Many new things are happening on the education front

Several new initiatives are under way in connection with the agricultural science degree programmes, and they concern activities directed at both potential and present students. A new student environment is finally underway, our degree programmes are going to be evaluated this year, we are aiming at a targeted collaboration with our employer panel, and we are in the process of implementing our retention and recruitment strategy for 2019. 

The degree programme committee for agricultural sciences has initiated efforts to increase admissions to the bachelor programme in Agrobiology. In 2018 there was a marked increase in the number of applications for the programme in quota 2 (130 percent more applicants with this programme as their first priority). At the time of writing, approximately 240 students are enrolled in the programmes.

Creating a good student environment has been challenging

Agrobiology faces unique challenges because the lecturers do not have their place of work in Aarhus. Therefore, we have no student facilities in Aarhus in connection with pre-existing research departments. Although the research facilities at Foulum, Årslev and Flakkebjerg are good, reaching them by means of public transport is difficult. Therefore, it is important to set room aside for the student and teaching environment in Aarhus. 

The first two years of the Agrobiology bachelor programme include many general courses that are also followed by students from other degree programmes. This has meant that the students in these classes have only slightly been integrated into the student environment at Katrinebjerg, which has contributed to a high dropout rate during the first year. To a large extent, the final year of the master programmes takes place in the research environments at Foulum, Årslev and Flakkebjerg; this also results in a watered-down student environment at Katrinebjerg. 

The degree programmes will move to Campus

In connection with the development of Campus 2.0, the plan is that in future Agrobiology will be part of a ‘life science cluster’ with its base in the University Park. Agrobiology will move from the present location at Katrinebjerg into buildings nos. 1170 and 1171 at Campus. In 1170, there will be six classrooms as well as large meeting rooms, kitchen and rooms for administration, student counselling, heads of the degree programmes, etc. Most of the lectures will take place here from the spring of 2019.  

The definitive number of rooms that may be available to us in 1171 is presently being negotiated with those in charge of AU’s buildings. Offices are needed for the administration to support an increased academic integration between AGRO, FOOD, ANIS and the other departments at the university and for lecturers and students writing their theses. Much of the teaching leads up to group group work which means that rooms are needed for this purpose.

A small library with scientific books and journals as well as a scanner and a photocopier is also an important element in the study environment. We need a kitchen and a coffee room for the study spaces as well as academic and social functions, including a Friday bar. FOOD hosts the entrepreneurship project FOOD eHub and needs an office for this purpose. We expect to be able to move into our new premises in March 2019.

Our degree programmes will be evaluated this year

All degree programmes at Science and Technology are evaluated every five years. These evaluations have a forward-looking development perspective and focus on aspects of the programme that the programme committee, the directors of studies, the board of studies and the vice-dean for education wish to strengthen. The evaluations provide a holistic, systemic and external perspective on the work of developing and ensuring the quality and professionalism of the study programmes.

The evaluation will be carried out by a panel consisting of three or more external and internal experts. Two or more of the external experts must between them cover the five partial policies of AU’s quality policy. One internal expert must come from another degree programme at ST. In addition, the chair of the body of external co-examiners and the chair of the employer panel of the programme will provide input on external perspectives. The head of the department, the director of studies and the head of the degree programme will ensure the internal anchoring and follow-up of the evaluation. The head of the degree programme will ensure that the programme committee will be involved and will contribute to the preparation of the self-evaluation report.

Our employer panel has been re-nominated

The programme committee has proposed that our employer panel should continue in its present composition. The deanship has re-nominated the panel in January 2019. Its members are Seges, Viking Genetics, Danish Crown, Business Academy (Erhvervsakademi), Arla Foods, Danish Council for Food & Agriculture, Vilofoss and DuPont. In addition, the heads of the degree programmes from AGRO, ANIS and FOOD, students, and the ST Studies Administration participate. The vice-dean is planning to nominate a joint ST employer panel across the degree programmes in which the present panel will continue and contribute as employer groups. 

The strategy for recruitment and retention 2019 has been implemented

In 2018 ANIS, AGRO and FOOD earmarked DKK 150,000 for recruitment. Approximately two thirds of the money was used to pay for consultancy from Bartholin Kommunikation. The rest was used to produce and market a video on the Internet. Bartholin Kommunikation was responsible for qualifying the target groups and the written texts about the degree programmes as well as the general execution (collaboration with the video company, media agency and AU Communication). 

In 2018, Agrobiology had a record admission (51 students compared with 34 in 2017), so there is good reason to continue the recruitment efforts.

In 2019, there will still be a focus on drawing attention to the programme on the Internet and the social media, but we will also strengthen our face-to-face recruitment, especially in the EUX area.  

• Our mentor system ‘AgroMent’ will continue (three mentors are employed; one from each department).
• The ’ST Studiestrategi’ is integrated into the course ’Jordbrugs- og fødevareproduktion’ (E18) and ‘Agroøkologi’ (F19).
• We have begun balancing of expectations with the industry (employer panel) concerning desired competences and tools over and above the academic skills that can be integrated into relevant courses. We have prepared a competence matrix for all our bachelor courses in Agrobiology. 
• As regards the master programmes in agricultural science we carry out ’Academic Practice’ workshops together with STLL focussing on group work and ’ Scientific Writing’. At the request of the students, we are considering carrying out an adapted course in the bachelor programme in the future. 
• We will continue balancing expectation with upper secondary schools (student trainees, participation in ‘U-days’, etc.).