PSVII-23 Developing future agricultural extensionists: Enhancing undergraduate students’ skills and competencies.

Abstract Training undergraduate students as agricultural extension agents to develop their personal and professional skills is one of the objectives of the Puerto Rico Goat and Sheep Educational Program Initiative (PR-GOSHEPI), affiliated with the Department of Animal Science at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (ANSI-UPRM). Additionally, it is essential for future generations of university and high school students (10th to 12th grade) attending public or private schools to gain knowledge about the importance of producing animal-based foods, such as goat milk and lamb meat. The objective of this project was to train ANSI-UPRM undergraduate students in extension work by engaging them as lecturers in high schools. Over 24 months, 16 undergraduate students, randomly paired into teams of two, visited public and private schools across various municipalities on the island. Each pair visited at least six high schools giving 40-minute talks to students about sheep and goat production. At the end of the lecture series, a seven-question questionnaire was used to assess how participation in the program influenced students’ skills in: 1) decision-making, 2) self-management, 3) teamwork, 4) professional experiences, 5) leadership, 6) problem-solving, and 7) communications. Responses were rated on a five-point scale: 1) None, 2) Low, 3) Moderate, 4) High, and 5) Very High. The 16 undergraduate students visited 22 public and private schools across 18 municipalities, reaching 778 high school students (an average of 35 students per school/conference). After their participation as lecturers, students reported the following impact on their skills: Decision-making: 11 students (68.75%) rated the impact as very high, 3 (18.75%) as high, and 2 (12.5%) as moderate; Self-management: 10 students (62.50%) rated the impact as very high, while 6 (37.50%) rated it as high; Teamwork: 15 students (93.75%) rated the impact as very high, and 1 (6.25%) as moderate; Professional experiences: 13 students (81.25%) rated the impact as very high, while 3 (18.75%) rated it as high; Leadership: 14 students (87.50%) rated the impact as very high, and 2 (12.50%) as high; Problem-solving: 11 students (68.75%) rated the impact as very high, and 5 (31.25%) as high; Communication: 12 students (75%) rated the impact as very high, and 4 (25%) as high. In summary, the training of ANSI-UPRM undergraduate students as extension workers through their participation as lecturers in secondary schools significantly enhanced their personal and professional skills and abilities.