Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Following introductions, members of S1071 took nominations for officers and discussed activities contributing to the projet's three objectives. The AA provided a reminder about the renewal timeline for a replacement project. The group had a brief discussion of new business before adjourning.  Detailed meeting minutes are attached. 

Obj. 1- Curriculum- Facilitate the adoption and evaluate the impact of ag STEM curriculum

 Project members have had success attracting grant funding to test methods to enhance secondary school curriculum development related to agricultural education. One project tested a land-based learning program focused on increasing local food purchasing with high school cafeterias. This work contributes to the literature on the use of land-based learning in effective pedagogy and student growth.

In Michigan, an online tool was developed to identify standards to include in online agriscience course work cross-walked to the NGSS standards so that those courses can count for dual science credits. This can be used as a model in other states.

Another project, which was funded by USDA NIFA, developed a 10-day immersive experience for teachers to increase their content knowledge related to floriculture. Following the training, they developed curricula for their classrooms. The investigators found that teachers struggled with writing the curricula.

 Obj.2- Teaching methods and techniques-ID teaching methods, resources and techniques in exemplary instruction

Collaborative work in addressing this objective shifted from previous methods to asking teachers what they believe their exemplary practices (methods, resources, and techniques) are and then tied them to concepts in agriscience education. A paper was published on this work (McKim, et. al. 2025).

Other work contributing to this objective focused on what resources teachers needed  for more technical (agricultural mechanics) coursework and technology integration. A NIFA funded grant is developing virtual reality (VR) immersive experiences tied to state-specific commodities that can be used in K-6 classrooms to meet Ag Literacy standards. Other observational and survey-based studies are being conducted about technology integration, including AI, by ag science teachers.

 Obj 3- Professional development- design & eval ag STEM ed professional development

Many members of this group are developing and evaluating professional development programs for agriscience teachers to help them enhance STEM integration in their classrooms. Examples of these professional development topics include:

• How to include agricultural content in K-6 classrooms
• VR and AI for CTE and agriscience teachers
• Life science competencies for agriscience education
• Incorporating agriSTEM research into lessons
• Experiences conducting research to better mentor students for science fairs and SAE projects

Publications

 Published:

Burrows, M. S., Sorensen, T. J., & Lawver, R. G. (2024). Integrating socioscientific issues in school-based agricultural education: Teachers’ self-efficacy, beliefs, & barriers. Journal of Agricultural Education, 65(4). Retrieved from https://jae-online.org/index.php/jae/article/view/2752

 Ferand, N. K., Bommidi, J. S., Somers, R., DiBenedetto, C. A., & Myers, B. E. (2025). Agriscience Teachers’ Perceptions of Integrating Science Within School-Based Plant Science Curricula. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Journal, 68(1). https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v68i1.173

Haynes, J. C., Anderson, R., Byrd, A. P., & McCubbins, O. P. (2024). Determining the Teaching Resources Needed for an Ideal Post-Secondary Applied STEM (Agricultural Mechanics) Learning Laboratory: A Delphi Approach. CTE Journal, 12(1).

Kratz, C., McKim, A. J., & Bonito, G. (2024). Mycology in the agriscience classroom: A curriculum based on wild-foraged mushroom certification. Journal of Natural Sciences Education, 53(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/nse2.70000

McKim, A. J., Sorensen, T. J., Goodwin, C. M., & Ware Wilkinson, S. (2025). Exploring exemplary STEM lessons in agricultural education. Journal of Agricultural Education, 66(2), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v66i2.2906

 McKim, A. J., Palmer, A. L., McKendree, R. B., Warsaw, P., & DeDecker, J. (2024). Evaluating land-based learning as a pedagogical approach. Journal of Agricultural Education, 65(3), 292-303. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v65i3.2767

Palmer, A. L., Warsaw, P., McKim, A. J., McKendree, R. B., Nettleton, M., Marzolino, T., & Brasier, H. (2024). Experiences from a land-based learning project focused on local food interventions. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.141.013

In Review:

Burrows, M. S., Sorensen, T. J., & Lawver, R. G. (In Review). Exploring key variables in teaching socioscientific issues in agricultural education. Journal of Agricultural Education.

 DiBenedetto, C. A., Ferand, N. K, Roberts, R. McKim, A. J.  Robison, R. L. , Dale, L, & Myers, B. E. (2025, May 14 IN REVIEW). Agriscience Teachers Beliefs about STEM Illumination after an Immersive Professional Development Experience: A Q Sort Study. Advancements in Agricultural Development (AAD) Journal.

Pehrson, S., Sorensen, T. J., Wood, M., Burrows, M. S., & Furse, J. (In Review). Examining AI perceptions and utilization in agricultural education. Journal of Agricultural Education,

In Preparation:

DiBenedetto, C. A., Ferand, N. K, Roberts, R. McKim, A. J.  Robison, R. L. , Dale, L, & Myers, B. E. (2025, IN PREPARATION). Using Photovoice to Capture Agriscience Teachers’ Experiences During an Immersive Professional Development Program.

Activities

 McKim, A. J., Goodwin, C. M., & Marzolino, T. A. (November, 2024). Using online resources as outreach for agricultural educators. University of Florida, Departmental of Agricultural education and Communication Online Graduate Seminar.

 Goodwin, C. M., Marzolino. T. A., & McKim, A. J. (October, 2024). New and improved: Updated curriculum planning tools and new resources share. Fall Professional Development Institute. Lansing, MI.

 Curriculum Resources for Michigan Agriculture Teachers. (Created January 2021, Revised June 2024). Curriculum Website. https://www.canr.msu.edu/agriscience/

Impact: Average number of website users: 8,500/month

 Michigan Lesson Planner. (Created November 2017, Revised June 2024). Lesson Planning Tool on Qualtrics. https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4MgtBnuvCOpzUTH

Impact: Total number of uses: 455

Michigan Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Education Course Scope and Sequence Guide. (Created November 2017, Revised June 2024). Curriculum Organization and Planning Tool on Qualtrics. https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_brcVL9o2JdXYDit

Impact: Total number of uses: 872