Developing Curriculum Markers for Agricultural Extension Education in South Africa

Abstract

Sufficient changes have occurred in both the agricultural and educational sectors of South Africa to warrant a careful scrutiny of the agricultural education offerings in South Africa. Agricultural extension is identified as an important part of the intended transformation of the agricultural sector. Further, agricultural extension is essentially an education programme. As such agricultural extension should be subject to the same scrutiny—both in terms of agricultural policy and educational policy. Drawing on two previously published papers, this paper synthesizes the findings of examining agricultural extension in these two lights. The result is the establishment of a range of 21 markers, grouped in three categories: meta-markers which address cross-cutting factors in the learning agenda; content markers which are underpinning markers that address theory and practice in areas that impact on all other learning outcomes in the curricula; and process markers which are facets of the learning process which need to be included in the agricultural extension curricula. The identified markers comprise essential learning for extension practitioners in addition to the particular technical learning required (as implied in South African agricultural policy). As such they create the framework for facilitated learning.

Keywords:

• Outcomes-based education
• Agricultural extension
• Agricultural education
• Extension curricula
• Learning
• Facilitated learning
• Agriflection

Acknowledgements

This paper comprises part of a PhD thesis.