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Dr. Jay Solomonson

Assistant Professor of Agricultural Education
Agriculture
Office
RAB Ropp Agriculture Building 140
Office Hours
On-campus:
Fall Semester: Wednesday 10 am- 12 pm; Thursday 1 pm- 3 pm

Spring Semester: Wednesday 10 am- 12 pm; Thursday 10 am- 12 pm

Or by appointment, please send an email

Summer Session: Please make an appointment by email

Online using Zoom:
By appointment only, please send an email
  • About
  • Education
  • Awards & Honors
  • Research

Biography

Dr. Solomonson grew up on a 1000-acre family farm in rural, Coal Valley, Illinois. After high school, he attended Black Hawk College- East then transferred to Western Illinois University where he received his B.S. degree in Agriculture- Teacher Certification. He began his career at Orion High School where he taught agricultural education classes and was the FFA advisor for 17 years. He also served as the Director of Career and Technical Education for six of those years. During that time he earned his M.S. degree in Agricultural Education from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Education from Iowa State University. In 2019, he accepted a position as the District 1 Program Advisor for the Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE)- a project of the Illinois State Board of Education. He was in that position for a year prior to joining the faculty at Illinois State University in 2020. Dr. Solomonson teaches courses in Agricultural Education, Agricultural Leadership & Communications, and Agricultural Mechanics and Technology.

Current Courses

299.002Independent Honor Study

287.014Independent Study

400.004Independent Study

130.001Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

130.002Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

130.003Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

231.001Managing & Teaching In Agricultural & Technology Laboratories

231.002Managing & Teaching In Agricultural & Technology Laboratories

291.015Undergraduate Teaching Experiences In Agriculture

486.001Youth Development in Agricultural Education

299.003Independent Honor Study

499.017Independent Research For The Masters Thesis

287.017Independent Study

400.001Independent Study

400.002Independent Study

190.001Introduction To Agricultural Education

191.001Introduction To Agricultural Education Teacher Licensure

130.001Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

130.002Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

130.003Introduction To Agricultural Engineering Technology

390.001Program Planning and Evaluation in Agricultural Education

291.017Undergraduate Teaching Experiences In Agriculture

Teaching Interests & Areas

- Agricultural Education
- Agricultural Leadership and Communications
- Agricultural Mechanics and Technology

Research Interests & Areas

- Agriculture Teacher Recruitment and Retention
- Experiential Learning in Agricultural Education
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

PhD Agricultural Education

Iowa State University
Ames, IA

MS Agricultural Education

University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana, IL

BS Agriculture

Western Illinois University
Macomb, IL

Outstanding Teacher Award

Department of Agriculture at Illinois State
2024

Outstanding Teacher Award

Department of Agriculture at Illinois State
2023

Teacher Educator of the Year

Association for Career & Technical Education- Region 3
2022

Teacher Educator of the Year

Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education (IACTE)
2022

Section 3 Honorary FFA Degree

Section 3 FFA Organization
2020

Honorary American FFA Degree

National FFA Organization
2019

NAAE Outstanding Agriculture Teacher- State Winner

Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers
2019

Illinois Agriscience Teacher of the Year

Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers
2016

Quad Cities Master Teacher Award

Quad Cities Dispatch/Rock Island Argus
2013

Quad Cities Leaders Under 40 Award

Black Hawk College Foundation
2012

Abstract

Solomonson, J. K., & Wells, K. T. (2023, November). Gear down! Using the tractor pull challenge to support STEM-focused agriculture teacher professional development. Poster presented at the 2023 National Agricultural Mechanics Professional Development Blue Ribbon Research Conference. Indianapolis, IN. (Outstanding Innovative Poster)
Leman, A., & Solomonson, J. K. (2023, September). Using Photovoice as a reflective practice to evaluate preservice teacher professional development. Poster presented at the 2023 North Central AAAE Research Conference. Brookings, SD.
Maxwell, L. D., & Solomonson, J. K. (2023, September). The $100 Solution: A service-learning project for students enrolled in an undergraduate agricultural leadership course. Poster presented at the 2023 North Central AAAE Research Conference. Brookings, SD.
Wells, T., & Solomonson, J. K. (2023, September). Using Laerd Statistics as a data analysis, interpretation, and reporting tool in agricultural education research. Poster presented at the 2023 North Central AAAE Research Conference. Brookings, SD.
Wells, T., & Solomonson, J. K. (2023, September). Using mock interviews with school administrators to prepare pre-service teachers to successfully navigate the teaching position interview process. Poster presented at the 2023 North Central AAAE Research Conference. Brookings, SD.

