Microcomputer Software for Identified Areas of Agricultural Education in Secondary Schools. Final Report.

Overview & Synopsis

This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of software packages for use in Texas vocational agriculture programs and to recommend strategies for future inservice educational needs of vocational agriculture teachers. The population surveyed comprised the nine teacher education programs in agricultural education in Texas, in which persons were contacted by telephone and by questionnaire, with a 100 percent return. Two software packages developed by Texas Tech University Agricultural Education personnel in cooperation with the Texas Education Agency were evaluated by 50 vocational agriculture teachers. Finally, two additional software packages, which were in greatest demand across the state according to data gathered in a teacher survey, were developed. Some of the conclusions of the study were the following: (1) universities currently providing or planning to provide computer inservice workshops used or will use instructors primarily from within their own university; (2) more than half the computers used by the universities in inservice workshops were Radio Shack models; (3) four basic categories of software are or will be used in inservice workshops; and (4) most software is obtained from commercial sources. The study recommended that a committee be formed to determine format and outline of content to be used in computer-related workshops and to acquire software to be used in each curriculum area. (KC)