = 10); excellent presentations from a variety of speakers (n = 8) and panel discussion (n = 7); and, timing and elevated awareness of food security on campus (n = 2). Nineteen topics were shared regarding future topics: (1) integrated applications, policies, and solution-oriented partnerships (n = 9); food production, quality and nutrition (n = 7); environment, natural resources & climate (n = 4); more focus and depth on specific topics (n = 3); and, genetically modified organisms (n = 2). When asked to share other comments, participants shared positive attributions (n = 6), negative remarks about poor audio and visuals in the venue (n = 6), and specific suggestions (n = 4), such as increase involvement of women, leadership, seminars for students, providing speaker bios. All participants would like to see the seminar continued with varying frequencies: (1) 21% would like once a semester; (2) 46% would like to see twice a semester; (3) 12% would like to see three times a semester; and, (4) 21% would like to see four times a semester. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Based on the evaluator's observation notes, the following tasks were identified to develop the graduate curriculum for the project. Communicate the results of the workshop and tentative syllabus with all faculty, including those who were not able to participate; this may be conducted via a faculty webinar Finalize the syllabus, including interested faculty for each topic Establish a common site among the faculty/researchers to access information Develop instructions and corresponding instructional resources that will be used to develop each module Develop assignments, guidelines, and rubrics Student-organized Seminar Community-based Assessment E-learning Tool Develop ill-structured problem Develop early informal feedback questions Develop reflection questions Develop exam questions Timeline for creating course with assigned responsibilities Best practices poster abstract

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? There were five objectives for the faculty and curriculum development workshop. Progress as made regarding all five objectives. For Objective 1 (Develop a learner-centered interdisciplinary Food Security course offered at four institutions), the course learning outcomes were discussed and confirmed and key performance indicators were identified for each learning outcome. Although preliminary in nature, the key performance indictors will help inform the development of rubrics that will be used to evaluate learning outcomes for student assignments. Upon completion of the course, every student will be able to: Solve problems using interdisciplinary thinking Interact with other disciplines - include teams and select team members based on the project focus Identify contextual variables to define the problem they are attempting to solve Think at the local, regional, national, and global levels Explain key indicators of food and nutritional security Value relevant application of various disciplines Expand degrees of freedom (consider synergistic benefits) through interdisciplinary thinking For Objective 2 (Discuss authentic assessments), the faculty discussed the three experiential learning activities that will engage students. The three authentic assessments that were discussed included organizing FSEP Expert Seminars, conducting a Food Security Local Community Assessment, and a developing an e-Learning Tools for undergraduates. For Objective 3 (Discuss course content topics), faculty identified key topics and developed a logical sequence of topics for the syllabus. A module template was defined and faculty identified which topics and modules they were interested in developing and teaching. For Objective 4 (Discuss distance learning model), faculty defined an implementation plan and a module structure for developing course content and learning activities in a distance learning format. Faculty also discussed possible distance learning technologies and resources that could be used regarding the course content repository/site, video preparation, and discussion site. The module template will be: One week = Module Two lessons per module with 1 hour 30 minutes start to finish Lesson should be designed for 1 hour and 10 minutes One lesson - Frame the problem with a question or ask the students to frame the problem based on? Videos (8 minutes maximum) - Pre-work Case - Pre-reading Pre-discussion via online means Engagement of some type (1 hour and 10 minutes) Role Play (students are given a perspective to substantiate) Inquiry-guided questioning based on case Team activity Post-discussion/reflection via online means Tie to the three major assignments What did you learn? Why does it matter? How will you use the information in the future? For Objective 5 (Define target audience and recruitment strategy), faculty confirmed that the course was for interested graduate students from any major/discipline. Faculty agreed there were no pre-requisites for the course and marketing of the course at local campuses would be essential. Some of the following ideas were shared in the workshop: Create course poster to market the course Why is the course unique? (interdisciplinary ...) Catchy issue/phrase Who can benefit from the class? Target that group Other campuses can be added Need a site host/coordinator for the entire semester Need at least 4 students enrolled Site cap for this involved is 12 40 students is the overall course cap based on the proposal Do we expand to the Sr. level with permission from the Professor? Course - University credit - Cross list? Special Topics 689 Open to all disciplines Encourage/recruit individuals interested in Food/Nutrition Security

Publications