Principles of Agriculture Semester 1

Enrollment Message

Available for August 2026 registration. Students need access to a webcam or video recording device.

Course Description

This course introduces you to the world of agriscience and how agriculture affects everyday life. Throughout the semester, you explored career opportunities in agriculture, learned how to care for livestock safely and responsibly, and studied how plants grow and are produced using different systems. You examined real-world topics such as animal nutrition, disease prevention, reproduction, soil health, plant growth requirements, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. By completing hands-on projects, discussions, and problem-solving activities, you learned how farmers and agriscience professionals make informed decisions that protect animals, plants, people, and the environment. This course helps you build practical skills, critical thinking, and a foundation for future studies or careers in agriculture and related fields.

• Indiana Core40 Diploma Applicable through class of 2028
• Counts as a directed elective or elective all diplomas
• Indiana NEW Diploma Applicable for students entering school in 2025-26 (Class of 2029) 
• Fulfills an Elective Credit

Course Goals

Upon completion of the course, students will…

• identify agriscience career categories and specific roles within the agriculture industry.
• explain training and education requirements for entry and advancement in agriscience careers.
• analyze how animal nutrition affects growth, health, and productivity.
• describe ruminant digestive system structures and their functions.
• explain disease prevention practices used in livestock management.
• demonstrate safe animal handling and restraint techniques.
• explain livestock reproductive cycles and newborn care practices.
• evaluate sustainable livestock breeding and management practices.
• identify common animal identification methods and their purposes.
• explain how soil health influences plant growth and crop productivity.
• analyze factors that affect plant growth, including light, water, nutrients, and temperature.
• describe methods used to test and improve soil quality.
• compare plant production systems used in agriculture.
• explain how sustainability and environmental stewardship support long-term agricultural production.
• apply agricultural vocabulary to communicate management decisions clearly.

Indiana Academic Standards

• Next Level Programs of Study Competencies

Units of Instruction

• Unit 1. The Agriscience Industry, Health and Nutrition
• Unit 2. Livestock Reproduction
• Unit 3. Livestock Management
• Unit 4. Plant Production Systems Part I

Grading/Evaluation

Indiana Online does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school of record can also access this score within the Student Information System, Genius. The final score will be shown as a percentage in Canvas and Genius. The student’s school of record will determine the letter grade based on their specific grading scale.

Students must complete at least 70% of the course and take all parts of the final exam(s) to have a score reported to their school of record. Failure to meet these requirements will result in a score of 0 reported to the school of record.

Assessments

Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, teacher-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments. The course includes the minimum number of assessments

• 9 Discussion
• 14 Assignments
• 7 Quizzes

The assessments for this asynchronous course are weighted as follows

Teacher Contact Response Time

Students can use email or the private message system within Genius or Canvas to access highly qualified teachers when they need teacher assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside Canvas. The Teacher Information page of their course may describe additional communication options.

The teacher will respond to student inquiries (email, text, call) within one business day. Assignments will be graded and posted within two business days.

Expectations for Academic Conduct 

Student Handbook 

It is your responsibility to read the student handbook to understand all aspects of taking an online course including expectations for academic conduct. Contact your teacher if you have any questions. 

Assistance for Students with Accommodations

Indiana Online supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full participation, such as inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and podcasts, reasonable accommodations can be arranged.

Technology

Technology Requirements 

Students are required to have a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. Please review Indiana Online’s Technology Requirements.

Technical Skills Needed 

Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to

• download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• download and install software
• use a messaging service similar to email
• communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• open attachments shared in messages
• create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• save a file as a .pdf
• copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• insert images or links into a file
• search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• use presentation and graphics programs
• follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• create and maintain usernames and passwords

Technical Questions?  Please contact the Indiana Online Helpdesk.