CAM's Ag Academy Junior Ag Ambassador Program
Just as students within Colorado State Univeristy, College of Agricultural Sciences are called to be leaders of the College and advocates for the industry as Ag. Ambassadors; Once a student is inducted as a Jr. Ag. Ambassador, they too are tasked with the role to serve as young leaders and advocates for the agricultural industry. Participants within CAM's Ag. Academy programs that complete a designated number of activities become eligible to earn their Jr. Ag. Ambassador badge, and the official title of Jr. Ag. Ambassador!
CSU Ag Ambassadors
Adopted from the CSU Student Organizations Web Page : "Ag Ambassadors are outstanding students who are selected and trained to represent the College at various functions. They serve the College of Agricultural Sciences by unifying the college, embracing diversity, representing the students, and advocating for the agricultural community all through the cultivation of resources for growth"
Why Badging Works
By Sarah West, College of Agricultural Sciences Graduate:
The Junior Ag. Ambassador program, organized and maintained by the Agricultural Education program within the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University, uses a badging system to reward elementary-aged students for engaging in agricultural literacy activities. The system of badging may motivate students to participate in an activity for a variety of reasons (Fanfarelli, & McDaniel, 2015, 2). Badging, or rewarding students with badges at the end of an activity, rests on themes such as personal enjoyment and connection, independence, recognition, and values (Abramovich, 2014).
Students who are given badges for participating in an activity are more likely to enjoy the experience, to personally connect with the activity, to feel independent and take ownership of the activity, and feel valued for participating (Wardrip, 2014). Other motivational factors based on badging may include “curiosity, exploration, thirst for knowledge, [and] improved ability;” all of which may increase the chance that an individual participate in, and be personally impacted by an activity (Fanfarelli, & McDaniel, 2015, 4). Overall, utilizing a system of badging to reward elementary-aged students for participating in agricultural literacy activities stems from the ability of badges to motivate individuals to not only participate in an activity, but to take ownership and be personally impacted by the experience as well.
Abramovich, S., Bathgate, M., & Kim, Y. J. 2014. A school-based badging system and interest-based learning: An exploratory case study. International Journal of Learning and Media.Fanfarelli, J. R., & McDaniel, R. (2015, July). Digital badges for deliberate practice: Designing effective badging systems for interactive communication scenarios. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual International Conference on the Design of Communication (pp. 1-8).Wardrip, P. (2014). Badging to support teaching and student engagement: An implementation of a school-based badging system (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh).