Christopher Estepp

Before joining the University of Arkansas faculty in 2019, Christopher Estepp directed the agriculture teacher preparation program at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, from 2012-2019. At SRSU, he actively served and supported Texas Team Ag Ed by providing professional development for teachers, facilitating CDE and LDE competitions, hosting leadership conferences, and preparing new agriculture teachers to enter the profession. He has continued this support with Arkansas FFA and Arkansas Agricultural Education.

Estepp’s research interests revolve around teaching and learning in colleges of agriculture. More specifically, he is interested in how students’ sense of belonging, rapport, and other affective variables interact with students’ motivation and engagement, particularly among underrepresented student groups. His overarching goal is to improve the recruitment, retention, engagement, and preparation of students in the agricultural sciences. He has authored 29 peer-reviewed articles pertaining to the Scholarship of Teaching Learning, as well as over 60 peer-reviewed conference presentations. Estepp has received five outstanding journal article awards for his research.

In addition to these awards, Dr. Estepp has been recognized by several organizations for his teaching. He received the New Faculty Commendation for Teaching Commitment from the U of A Teaching Faculty Support Center in 2020 and 2021; he received the NACTA Educator Award from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture in 2018; and he was presented with the Sul Ross Outstanding Teaching Award, as well as the NARRU Distinguished Young Educator Award in 2016.

Ph.D. in Agricultural Education, University of Florida, 2012
M.Ed. in Agricultural Education, Texas A&M University, 2006
B.S. in Animal Science, Texas A&M University, 1997