Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Course Description:
The current and future advances in the field of agriculture are the emphasis for in-depth study and discussion. This is a capstone course, which requires the student to study independently as well as give numerous individual and group projects and presentations.
Hybrid Traditional Courses
In a Hybrid Traditional course, you will have scheduled day(s) where you will be required to meet in your scheduled classroom and other day(s) you will participate at the scheduled class time by attending the class live online via the platform specified in your course syllabus. You will have assignments that must be completed each week. Participation in the scheduled live classroom and corresponding synchronous sessions is required. Weekly course requirements must be completed and submitted electronically in the prescribed manner to the course instructor within the instructor's assigned deadlines for assignments and participation that week.
Contact Information
Upon Successful completion of this course...
- The student will be able to comprehend and demonstrate group participation.
- The student will be able to design a presentation to present to the focused group.
- The student will be able to evaluate other student presentation during the focused forum
- The student will be able to organize an informative speech, a final reflective essay and answer questions asked within the student presentations
All readings will be from on-line sources and dependent on the topics researched.
Tentative Schedule
Subject to change during the semester at the Professor's discretion.
Date | Topic |
| August 25, 2026 | Introduction - Assign research paper topics and describe assignments |
| September 1, 2026 | What is research and how is research done? |
| September 8, 2026 | Finalize research, Individual presentation, and Informative speech – Class on your own – Not physically meeting |
| September 15, 2026 | Five personal selection presentations - In person |
| September 22, 2026 | Five research presentations - Hybrid |
| September 29, 2026 | Four personal selection presentations - In person |
| October 6, 2026 | Four research presentations - Hybrid |
| October 13, 2026 | NO CLASS - Professor Professional Development Day |
| October 20, 2026 | Four personal selection presentations - In person |
| October 27, 2026 | Four research presentations - Hybrid |
| November 3, 2026 | Four personal selection presentations - In person |
| November 10, 2026 | Four research presentations - Hybrid |
| November 17, 2026 | Four personal selection presentations - In person |
| November 24, 2026 | Evening before Thanksgiving Break begins - NO CLASS |
| December 1, 2026 | Four research presentations - Hybrid |
| December 8, 2026 | Seminar in Agriculture Senior dinner – McCoy Catering – 1130 Gurveyville RD, Wilmington, OH 45177 |
| December 15, 2026 | Final Exam 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. |
Assigned Research Paper Topic
The purpose of this assignment is for the student to research a preassigned topic. Within the research paper, the student should address the following: (1) Introduction – briefly describe your topic that was assigned. Give the reader a background so they become familiar with the topic; (2) briefly summarize your findings on the subject. If sources disagree about the value of or perspective on the subject, point out the areas of disagreement. Assigned research topic presentation; (3) In the body of your paper, provide supporting evidence to support your introduction. This is where you will go in further detail on specifics found as they pertain to the topic. Be sure to provide quality transitions between thoughts. Do not write like a recipe – step 1, step 2, etc. Your supporting text should address the following: how will knowledge on this topic advance science and agriculture – not in broad, abstract ways, but in concrete ways. What is the major impact of your findings? How will/have they affected people? What are/were the benefits to people? Are/were where disadvantages? For example, if you were assigned agriculture in the classroom, you might discuss various options or recent policies that change in curriculum delivery. Be sure to synthesize the information gained from sources and weave them into your paper. A paper with just a string of quotes shows that the author made no attempt to come to grips with the subject and is relying on the sources to speak for them; (4) your conclusion should make some “wrap up” statements about what you learned about your assigned topic. Also, address any issues that may still not be resolved for you or your topic. You will have one week notice to when you will present your research. Please upload your final copy to WC Blackboard by 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026.
Element | Criterion | Value |
| Overview of topic | Introduction of the assigned topic | 25 |
| Body of Paper | Summarization of findings, connection to agriculture, major impacts/developments on topic, societal impact, connection of multiple sources in text | 40 |
| Conclusion | What does all this mean, how/why does this matter, ability to "wrap up" text and draw a conclusion | 25 |
| Writing Center | Student will schedule an appointment with the writing center to have their paper peer reviewed before submission and alterations will be made based on the recommendation of the writing center assistant. Writing center assistant must email the professor for points to be awarded | 10 |
| Total points | 100 |
Assigned Research Paper Presentation: Due - Students will be given one week notice before they present beginning Tuesday, September 22 through Tuesday December 15.
