About Agricultural Education
Preparing Outstanding Educators
The mission of the agricultural education program is to prepare outstanding agriculture, food and natural resource educators for leadership positions in the public and private sectors. Students, faculty and staff each contribute in significant ways to fulfilling the mission.
Students in agricultural education must take personal responsibility for their education. Student involvement and participation in courses and extracurricular activities are essential to learning and future career success. Therefore, students are encouraged to pursue many and varied formal and informal educational experiences that add depth and breadth to their skills and abilities.
Facilitating Learning
Faculty members serve the needs of students by planning and conducting educational experiences that promote learning.
Facilitating learning is the primary role of agricultural education faculty. This role may be fulfilled in organized classroom/laboratory environments, through advisement (students and student organizations), and through informal interactions.
In addition to teaching and learning activities, faculty develop and maintain a focused program of research and scholarship.
Faculty research enhances teaching performance and is communicated to others through various avenues of professional exchange.
Staff in agricultural education provide valuable services that contribute to student and faculty success. Staff serve as catalysts in fulfilling necessary roles and functions that influence program operation.
Expanding the Boundaries
The agricultural education program at the University of Missouri-Columbia is student-centered. The primary desired outcome is to prepare communicators, leaders and educators for successful careers in agriculture, food and natural resources. This goal can only be achieved through the individual and cooperative efforts of students, faculty and staff.
The agricultural education program is structured around the needs of students and their career goals. Formal and informal learning experiences are designed to enable students to progress from what is known to what is not known, constantly expanding the boundaries of their knowledge and understanding.
Mission
The department strives to accomplish its mission through teaching, research and scholarship, and outreach activities related to learning and teaching, communication and leadership in agriculture, food and natural resources. The mission will be achieved by accomplishing the following goals:
- Prepare successful educators for careers in the industry of agriculture, food and natural resources.
- Prepare successful agriculture, food and natural resource educators for careers in secondary, postsecondary and adult education programs.
- Enhance communication and leadership skills of future professionals in agriculture, food and natural resource careers.
- Provide a nationally recognized graduate program in agricultural education with an emphasis on teacher education in agriculture.
- Attract quality students into the undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
- Provide continuing professional development opportunities for secondary, postsecondary and adult agriculture, food and natural resource educators.
- Facilitate developing and maintaining technical competence of agriculture, food and natural resource educators.
- Conduct and disseminate research and scholarly activities focused on teaching, learning and leadership in agriculture, food and natural resources.
- Provide leadership for the improvement of teaching and learning in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
- Facilitate the use of instructional technology among agriculture, food and natural resource educators.
- Facilitate the development of curriculum and instructional materials used by agriculture, food and natural resource educators.
- Provide statewide leadership for adult education in agriculture, food and natural resources.
- Enhance agricultural literacy through instruction, research and outreach.
- Serve as a professional resource for agricultural education programs at the local, state and national levels.
- Provide leadership in professional organizations at the state, regional and national levels.
