AGED 275 Course Syllabus

AGED 275, Section 1: Agricultural Education Early Field Experience (1 credit)

Description:

This course primarily involves observing, assisting, and teaching in a school based agricultural education program at the pK-12 level. A minimum of 40 hours of field experience time is required. Campus based seminars provide the opportunity to explore the responsibilities of agricultural education teachers, professional ethics and responsibilities, teacher licensing requirements, and current issues in career and technical education. Prerequisite: AGED 201.

The UWRF promotes safe, inclusive and effective learning environments that protect the rights and support the interests of both students and faculty.  For additional information regarding our inclusivity expectations, academic accommodations, academic conduct expectations and processes, and other syllabi information, please consult http://go.uwrf.edu/Syllabi

Course objectives:

1. Examine personal values and beliefs in relationship to education.
2. Explore agricultural education as a career.
3. Develop an awareness of the multiple roles and responsibilities of agricultural education teachers.
4. Participate in classroom instruction by observing and assisting with specific teaching tasks.
5. Establish an experiential base upon which to examine the relationship between educational theory and practice.
6. Develop an awareness of the wide variety of students in classrooms.
7. Develop an awareness of the contexts and audiences for agricultural education programming.
8. Develop analytical skills in educational settings.

Course Content:

1. Teacher professionalism
2. Current issues in career and technical education
3. Career options in agricultural education
4. Agricultural education teacher responsibilities
5. Teacher certification and licensing requirements
6. Implementing the three component model of classroom/lab, FFA, & SAE

Instructor Information:

Instructor: Tim Buttles                   Office:  135 Ag Sci

Phone: 715-425-4085                    Email: timothy.j.buttles@uwrf.edu

Office Hours:   Regular weekly office hours be posted in Canvas and on my office door at the start of the semester. You are encouraged to send questions by email and should expect a response within 24 hours.

Required Materials:

There is no text book for this course. Assignments and resource material will be made available using Canvas and the course Web page. An iClicker should be checked out from textbook services.

Course Schedule:

Students schedule the required field experience hours individually. Whole class seminars will meet from 5:30 to 7:20 p.m. on the four dates listed. Please check eSIS on the day of the first class to find out which room class will meet in.

Date	Tentative Schedule of Topics
Jan 30	Course Requirements, Teacher Professionalism & Current Issues in Career and Technical Education
Feb 27	Career Options in Ag Education & Teacher Responsibilities and Certification Requirements (ex. testing, occupational experience hours, portfolio)
March 19	Role of FFA CDEs in Ag Education Programs
April 16	Observation Highlights & Course Conclusion.

 

Assignments:

Discussion Activities

You will be asked to complete discussion activities in Canvas during the weeks between seminars. Details will be posted in Canvas.

Activity Log

You need to complete a log entry for each visit to a school. The format and evaluation criteria can be found on the course web page. The completed activity log will be submitted in Canvas.

Community, School and Program Analysis

You will collect information about the main agricultural education program that you visit along with the community and school context. An assigment overview is posted on the course website. The completed paper will be submitted in Canvas.

Reflective Paper

Your last assignment is to write a paper reflecting on what you have learned during your field experience and class sessions. An assigment overview is posted on the course website. The completed paper will be submitted in Canvas.

Field Experience:

You need to spend a minimum of 40 hours working with school age children (grades pK-12)

• At least 35 hours must be spent with middle and/or high school agricultural education students.
• • at least 5 of these hours must be spent working with FFA activities
• At least 5 of the hours must be spent with elementary age students.

The school visited must be approved prior to your first visit. At the end of the experience the teacher(s) will need to complete an electronic verification and evaluation form that you submit through Chalk & Wire.

Attendance:

Attendance at all class sessions and the Ag Technology Contest is expected. While no points will be lost for missing class, missing multiple class sessions will result in a Student Notification of Performance Concerns form being completed. These forms become part of your file and may impact your admission to professional standing and/or admission to student teaching. Students who miss class for university-sanctioned events or previously approved activities must inform the instructor prior to the absence. It is the student's responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor and other class members to get caught up.

Grading:

Your course grade will be based on four items. Detailed instructions and evaluation criteria are available on the course website and in Canvas.

• Field Experience Activity Log
• Reflective Paper
• Online Discussion Activities and Summary
• Community, School and Program Analysis

All items will be graded using a four-point scale with all items counting equally toward the final grade.

The 40 hours of field experience, including at least 5 hours working with elementary students and at least 5 hours with FFA activities must be completed before a final grade will be received. The verification and evaluation form must be completed by the cooperating teacher(s) in Chalk & Wire to confirm that these hours have been completed. A grade of Satisfactory Progress (SP) will be given to students who have started the field experience process but have not completed it by the last day of the semester.

A 4-point grading scale will be used in this course:

Points	Grade	Points	Grade	Points	Grade
3.7 – 4.0	A	2.4 – 2.6	B-	1.4 – 1.6	C-
3.4 – 3.6	A-	2.1 – 2.3	C+	1.1 – 1.3	D+
3.1 – 3.3	B+	1.7 – 2.0	C	0.7 – 1.0	D
2.7 – 3.0	B

Late work will not receive a grade penalty if it is submitted by the last day of the semester. 

Additional UWRF Syllabus Statements:

• Instructors retain the ability to modify aspects of the class in order to meet course objectives and to respond to student needs and interests, as long as such modifications are consistent with both the official course specifications and any written departmental expectations (i.e. approved formally by the department), and that they are communicated to students in a timely manner.
• Instructors retain the academic freedom to deliver course content to achieve academic rigor and to serve the best interests of students.

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