Instructional Opportunities and Challenges in Satellite Campus Agribusiness Management Education

Place-bound adult learners, including agribusiness employees with families, are increasingly seeking opportunities to access post-secondary education while remaining spatially separated from a main college campus. Colleges of agriculture have responded by modifying or extending existing educational programs to reach non-traditional clientele. In 1998, the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences launched a Food and Resource Economics (agribusiness management specialization) B.S. degree program at a research and education center 200 miles from the main campus. Students are mostly older (average age is 35), place-bound, and employed; many have families. Class size is very small, averaging 5.6 students. The normal class period is three hours, one evening per week. The atypical setting, student profile and class structure present some unique instructional opportunities and challenges. This paper presents a series of active and experiential teaching exercises that are employed to maximize student learning while capitalizing on students' work experiences and strong local community support. Descriptions are provided for three specific instructional techniques: think-breaks about practical problems related to course material, discussion sessions with industry leaders who bring real-world relevance into the classroom, and term projects focused on current local policy issues and agribusinesses.