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 strategic management and an analysis of an existing company to include financial and strategic analysis.
Indicator
AGRI 4375 Agribusiness Capstone
All students enrolled in the agribusiness program must complete AGRI 4375 in their senior year. AGRI 4375 addresses key concepts and skills relevant to the field of agribusiness and strategic management. Five randomly selected student assignments from AGRI 4375 will be reviewed by faculty members with expertise in the field of agribusiness. 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 faculty that at least 70% of the students enrolled AGRI 4375 will perform at a level of 3 (meets expectations" or higher on the assessed assignments, especially in the area of technical writing skill, a specific weakness that was identified in previous assessment periods.
Finding
Ag Business Knowledge And Application
Three (3) of the four (4) groups scored a 3.0 or greater on the evaluated project with a total average 3.76. It was observed that individual scores on assignments skewed the scores for some the groups. No team or individual scored above a 3.0 on the technical writing skill category even though the writing center was a mandatory resource. (It is believed that the writing center does not assist well with scientific writing nor business writing).
Action
Review
The course will continue to emphasis technical writing skills in agribusiness. Though the writing center has been used, students will be required to make 2 visits to the center next year to try to improve the technical skills. Financial and analytical skills were adequate to well developed, respectively.
Goal
Develop Professional Skills
Students will learn the skills necessary for seeking jobs placement and technical writing in the work place.
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 for job placement in the work force for agriculture employment - resume preparation, interview skills, technical writing 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 To Meet Professional Expectations
Faculty evaluations will indicate that at least 70% of the Ag Business students enrolled in AGRI 4120 will perform at an acceptable level and score a 3 (meets expectations) or higher on a scale of 1-5. Technical writing skills were concerns from previous evaluation and continues to an area addressed.
Finding
Technical Writing Skills
The goal for Agribusiness students was achieved with an average score 4.13 out of a possible 5.0 by assessing assignments from 12 students. Technical writing skills and resumes were well written and organized which is an improvement from past assessments.
Action
Technical Writing Skills
Focusing students on importance of key elements in resume writing and cover letter in class proved to be beneficial in improving scores from the previous assessment period. Therefore, this will be continued in the next period.