Book, Chapter

Wells, T., Solomonson, J. K., & Hainline, M. S. (2024). Developing technical agriculture skills through laboratory instruction in school-based agricultural education. In Barrick R. K., & Thoron A. C. (Eds.), Emerging Research in Agricultural Teacher Education, (pp. 52-78). IGI- Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-2766-1.ch004
Solomonson, J. K., & Roberts, R. (2022). Organization and administration of school-based agricultural education systems and FFA. In Thoron A. C., & Barrick R. K. (Eds.), Preparing agriculture and agriscience educators for the classroom, IGI- Global. doi:10.4018/978-6684-3420-8

Conference Proceeding

Solomonson, J. K., & Wells, K. T. (2023, November). A multi-semester examination of students’ perceptions of using a flipped classroom in an introductory-level agricultural mechanics course. Proceedings of the 2023 National Agricultural Mechanics Professional Development Blue Ribbon Research Conference. Indianapolis, IN. (Distinguished Manuscript)
Solomonson, J. K., Maxwell, L. D., & Barrowclough, M. J. (2023, September). Barriers impeding the ability of agriculture teachers to achieve positive work-life integration during the school year. Proceedings of the 2023 North-Central AAAE Research Conference. Brookings, SD. (Distinguished Manuscript)
Solomonson, J. K., Maxwell, L. D., Barling, K., & Harris, L. (2023, September). A qualitative analysis of factors impacting an agriculture teacher’s ability to achieve positive work-life integration. Proceedings of the 2023 North-Central AAAE Research Conference. Brookings, SD.
Leman, A., Solomonson, J. K., Smith, C., & Hernandez, A. (2023, September). Help! A qualitative investigation of social support early career agriculture teachers find most beneficial. Proceedings of the 2023 North-Central AAAE Research Conference. Brookings, SD.
Solomonson, J. K., Wells, T., Hainline, M. S., Rank, B., Wilson, M., Rinker, S., & Chumbley, S. B. (2022, May). What technical agriculture skills do teachers need to teach courses in the plant systems pathway? Proceedings of the 2022 AAAE Research Conference. Oklahoma City, OK.

Journal Article

Offerman, J., Maxwell, L. D., Solomonson, J. K., & Barrowclough, M. (2024). Filling the gap: Factors influencing individuals with no school-based agricultural education background to enter the profession. Journal of Agricultural Education, 65(1), 320-334. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v65i1.82
Solomonson, J. K., Wells, T., Rank, B. D., & Ugwuanyi, B. (2023). Factors influencing students’ decisions to pursue agricultural degrees at non-land-grant colleges of agriculture. NACTA Journal, 67, 289-299. https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v67i1.147
Wells, T., Solomonson, J. K., Hainline, M. S., Rank, B. D., Wilson, M., Rinker, S., & Chumbley, S. (2023). Technical agriculture skills teachers need to teach courses in the animal systems pathway. Journal of Agricultural Education, 64(3), 158-175. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v6213.117
Solomonson, J. K., Still, S. M., Maxwell, L. D., & Barrowclough, M. (2022). Exploring relationships between career retention factors and personal and professional characteristics of Illinois agriculture teachers. Journal of Agricultural Education, 63(2), 98-114. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2022.02098
Solomonson, J. K., Wells, T., Hainline, M. S., Rank, B. D., Wilson, M., Rinker, S., & Chumbley, S. (2022). Technical agriculture skills teachers need to teach courses in the plant systems pathway. Journal of Agricultural Education, 63(3), 100-116. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2022.03100

Magazine/Trade Publication

Solomonson, J. K., Klein, A., Maxwell, L. D., Leman, A., Baker, A. J., & Still, S. (2023). Growing agricultural science teachers in Illinois. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 96(2), 9-12.
Solomonson, J. K., & Coy, M. (2022). Investing in your own: Illinois’ strategies to support and retain beginning agriculture teachers. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 94(5), 16-19.
Solomonson, J. K., &Wells, K. T. (2021). Avoiding the burn. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 93(4), 22-24.
Offerman, J., Solomonson, J. K., & Maxwell, L. D. (2021). Student teaching in a pandemic: It is all about perspective. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 93(6), 40-41.
Solomonson, J. K., & Taber, T. (2020). Integrating drone technology into the agricultural mechanics curriculum. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 92(6), 20-23.