Daniel D. Foster, Ph.D.

Responsibilities

75% Teaching
25% Research

Research Interests

My research interests involve teaching and learning in agricultural education, both at the post-secondary and secondary level. How can we help our instruction be more effective?  What are characteristics of effective educators? As of late, I have been investing time and energy into the concept of developing global competency in our teacher candidates with the goal of creating an effective global educator that could thrive throughout the world in both formal and non-formal settings. I am very much interested in continuing the line of inquiry on global competency as well and seeking an interdisciplinary team to analyze the impact of a total secondary agricultural education program on rural communities: from economic perspectives, academic gains, and student self-efficacy gains.

Courses Taught

• AG 150S—“Be a Master Student” First Year Seminar
• AEE 100—Agricultural Education Orientation
• AEE 295—Observation of Teaching in Agriculture and Environmental Science (Early Field Experience)
• AEE 297A/CAS 217—Practical Parliamentary Procedure
• AEE 311 (Fall 12)—Developing Youth Leadership through Organization and Program Structure
• AEE 350—Teaching Methods for Agricultural and Environmental Laboratories
• AEE 412—Methods of Teaching Agriculture and Environmental Science
• AEE 499—Global School-Based Agricultural Education
• AEE 495/AEE 595—Internship in Agricultural and Extension Education (Student Teacher Supervision)
• AEE 511—Youth Leadership Development in Agricultural & Life Sciences
• AEE 595—Academic Integration and Curriculum Planning in Secondary Agricultural Education

Funding Agencies/Foundations for Grants Received

• National Institute of Environmental Health Science
• United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Specialty Crops Research Initiative
• Office of Undergraduate Education, College of Agricultural Sciences
  Office of Global Programs, The Pennsylvania State University
• CHS Foundation
• The Center for Dairy Excellence
• The National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE)
  

Selected Publications

Foster, D. D. & Whittington, M.S. (in press). Developing an Instrument to Measure Principles of Teaching and Learning in College Class Sessions. Journal of Agricultural Education.

Foster, D. D. & Whittington, M.S., & Bookman, J. (2009). Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development: Have College Students Reached Formal Operations? Proceedings of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference, Stillwater, OK.

Foster, D. D., & Epps. R. B. (2008). Revisiting the Senior Capstone Experience: Developing Cooperative Professionals. Poster Proceedings of the Annual North Central American Association of Agricultural Educators Research Conference, Ithaca, NY, 62-65.

Foster, D. D., Connors, J. J., Cano, J. M., & Whittington, M. S. (2008). An Undergraduate Peer Teaching Approach to Portfolio Development Across the Curriculum. Poster Proceedings of the Annual North Central American Association of Agricultural Educators Research Conference, Ithaca, NY, 50-53.