This spring, students in the Agricultural Technology Program at Virginia Tech engaged in Project-Based Learning (PBL) through their Leadership class, tackling real-world challenges and honing essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication.

Instructor Rose Jeter highlighted the importance of this approach: “I think it’s important for students to engage with industry representatives, tackle real-world problems, and work as a team to practice all the skills they have learned in our program. Our leadership class provides a safe space for students to try different approaches to teamwork and communication while implementing what they have learned in other classes.”

Course Structure and Projects

The Leadership class is designed to immerse students in practical projects. Teams are formed based on students’ preferences and needs, determined by personality testing and academic options. Each team, consisting of four to five students, works independently on a challenge to provide diverse solutions to clients.

Weekly power meetings are held to discuss progress, while additional class time is dedicated to leadership-related topics such as motivation, planning, time management, network weaving, and professional etiquette. The course culminates in a final report and presentation to an audience of industry representatives, faculty, and guests.

Spring 2024 Projects

This past semester, students tackled several significant projects:

  1. Co-op Recruitment and Retention Strategy: The Culpeper Farmers’ Cooperative Farm & Home Center (CFC)  is a co-op nearing its 100th anniversary and sought help in developing a strategy to overcome recruitment and retention challenges in a tight labor market. Students were tasked with creating innovative solutions to maintain a steady workforce in the agricultural industry.
  2. Feed Mill Strategic Plan: Another project with CFC involved creating a strategic plan for a feed mill. Students conducted research on the potential feed market in the service area to ensure the plan met local needs.
  3. Landscape Company Onboarding Plan: Southern Landscape Group, LLC faced challenges in training new team members with little to no experience. Students devised a “boot camp” onboarding plan to help new hires quickly become proficient in their duties.

Student Experience and Impact

The Leadership class not only provided students with practical experience but also allowed them to make meaningful connections with industry representatives. We are thankful for Katie Reames, CFC Assistant General Manager and Mark Maslow, Southern Landscape Group President, for investing their time and experience with our students.

The Agricultural Technology program continues to prepare students for successful careers by providing them with the skills and confidence needed to tackle industry challenges head-on. If you would like to partner with us to provide real-world projects for the students to work on, please contact Rose Jeter at rosejeter@vt.edu.

students working