Mississippi State University extension undergraduate apprenticeship program

Abstract

The Mississippi State University Extension Undergraduate Apprenticeship Program was implemented in 2017 to give undergraduate juniors and seniors the opportunity to work one-on-one with an Extension mentor and explore careers in agriculture, natural resources, family and consumer sciences, community resource development, or youth development, while participating in research and outreach activities that directly benefit Extension programs and community stakeholders. The program is rooted in the principles of mentoring adult learners in an organizational context. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model and the DEAL Model for Critical Reflection serve as the conceptual framework, whereby students engage in critical reflection to enhance their integrated research-and-outreach learning experience. An evaluation of the first two student cohorts (n=19) revealed a significant production of scholarship, an increase in discipline-specific knowledge, enhanced critical thinking and problem solving skills, a greater understanding and appreciation for Extension, and a desire to pursue related graduate studies.

A qualitative analysis of student reflections on public health internships

“…The model, applied in written and oral reflective activities in higher education, stimulates higher-order thinking, and involves three phases: Describe (where the experience is detailed and described objectively), Examine (where the experience is examined further with the aid of reflection prompts), and Articulate Learning (which includes goal setting or considering actions to take in similar future situations). While the model was developed for service-learning courses and studied in such settings (Molee et al ., 2011; Farmer, 2015), it has been used in other applied learning settings (Glassburn et al ., 2019; Brooks et al ., 2010; Denny and Hardman, 2020; Shehane, 2014; Tabassum et al ., 2023).…”

The Effects of Reflection and Transfer on Undergraduate Animal Science Students’ Knowledge

“…However, agricultural instructors often provide concrete experiences to students, but frequently fail to implement the holistic model of experiential learning (Shoulders & Myers, 2013). Moreover, while literature regarding the practice of experiential learning and experience-centered learning activities is abundant in agricultural education (Conner & Roberts, 2015;Denny & Harding, 2020;Ekiri, et al, 2013;Hanson & Larsen, 2020;Shoulders & Myers, 2012;Splan et al, 2016;Thompson et al, 2019;Wulff-Risner & Stewart, 1997), research that examines the theory behind the pedagogical practice receives far less attention (Roberts, 2006). A paucity of research has been conducted within agricultural education settings to test experiential learning theory in practice (Baker et al, 2014;Blackburn et al, 2015;Coleman et al, 2020Coleman et al, , 2021DiBenedetto et al, 2017).…”