Dr. Smaranda Andrews, Assistant Teaching Professor of FS HN, was named the 2020 AgOnline Teacher of the Year, as nominated by AgOnline students.  The criteria are based on evidence of commitment to online education, outstanding teaching, innovative course design and delivery, and contributions to teaching.  Dr. Andrews dedication, work ethic, and expertise combine to help her department and the college deliver innovative, quality courses that serve students at a distance.  Dr. Andrews works closely with Brenton Center for Agricultural Instruction and Technology Transfer Instructional Designer, Dr. David DeHass, to ensure her course, World Food Issues: Past and Present, are meeting student needs.  Dr. Andrews is making a difference for her students.

Student Comments:

Arti Singh, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Agronomy is making a difference in her class because of her dedication, work ethic, and expertise that helps her department and the college deliver an innovative, quality course that serves students at a distance. Students highly recommend this course.

Arti received high marks from her students in Agronomy 544: Host-Pest Interactions. The course incorporates the principles of integrated pest management and crop protection while expanding on management systems and strategies which practice principles of weed science, plant pathology, and entomology.

Brenton Staff members gave presentations at the USDLA annual conference in Indianapolis this year. 

Casey Smith gave a presentation on “Going the Distance to Create Online Opportunity.” The presentation shared the Brenton Center model and plan for the future, allowing other schools and universities to add their own methods into the conversation to create an environment of learning and understanding best practices for an online center

Lily Zhou and David DeHass gave a presentation on “Leading Online Education through Interactivity and 3D models.”

Brenton Center staff member Josh Tenney was awarded an UPCEA Silver Award in the category of Most Improved for his part in the redesign of the AgOnline website. He received the award at the UPCEA Marketing and Enrollment Management Seminar in Washington DC.

Each year, AgOnline students are given the opportunity to nominate their online instructors for the AgOnline Teacher of the Year award sponsored by the Brenton Cneter. The criteria are based on evidence of commitment to online education, outstanding teaching, innovative course design and delivery, and contributions to online teaching. This year two (2) of CALS faculty have met the student’s criteria. Dr. Thomas Brumm, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and Dr. Kathleen Delate, Professor, Horticulture, will share this honor. Both of these faculty are making a difference in the courses they teach. Their dedication, work ethic, and expertise combine to help their departments and the college deliver innovative, quality courses that serve students at a distance. Congratulations Drs. Brumm and Delate.

Cole Moody has joined the Brenton Center video team as a student staff member. Welcome Cole!

Registration for Spring 2018 courses begins on Wednesday, October 18^th.  Contact Casey Smith caseys@iastate.edu or Michelle Zander mzander@iastate.edu or call 800-747-4478 to register for AgOnline or GPIDEA courses.  Visit www.agonline.iastate.edu for a complete list of courses.

Chuanli “Lily’ Zhou, M.ED. and David DeHass, Ph.D. are new Instructional Development staff working on Canvas migrations. Learn more about them on our People page.

The AgOnline website has received a Silver Award to be handed out during the UPCEA Marketing and Enrollment Management Seminar in Washington DC in early December. 

Brenton Center staff provided an afternoon of professional development on September 22^nd for participants of the North Central American Association for Agricultural Education Conference entitled “Best Experience Every Time.”

The updated Brenton Center site is launched today, spotlighting our list of available services, information about our talented staff, and the history of our unit.