Cletzer, D. Adam (author), Mott, Rebecca L. (author), Simonsen, Jon C. (author), Tummons, John D. (author), Peckman, Jaelyn Y. (author), and Preston, Kate (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2022-01-01
Published:
USA: American Association for Agricultural Education
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12706
17 pages, Agricultural leadership coursework has sought to developed leadership skills in graduates of colleges of agriculture for decades. Yet, a national study of the scope and nature of undergraduate leadership coursework has not been conducted since 2003. The purpose of this study was to provide empirical data for discussion of the state of agricultural leadership education. A census of all programs represented by faculty in AAAE was conducted, and 227 courses were determined to exist, the most common types of courses were introduction to leadership, personal leadership, and team and group leadership. The most common leadership theories or concepts present in the 100 course syllabi analyzed were “traits and skills,” “ethics,” and “servant leadership.” More than 80 different textbooks were used.
22 pages., via online journal., The community engagement professional (CEP) plays a critical role in engaging faculty, staff, and students with communities. In order to do this in the most effective way, this essay advocates
for CEPs to become familiar with the Cooperative Extension system and develop competency for engaging Extension personnel, even when those personnel are not a part of the CEP’s home institution. The essay extends the work of Dostilio et al. (2017) on preliminary competencies for the community engagement professional by identifying additional competencies, organized as knowledge, skill, and dispositions, that can help CEPs work with the Cooperative Extension system to maximize engagement opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. This essay also includes ideas for implementing competency training for CEPs. Conclusions include thoughts on preparing the community engagement professional to learn and collaborate with Cooperative Extension to enrich the academic experience and benefit the communities they serve.
Leal, Arthur (author), Telg, Ricky W. (author), Rumble, Joy N. (author), Stedman, Nicole LaMee Perez (author), Treise, Debbie M. (author), and Universit of Tennessee, Knoxville
University of Florida
Association for Communication Excellence
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2019
Published:
United States: New Prairie Press
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 15 Document Number: D10428
22 pages., Via online journal., This national study sought to expand on current research to identify the importance of and graduates’ ability to perform selected social skills to aid in curricula evaluation and small program development. Using three evaluation groups – agricultural communication graduates, communication industry professionals, and agricultural communication faculty members – 193 individuals responded to the online survey. The most important social skills were those associated with having work values and transitioning into an organization to be a productive member in the workplace. Graduates placed a higher importance on social skills than the other two evaluation groups. All three evaluation groups showed some agreement on graduates’ highest ability to perform several social skills: The ability to be trustworthy, trained, reliable, professional, dedicated, and behave ethically were assigned the highest mean ability. A significant difference was found with the ability graduates afforded themselves in having common sense, being professional, and encompassing maturity versus the other two evaluation groups. Recommendations included incorporating and identifying social skills into instruction for students. Group work, presentations, internships, and student organizations were proposed as opportunities for social skill attainment. Agricultural leadership principles, oral communication, and professional development courses were recommended for new and developing agricultural communication programs that could serve to incorporate the most important social skills. Faculty members could benefit from research that can identify more effective measures to evaluate social skill attainment. Recommendations for future research included a similar assessment with technical skills and for other elements of the Agricultural Communication Program System Model to be assessed.
19 pages., This article reports on a technology stewardship training program to promote ICT leadership development with agricultural extension practitioners in Sri Lanka. Researchers used a multi-method approach with a single embedded case study. Data were collected using a pre-course survey, formal course evaluation, classroom observation, and semi-structured interviews with participants. Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation model was used to structure analysis of the results. Findings from this study show a positive response to technology stewardship training among agricultural extension practitioners in the course, that learning objectives of the course are achievable when offered as an in-service training program, that self-confidence with ICT is improved, and that some participants applied their learning in a post-course activity. Results from the study also raise a number of considerations for future course design in order to better support digital leadership development in practice. Technology stewardship training shows promise as a form of ICT leadership education for agricultural communities of practice in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. This article contributes to a better understanding of the role of social learning among communities of practice in agricultural extension services, and in contributing to effective use of ICT for agriculture development more broadly.
10 pages, via online journal, Extension’s ability to purposively develop the capacity of its agents to effectively work with and
lead people is limited by a lack of data that identifies for which competencies agents need training.Interpersonal leadership competencies are widely recognized as important for Extension
professionals and the literature indicates they are linked with job satisfaction, motivation, and
performance. The Borich method was used to identify priority training needs for Extension agents
in Florida within the interpersonal leadership domain. A Principal Component Analysis revealed
the interpersonal leadership competencies could be operationalized into two latent constructs,
conflict management and group leadership. Competencies for which training is most needed were
mostly part of the conflict management construct. The results can be used to intentionally design
professional development programs, improve the state’s competency model, and inform future
research related to conflict in Extension.
Online via Ebscohost. 1 page., Author discusses aspects of the importance of membership and active involvement in organizations like North American Agricultural Journalists and the American Agricultural Editors' Association for farm editors and writers to present real stories and struggles of farmers in the U.S. and Canada.
19 pages., Via online journal., This project’s primary purpose was to identify and describe the leadership styles and skills emphases of current Kansas agricultural organization chief executive officers. Twenty-three current CEOs participated and were described in terms of their leadership styles, leadership-skills emphases, and demographics. Overall, they appeared to be rather “middle of the road” on each of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire’s nine leadership scales. Leadership styles were not significantly affected by demographics, with the exception of formal leadership training affecting transactional leadership and education level, organizational category, and staff size affecting passive-avoidant leadership. Participants generally rated the 50 leadership skills as important. Leadership styles did not significantly affect the skill emphases. In evaluating CEO candidates, an agricultural organization should design its process to gauge leadership styles and skills separately because, according to this project, they do not predict each other. Once a new CEO is hired, a formal leadership-training program should emphasize the transformational style over the transactional and, more so, passive-avoidant while still maintaining an appropriate balance between transformational and transactional.
