Enhancing Student Engagement in a Changing Academic Environment-Tested Innovations for Traditional Classes and Online Teaching

Agriculture is a global industry that constantly innovates and increasingly uses cutting-edge technology. A great number of job opportunities exist because this important sector of the economy is looking to recruit motivated and ambitious young people. Meanwhile, the academic environment is changing. Many programs experience increased class sizes and are introducing online curricula. Addressing these simultaneous challenges, eight teaching scholars from agricultural and applied economics programs presented their teaching approaches in a track session at the 2019 AAEA Annual Meeting. This article continues the conversation about specific teaching innovations tested in traditional classroom settings and online environments in an attempt to share lessons learned with a broader audience. Many of the insights presented here are easily adaptable when teaching remotely and will remain relevant once campuses reopen.