Students’ will facilitate classroom discussion related to the concepts of their assigned research topic. This assignment is designed to foster engaged learning and explore the relevance and implications of the assigned research presented by the researcher in a way that connects with students’ experiences and applies to agricultural dynamics among individuals, farms, firms, organizations, and/or
communities. In classroom discussion, the facilitator should address the following elements: 1) an overview of the assigned research topic, 2) the research findings on the topic’s implications in light of agriculture, and 3) provide an effective summary that highlights the main points of their findings. Note: this is not where you read your paper. This is where we have an open discussion on your assigned topic. Presentation will be 25 minutes in length.
| Grading Elements | Criterion | Value |
| Introductory Overview | Selective coverage, coherence, accuracy & nuance of ideas conveyed | 10 |
| Discussion/Engagement | Quality of classroom interaction; effectiveness of connecting with students and agricultural experiences | 25 |
| Time Management | Does the presenter follow the presentation rubric time frame | 15 |
| Total Points | 50 |
Zoom Etiquette - Due Tuesday, September 1, 2026, by 6:00 p.m. Students will write a two-page paper over zoom etiquette. This time in 2020, none of us had ever heard about zoom. Within the text, students will address: 1) what is zoom, 2) how has zoom impacted our daily lives, 3) what is proper zoom etiquette while on zoom, and 4) how has zoom impacted your professional career. Please upload your final copy to WC Blackboard by 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
| Grading Element | Criterion | Value |
| Overview of the topic | Introduction of the assigned topic. | 10 |
| Body of the paper | Research on zoom, personal connection to zoom in your life, and zoom in your professional life. | 30 |
| Conclusion | What does all this mean, how/why does this matter, ability to "wrap up" text and draw a conclusion | 10 |
| Total points | 50 |
Student selection of individual presentation: Due - Tuesday, September 15th through December 15th
Students will select one of the following presentation types to conduct and present to the class in a 25- minute presentation. This presentation will be given randomly. Students should be prepared to give their presentation any Tuesday (aka – randomly selected) between Tuesday, September 15th and Tuesday, December 15th.
Interview Presentation – Students will pick out a current job listing and prepare a resume, cover letter, and a 25- minute interview talk. The student should discuss where the job listing was found, description of the job, prepare sample interview questions with answers, and how to follow up on an interview and what is appropriate in doing so.
Literature Review Presentation – Students will present a 25-minute presentation covering the background literature in regard to their selected research topic. The student is prohibited from
conducting research over the same topic of their assigned research topic for the course. Students will address the following: 1) purpose of the study, b) research question, c) conceptual framework, d) research methods, and e) results. Note that students should write their summary based on their own language and should not copy and paste sentences from the article.
Lecture – Students will prepare a 25-minute lecture on a subject of their choice to be taught to a high school agriculture class. The lecture should be interactive with audience participation.
Extension Talk – Students will prepare a 25-minte lecture on a subject of their choice to be taught to a group of producers. The extension talk should be interactive with audience participation and material to hand out for reference.
Sales Pitch – Students will prepare a 25-minute sales presentation/pitch on a product or service of their choice to be presented to a group of producers. Think shark tank – what is the product or service, why should I buy this product or service, what are the financials for this product or service?
Each presentation will need to adhere to the following guidelines:
Selection and obtain approval for presentation type and topic (Due no later than Tuesday, September 1st) from Chad McKay.
| Grading Element | Criterion | Value |
| Introduction Overview | Selective coverage, coherence, accuracy & nuance of ideas conveyed | 10 |
| Discussion/Engagement | Quality of classroom interaction; effectiveness of connecting with students and professional development experiences | 25 |
| Time Management | Does the presenter follow the presentation rubric time frame? | 15 |
| Total points | 50 |
University of Indiana Plagiarism Certification: - Tuesday, September 27, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. Often times, at the end of the semester, your instructor will ask for feedback on a course and how to improve the material. A few years ago, a student suggested that students enrolled in Seminar in Agriculture complete a plagiarism workshop. It has been a few years since you completed Writing I and Writing II and perhaps citing and how to avoid plagiarism is a little fuzzy. Well, the purpose of this assignment is to refresh your knowledge on plagiarism and how to avoid it in all your writing. With the instructions below, you will complete the certification test, and the website will allow you to email your passed certification test certificate to me. Do not print off your certificate and hand it into me! Why – because ChatGPT can make that certificate and then I’ll have to report you to Academic Affairs, and it’ll be an entire thing. Due – Tuesday, 9/27 by 11:59 p.m. 50 points
- Using the following link, https://plagiarism.tedfrick.me/, follow the instructions on the page.
- When first registering, click on “Register for Certification Tests” on the right-hand side. Scroll down and click on I am an undergraduate student. Complete the registration process. For question five, select “it is an assignment”.
- Once you register, you will be able to go through the tutorials and videos to learn the differences in plagiarism. Once you feel that you’re ready, you can click take certification test. Please do not register and then take the test, you will fail. You have as many times to take the test as you like.
- Remember, there are over 20,000 different questions. So, if you decide to sit beside Jim Bob and take the test and “use your resources”, your questions will be different.
