K. Dale Layfield

Professor of Agricultural Education
Agricultural Sciences Department

Office: 246 McAdams Hall
Phone: 864-656-5676

Email: dlayfie@clemson.edu
Vita: Download CV

Educational Background

Ph.D. Agricultural Education
The Pennsylvania State University 1998

M.AG. Agricultural Education
University of Florida 1994

B.S. Agricultural Education
University of Florida 1989

Courses Taught

AGED 8210 — Theories and Practices of Adult Education
AGED 8120 — Development of Supervised Agricultural Experience Programs
AGED 8100 — Clinical Research in Agricultural Education
AGED 8040 — Special Problems
AGED 8010 — Systems for Technology Transfer
AGED 4810/6810 — Web Design for the Life Sciences and Agriculture
AGED 4280/6280 — Special Studies in Agricultural Education
AGED 4150/6150 — Leadership of Volunteers
AGED 4070 — Internship in Extension and Leadership Education
AGED 4060 — Directed Teaching
AGED 4030/6030 — Principles of Adult/Extension Education

Profile

Dale Layfield is a Professor of Agricultural Education at Clemson University. Since arriving at Clemson in 1999, he has been engaged in many activities involving distance education and applications of educational technology with undergraduate and graduate students in agricultural education. A native of Florida, Layfield was an active FFA member in a small town named Pierson, which is the Fern Capital of the World. He taught agriculture and was an FFA Advisor for five years before pursuing a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education at Penn State.

With a background in agricultural education, Layfield?s interests in educational methodologies have been the focus of his teaching and service activities. Since arriving to Clemson in 1999, he has been instrumental in fostering use of cutting-edge technologies as a teaching tool and subject matter. This has occurred in his teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels as well as in his service activities.

Undergraduate students enrolled in the course on Agricultural Applications of Educational Technology have used their new skills with the Clemson community through Service-Learning. Working with residents in a local retirement community, Layfield?s students taught an array of digital technologies to a group of seniors ranging in ages from 65-94. The students? hard work was honored with the Commission on Higher Educations Commendation of Excellence in Service-Learning, which is awarded to one public higher education institution in South Carolina each year.

Much of Layfield?s work has been focused at the graduate level, serving many off-campus students through distance technologies. Through these media, he taught educational applications of digital technologies for professionals in formal and non-formal settings. Layfield had the fortune of participating in a pilot program using an Internet-based streaming technology known as Macromedia Breeze. Mixing this technology with other online learning tools, he has promoted the methodologies of effective online instruction at the national and international levels, which included colleagues at agricultural institutions in Russia.

Research Interests

Dale Layfield's research interests include online learning, service learning and educational technologies.

Publications

Mosley, C., Rubenstein, E., Jagger, C., Clemons, C., McCubbins, O.P., Davis, R.J., Yin, J., Epps, R., Stair, K., Layfield, D., Ramsey, J., Seibel, A., Haynes, C., and Johnson, D. (2026). Suicide and School-based Agricultural Education in the Southern Region – A Multistate Exploratory Study. Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research, 76(04). https://jsaer.org/index.php/jsaer/article/view/48

Reid, W., Layfield, K. D., Eck, C. J., & Park, D. (2025). An Agricultural Literacy Assessment of Social Studies Teachers in South Carolina Participating in an Immersive Agricultural Experience. Journal of Agricultural Education, 66(3), Article 20. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v66i3.2765

Hwang, E., Eck, C., Layfield, K. D., & Vernon, K. (2025). An assessment of Clemson Cooperative Extension agents’ perceptions of work-related factors leading to burnout. Journal of Agricultural Education, 66(1), Article 43. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v66i1.2775

Marsh, K. N., Eck, C. J., Layfield, K. D., & Donaldson, J. L. (2025). Exploring the self-perceived needs of school-based agricultural education teachers. Journal of Agricultural Education, 66(1), Article 24. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v66i1.2467

Hood, L. B., Eck, C. J., Layfield, K. D., & Donaldson, J. L. (2024). Were the “best made better”? A content analysis of South Carolina 4-H programming. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 12(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.55533/2325-5226.1484

Rossi, M. M., Layfield, K. D., Donaldson, J. L., Luo, Y., & Agudelo, P. (2024). Assessing online readiness for a professional master’s degree program in agricultural education. Journal of Agricultural Education, 65(1), 140–156. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v65i1.163

Hood, L. B., Eck, C. J., Layfield, K. D., & Donaldson, J. L. (2023). Effectiveness of online program engagement for 4-H members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research, 73, 1–12. http://jsaer.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/73-Hood-Eck-Layfield-Donaldson.pdf

Marsh, K. N., Eck, C. J., Layfield, K. D., & Donaldson, J. L. (2023). Identifying school-based agricultural education teacher needs and support gaps. Advancements in Agricultural Development, 4(3), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.37433/aad.v4i3.347