Abstract

Recent research has raised doubts about the quality of undergraduate teaching in the United States. Quality post- secondary education becomes more and more critical to both national competitiveness and the development of a robust agricultural economy. There is a continual need for productive research on effective teaching. To ensure undergraduate students are receiving the quality of education needed to be competitive in our global society, colleges of agricultural sciences must constantly advance their education and scholarship. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to gain a deeper understanding of agricultural disciplines’ specific approach to teaching and learning. The research study investigated nine award-winning agricultural educators’ operationalization of their instructional practice and their percep- tion of their discipline’s specific signature pedagogy. Three themes emerged from the operationalization of the instruc- tional pedagogies of the faculty’s approaches to teaching: Enhanced Lectures, Experiential Learning, and Encourage Critical Thinking. Participants articulated their perception of their respective discipline’s specific pedagogy, which pro- vided more in-depth look at the deep structure dimension of signature pedagogies. Further research would be to measure the discipline specific pedagogies against industry demands and if students are graduating with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for careers in their respective discipline.