- Upon passing, you will have the option to email your passing certificate, NOT A SCREENSHOT, to your professor. This is where you email Chad. chad_mckay@wilmington.edu I will receive an email from the program and then I’ll give you the points. No email from the program – no points.
What I have learned Paper: Due - Tuesday, December 8th 2026, by 6:00 p.m.
College can be described as a journey. In two to three pages, summarize your college experience. Discuss the following: 1) what did you learn – I do not mean equations you memorized but what big lessons did you take away, 2) what is something you truly cherish about Wilmington College and what is something you wish you could change about Wilmington College, 3) if you could tell your first semester self-something, now that you are a senior, what would it be and why, and 4) what is the one thing that you will take away from your journey at Wilmington College? Please upload your paper to WC Blackboard by 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8th.
| Grading Elements | Criterion | Value |
| Overview of the topic | Introduction of the assigned topic | 10 |
| Body of the paper | What did you learn, cherish, and change, note to self, and take away. | 30 |
| Conclusion | Ability to "wrap up" text and draw a conclusion | 10 |
| Total points | 50 |
Questions on Student Presentations: Due - Tuesday, September 15th - Tuesday, December 15th
During student presentations over their assigned research paper, audience members will ask questions they devise. Questions should be related to the content being presented and provoke
discussion of the material amongst students. Students are required to ask a total of ten questions between all the presentations. 60 points total.
Peer evaluations: Due each student presentation over assigned research topic as well as individually selected- Tuesday, September 15th - Tuesday, December 15th
At the end of each student presentation, fellow students will evaluate their fellow classmates on their presentation. 40 points total.
The grading scale will be as follows:
| Grading | A = Above 95.99% | A- = 95.98-91% |
| B+ = 90.99-88% | B = 87.99-85% | B- = 84.99-82% |
| C+ = 81.99-79% | C = 78.99-76% | C- = 75.99-72% |
| D+ = 71.99-69% | D = 68.99-65% | F = Below65% |
Breakdown:
| Grade Computation | Value |
| Research Paper | 100 |
| Research Paper Presentation | 50 |
| Zoom Etiquette | 50 |
| Selected Student Presentation | 50 |
| University of Indiana – Plagiarism Certification | 50 |
| What have I learned paper | 50 |
| Ten questions on presentations | 60 |
| Peer evaluations | 40 |
| Course conduct | 60 |
| Course attendance | 170 |
| Total points | 680 |
Instructor Course Policies
There are 15 class periods, removing professor professional development day, the day before Thanksgiving break, and the final exam. Each class period, attendance will be taken. Ten points will be assigned each class period.
Course Policies:
It is expected that each student attends each class period in professional dress. During the class meeting session, no laptops, or tablets are needed and therefore should not be out during the class session. In addition, cell phones should be placed on the desk in front of the student flipped over. The only utensil you need is something to write with to complete the student evaluations which will be completed on paper at the end of each student research presentation. Failing to follow these course conduct rules will result in deduction of final points from the course conduct category which can be found in the grade computation section below. Attendance will be taken each class period, and 10 points is awarded each session attended.
Personal or family emergencies do arise, emergency use of one’s phone is permitted during this
Regular attendance and participation are required for all students and are the only ways to ensure academic success in this course. A student is allowed three unexcused absences from class.
According to the Student Handbook (2021-2022, p.46):
The College accepts these four categories of excused absences:
- Activities in which the student serves as an official representative of the College (e.g., musical performances, athletic contests, field trips);
- Personal illness, with documentation by the College nurse or a physician, if possible;
- Family or personal emergencies
- When severe weather makes travel to campus dangerous
After the third unexcused absence, the student will receive a 5-percent reduction in total points in the course for each day missed. Remember, this is a one night a week class. For classes one night a week, a student gets one unexcused absence because this is a three-hour class. For a M-W-F class, you get three class periods because that equals three course hours. For a T-R class, you get two class periods because they are an hour and a half and that equals three course hours. I do recognize that students may occasionally encounter irresolvable scheduling conflicts. Absence due to illness or family emergency cannot always be anticipated in advance and does not require prior notification. Should a student be absence for illness, a doctor’s note will make the absence excused and not count toward the allotted three absences.
Artificial Intelligence
In the world of artificial intelligence, all work (essays, test answers, homework answers, etc.) that you submit in this course must be originally produced by you and not by artificial intelligence. Failure to comply with this policy will result in penalties for academic dishonesty.”
If you utilize ChatGPT or a similar AI platform, please screenshot your prompt that you submitted and the response the platform responded with. This will allow the instructor to view your input and the AI output to ensure plagiarism was avoided and proper citation was given. Failure to do so and if AI utilization appears likely, penalties for academic misconduct will be followed.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |