Developing real-world problems for teaching secondary agricultural biotechnology: A Delphi study

Keeping the curriculum current with changes in the food, fiber, and natural resources systems is a constant challenge to agricultural educators. Biotechnology has become a major factor in agriculture, having moved out of the research lab and into fields across the globe. The current and future impact of biotechnology on food production, processing, and marketing creates the need for inclusion of biotechnology in the secondary agricultural education curriculum.; The problem-solving approach has long been accepted as the best approach to teaching in secondary agricultural education. Despite the support for this approach, existing instructional materials for agricultural biotechnology follow more of a subject matter approach. The heart of the problem-solving approach is the real-world problems that are used to anchor instruction. In order to teach agricultural biotechnology using a problem-solving approach teachers need to have problems to use.; The purpose of the study was to develop a list of sample problems for teaching agricultural applications of biotechnology. The list was developed using a three-round Delphi study with a panel of agricultural biotechnology experts. The panel represented faculty working in the areas of plant science, animal science, and food science from 14 land grant universities. In the first round the panel members were asked to identify sample real-world examples of how molecular biology could be used to solve agricultural problems. In rounds two and three the panel members were asked to rate each item on a 5-point Likert type scale. Consensus was met if the standard deviation for an item was less than 1.0. Items were accepted if the mean rating was greater than 3.5. There were 19 items suggested, of which nine met the criteria for both consensus and acceptance.; The final list of nine items can provide the basis for problem-solving instruction in agricultural biotechnology. The items covered both the three target areas of animal science, plant science, and food science and included most of the content typically included in teaching molecular biology in agricultural biotechnology. Instructional materials based on the items need to be developed and disseminated to secondary agricultural teachers.