Evaluating Student Outcomes from a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Leadership Development Program

Abstract

The Dr. Joe Townsend Leadership Fellows Program focuses on developing students in five specific areas, developing self, developing others, organizational management skills, vision, and values. Evaluations should assess the extent leadership programs are meeting outcomes and preparing students for post-graduate success. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the program through the use of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model, Bloom’s taxonomy, and Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior. A summative evaluation was used to assess whether or not the program had been meeting its stated objectives. Students who once participated in the program since its inception was sent a survey through Qualtrics to determine the success rate of graduates through Kirkpatrick’s reaction, learning, behavior, and results domains. The data collected was then analyzed to determine if the objectives of the study were met. The participants scored statistically significant scores on all four portions of Kirkpatrick’s model. The overall effectiveness of the agricultural leadership program, per the data collected, was deemed successful, and the results from the participants were both positive and promising for the program. Recommendations for future practitioners and researchers, as well as other agricultural leadership programs, were delineated based on the study’s data and conclusions.