Norris-Parish, Shannon L. (author), Leggette, Holli R. (author), Pesl Murphy, Theresa (author), Parrella, Jean A. (author), Richburg, Audra (author), and Herring, Andy D. (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2024-01-12
Published:
UK: Oxford University Press
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 208 Document Number: D13252
9 pages, Animal scientists face an increasing need to communicate with the lay public because of the public’s interest in the origin and production of animal-sourced foods. Consumers’ increased interest infers a critical need for effective communication skills among animal science graduates. Effective communication skills are mandatory if students are to explain scientific information and mitigate misinformation about livestock production. The purpose of our study was to investigate the communication styles and communication effectiveness of upper-level animal science students enrolled in a beef cattle production and management course at Texas A&M University across five semesters (N = 241; spring 2018 = 61, summer 2018 = 15, Fall 2018 = 54, spring 2019 = 55, and fall 2019 = 56). Male animal science students (n = 25; 32.9%) preferred assertive and direct communication (a driver communication style) and female students (n = 32; 19.4%) preferred collaborative and accommodating communication (an amiable communication style). Students were moderately experienced with beef cattle production (M = 3.09, SD = 1.07) before enrolling in the course; however, former beef cattle experiences did not influence their preferred communication style [F(10, 230) = 0.36, P = 0.96]. Researchers also observed students’ communication skills during an end-of-semester beef cattle production and management project presentation and identified strengths and weaknesses. Students demonstrated strong, in-depth animal industry knowledge, an ability to connect beef production techniques to management success, and critical thinking skills when answering questions. Oral communication skills warranting improvement included integrating visual aids and/or visual slides to support findings, using improved stage presence and confidence, and sharing responsibilities when presenting as a team. Finally, completion of a supplemental communication training module, intended to develop oral communication skills, significantly improved [F(1, 55) = 4.16, P = 0.046] students’ beef cattle production and management project presentation scores. As students become aware of their communication preferences and tendencies, they become equipped to adjust their communication practices and techniques when needed. Through this study, we gained insight into students’ communication tendencies and skills, which can be used to provide curricular recommendations and enhance students’ workforce readiness.
8 pages, - The ways in which consumers receive and process information have changed as they become more reliant on the internet.
- A significant proportion of consumers have little or no farming knowledge, but they wish to understand how their food is produced and don't always trust the information that is provided.
- Consumers see academics, farmers, and ranchers as highly credible food production information sources, and “mom scientists” rate highly as technical experts who share consumers' values.
- To ensure current and future animal science industry sustainability, better communication with consumers is required—a variety of tools are available to achieve this goal.
19 pages, This paper describes a multimodal brochure assignment in an undergraduate animal science subject with a mixed cohort of animal science and veterinary science students. The assignment involved group work and peer feedback that allowed students to improve their brochures prior to submission. Support for the communication aspects of the assignment was developed by a teaching team consisting of the subject lecturer and two lecturers with a specialisation in academic language and learning. This support consisted of a rubric containing detailed communication rows, and annotated brochures illustrating written and visual features of this unfamiliar assignment genre. At the end of the subject, students were surveyed to seek their feedback on the usefulness of the assignment, the rubric (especially the detailed communication rows), the annotated brochures, and the peer review process. Results were highly positive, with students seeing value in this type of assignment for developing their communication skills. Students reported benefits in both giving and receiving (and using) peer feedback to improve their brochures. While giving feedback was considered to be helpful for enhancing both communication and understanding of the rubric, receiving feedback was mostly seen as beneficial for the purposes of editing and proofreading. Students reported that the main challenges of the assignment were in being concise and tailoring the language of the brochure to the target audience. The results suggest that while the support was viewed as very helpful, students may need more explicit and scaffolded guidance in tailoring their communication for a non-academic audience in a multimodal genre.
7 pages, • Consumers want transparency and sharing of more information regarding animal welfare, housing, and the environmental impacts of animals. Social media provides many new opportunities for farmers and ranchers to introduce science and technology in away that encourages the public to make informed decisions.
• All individuals associated with food production have the responsibility to communicate effectively with the public, news media, and policymakers. Effective communication on issues related to sustainable food production requires a commitment to building trust, shared values, ethics, and credible expertise.
• Additional research is needed to understand the best way to frame messages related to the production of meat, milk, and eggs for various audiences who do not fully understand where these foods come from.
• Policies and laws governing the production of meat, milk, and eggs should integrate ethical issues and science-based information.
