129perience and understanding of teaching as part of the graduate studies program in agronomy and plant breeding. Participants were offered a broad range of teaching experiences both in subject matter and in method. Agro 8000 students expressed a desire for a more critical evaluation of classroom performance. Course modifications instituted in 1983 will assist the course instructors and the Agro 8000 instructor in evaluating the student teacher's performance more thoroughly and direct the focus of discussions toward critiquing the students.Agro 8000 has been offered at the university for just 4 years. We have attempted to provide a short-term glimpse of its effectiveness to date. From this perspective, Agro 8000 appears to be a useful model for developing a department level teaching practicum for graduate studies in agronomy.

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