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Lessons Learned About Agriculture by Doing FAEIS

Lessons Learned About Agriculture by Doing FAEIS. Timothy P. Mack Associate Dean for Information Technology and Distance Education College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Virginia Tech. 1862 Land-Grants. 49 of 58 have an Agricultural college. 12 are “College of Agriculture.”

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Lessons Learned About Agriculture by Doing FAEIS

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  1. Lessons Learned About Agriculture by Doing FAEIS Timothy P. Mack Associate Dean for Information Technology and Distance Education College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Virginia Tech

  2. 1862 Land-Grants • 49 of 58 have an Agricultural college. • 12 are “College of Agriculture.” • 37 are “College of Agriculture and Something Else.” • Natural resources, life science(s), environmental sciences, food sciences, biological sciences, FCS.

  3. Names of Colleges of Agriculture

  4. College of Ag. Departments at the 1862 Institutions

  5. Other Department Names • N > 5: Biology, rangeland, statistics, communications, fisheries, parks and recreation, human development, landscape architecture, extension education, and others. • Are these ‘agriculture’? • Should they count in enrollment and placement data?

  6. FAEIS has: Photobiology 26.0208 Developmental Biology & Embryology 26.0404 Microbial and Eukaryotic Genetics 26.0803 FAEIS does not have: Virology 26.0504 Immunology 26.0507 Zoology/Animal Biology 26.0701 Animal Behavior and Ethnology 26.0708 Molecular Physiology 26.0902 Cell Physiology 26.0903 Endocrinology 26.0904 Reproductive Biology 26.0905 Exercise Physiology 26.0908 Molecular Toxicology 26.1005 Environmental Toxicology 26.1006 Pharmacology and Toxicology 26.1007 Evolutionary Biology 26.1303 Population Biology 26.1306 Oceanography, Chemical and Physical 40.060 What About the CIPs in FAEIS If we add too many, then list is excessively long and data are ‘lost’

  7. Self Coding Confusion • The Academic and Program Areas of CIP codes were based on the CIP 2000 taxonomy and the Texas A&M CIP codes. • Thousands of the CIP codes could be in FAEIS. Dr. Jeff Gilmore selected about 200 of those that most frequently appear. • One problem lies in users selecting CIP codes. • For example: • 01.0000 Agriculture, General • 01.0101 Agriculture Business and Management, General • 01.0102 Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations • Does user select the general or the specific? Is he or she consistent over time? • Confusion ensues when one discipline uses a general CIP (01.0000 Agriculture, General) and another uses a specific one 0.1.0102 Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations).

  8. What is Agriculture? • Narrow or broad definition? • Comparing apples and oranges for College enrollments? • College with biology versus one without. • Where are the biology majors? It depends…. • What should be officially reported for assessments?

  9. A Definition of Agriculture • If we cannot define what agriculture is, then how can we track it? • NEEDED: • A commonly accepted definition of agriculture and its associated CIP codes. • APS should do this.

  10. Quality Control in FAEIS • Data Entry • The FAEIS application automatically compares data entered in the current year with the data from the prior year. If there is more than a 10% discrepancy, then the numbers appear in red. • However, if the data entry person is only entering data and is not concerned about the highlights, he or she might miss this critical flag. • Missing CIPS • The most common problem is data for a CIP are reported one year and not in another. • Major was discontinued? • Person failed to report? • Person last year used a different CIP code? • Who is Checking? • FAEIS application allows the college contact person to see who is not reporting. • Not all institutions are taking advantage of this.

  11. Complete Enrollment

  12. AlmostCompleteEnrollment

  13. Incomplete Enrollment Is someone checking these data?

  14. A New Major, or Incomplete Enrollment?

  15. Challenges in FAEIS • Definition of Agriculture. • Self Selection of CIP Codes. • Change of College coordinator over time- checking data. • New/discontinued disciplines and departments. Most of these are longstanding challenges.

  16. What is FAEIS Good at? • Studying any discipline or group of disciplines over time. • Comparing a common set of disciplines across institutions. • Custom Report Builder • Studying trends in the above items. • Over time. • Over institution type. • By gender or ethnicity. • Any combination of these.

  17. Assessment Survey -2005 • 568 respondents to survey done by the Cornell Survey Institute. • Largest portion classified themselves as administrators. • Users are generally satisfied with the context, input, process, and products associated with FAEIS. • The quality and usefulness of the reports are high especially for internal benchmarking.

  18. FAEIS Strengths • Comparison with other schools • Database of agricultural colleges • Trends in enrollment • Diversity benchmarks • Job placement information • It’s the only game in town • Review information from other schools • Best source for comparative data in program areas • Good way to share institutional data information • Ability to obtain data by CIP codes • Reliable source of data for family and consumer science • Main source of agricultural education statistics • Information available from one source

  19. Improvements to FAEIS • Increase institutional participation by increasing value of reports. • Use data available from other sources. • Suggestions to enhance benefits: • Updates of new programs each year. • Create repository of PowerPoint presentations and develop institutional profiles. • FAEIS is the only source for national enrollment in associated areas.

  20. Improving the 1862 Institutional Data • Work together to have each 1862 check its data and fill in the blanks. • The better the data, the more valuable FAEIS becomes to you.

  21. FAEIS and USDA Staff are Limited in What We Can Do • Efforts at getting non-responders to enter data. • Emails to Institutions from FAEIS staff. • Telephone calls from FAEIS staff. • Email from Ian Maw. • Letter from Ella Smith, USDA. • Many have not yet entered their data.

  22. Complex Issues • FAEIS only reflects what the system is. • Non-uniform…. • Definitions of agriculture. • Degrees of interest in FAEIS. • Commitment over time to any data entry in FAEIS. • Commitment may even vary by department head or chair. • Checking of local data for accuracy. • APS can be a strong force in bringing order to this Universe, if it wants to.

  23. What are good ideas and practical suggestions to enhance FAEIS?

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