Students will develop knowledge and skills relevant to agriculture business.
Objective
Development Of Students' Knowledge And Skills
Students will be able to demonstrate competency in key areas of agricultural business including economics, management, marketing, and finance.
Indicator
AGRI 4386 Assignment Rubric
All students enrolled in the program must complete AGRI 4386 in their senior year. AGRI 4386 addresses key concepts and skills relevant to the field of Agri-Business. Each semester seven randomly selected student assignments from AGRI 4386 will be reviewed by faculty members with expertise in the field of agriculture. Faculty members will score the assignments using a scale of 1 - 5 with 3 "meets expectations," 4 "exceeds expectations," and 5 "far exceeds expectations."
Criterion
At Least 70% Rated As Meeting Expectations
It will be a general agreement from AgriBusiness Evaluators that at least 70% of the students enrolled AGRI 4386 will perform at a level of 3 (meets expectations" or higher on the assessed assignments, especially in the area of grammar, a specific weakness that was identified in 2010/2011.
Finding
Faculty Assessment Of Ag Business Students
Evaluation of student outcomes in AgriBusiness was an average score of 3.8, though over 70% of the students met faculty expectations, deficiencies were observed in grammar, lack of conciseness and organization of thought. Most students did not effectively utilize the writing center, and the department lost a senior faculty due to resignation.
Action
Faculty Review
Faculty in AgriBusiness reviewed curriculum and teaching materials. Several courses are being modified to ensure courses are providing adequate background and prerequisites for this capstone course. Goal is to advance the score to 4.0. Writing center will become a course requirement.
Goal
Develop Professional Skills
Students will learn the skills necessary to compete in the professional marketplace.
Objective
Development Of Marketplace Skills
Students completing the BS in Agricultural Business will demonstrate skills necessary to compete in the professional marketplace.
Indicator
AGRI 4120 Assignment Rubric
All students seeking a degree in AgriBusiness will be required to complete AGRI 4120 during their senior year. The course addresses essential skills necessary to compete in the market place for agriculture employment - resume preparation, interview skills, and employment opportunities. Faculty will review student assignments and access student performance on selected assignments using a faculty-developed rubric.
Criterion
70% Of Students Rated As Meeting Expectations
Faculty evaluations will indicate that at least 70% of the Agri-Business students enrolled in AGR 412 will perform at an acceptable level and score a 3 (meets expectations) or higher on a scale of 1-5. Weaknesses in 2010-11 were wordiness and organization.
Finding
Professional Skills
Selected portfolios for evaluation had an average score of 4.5 from the utilized rubric. Once again, organization was a weakness; however, grammar was also an area needing attention.
Action
Marketability
Students met criterion established by the faculty for marketing traits. The faculty were pleased with the improvement of the students from previous assessments. However this important criterion must continually be assessed.