A grant was recently awarded by the Office of Experiential Education to faculty from the Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication Department and Animal Sciences Department. This funding will support the development of a program where undergraduate students work together to create educational videos about animal science that can be used in classrooms across the country.
The Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication Department currently offers two undergraduate majors: Agricultural Communication and Agricultural Education. While both of these majors equip students to engage people in learning about agriculture, one focuses on communication through media while the other focuses on classroom-based experiences. The Animal Sciences Department also offers an undergraduate degree with a variety of concentrations to help students develop a deep understanding of the science and theory behind animal agriculture, but it doesn’t often cover the art of communicating these technical topics with the public.
Pictured: Students sit around classroom tables, working at their computers, and collaborating together.
With the help of an Experiential Education Program Development Grant, students across these majors will soon have the opportunity to share their knowledge and collaborate to produce educational videos about animal science production practices around the world.
“Participants will learn about teaching, video production, and production practices used to raise animals around the world,” says Sarah LaRose, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication. “The goal is to blend these majors and provide students with a holistic agricultural education experience.”
Beginning in Fall 2023, the course “Exploring Global Animal Production Practices” will be available to select students in Agricultural Communication, Agricultural Education, and Animal Sciences. Video footage will be collected on students’ study abroad trips and sent in by partners across the globe to be transformed into educational and entertaining media spots. This opportunity is made possible in part through an Experiential Education Program Development Grant through the Office of Experiential Education, part of the university’s Transformative Education 2.0 initiative.
“We are excited to support this innovative project that brings together students and faculty across three majors as well as agricultural professionals from around the world,” shares Jennifer Dobbs-Oates, director of the Office of Experiential Education. “The transdisciplinary and multicultural nature of the learning will be extremely valuable to Purdue students.”
This was the first year for the Office of Experiential Education’s new annual grant program, which allocates funds to support existing or new experiential education programs that serve Purdue undergraduate students.
If you are interested in learning more about these grant opportunities, please visit the Office of Experiential Education website.
Hannah Lapeire
Student Communication Assistant, Student Success Programs, hlapeire@purdue.edu