Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education最新文献

Inquiry-based teaching helps students develop a deep, applied understanding of human–environmental connections, but most high school curricula do not use inquiry-based methods. Soil science topics, which are also generally lacking from curricula, can provide hands-on model systems for learning inquiry skills. We report on the implementation of a soil science inquiry unit for high school earth science classrooms. Teams in three classes participated in open inquiry about water runoff from, and infiltration into soils. Students learned how scientists conduct research by asking their own research questions, designing and conducting investigations, presenting findings to their peers, and peer-reviewing each other's work. Student engagement and learning were assessed through testing, final projects, a student survey, and observations of student attitudes. Pre- to post-test gains (17% average gain from 63% average pre-test score, with 71% maximum gain) showed significant student science-content-learning. Generally lower scores on final projects (61% average) than on post-tests (80% average) suggest the need for more teacher-scaffolding in complex, open-ended assignments. Students reported enjoying the unit and learning essential inquiry skills, such as experimental design, scientifically based teamwork and group-learning, and real world applicability of concepts. Observations suggest that students were motivated and substantively engaged. One-third of students reported increased excitement about science. We conclude that inquiry-based units should be more commonly used in science classrooms, to enable students to learn how to think critically, develop collaborative teamwork skills, take ownership of their learning, and be substantively engaged in authentic tasks applicable in later life.

Students in natural resources programs commonly take courses in geospatial technologies. An awareness of the uncertainty of spatial data and algorithms can be an important outcome of such courses. This article describes a laboratory exercise in a graduate geographic information system (GIS) class that involves collection of data for the assessment of spatial uncertainty. Students delineate a forest clearing using digital aerial photographs and global positioning system (GPS) receivers. They also measure terrain attributes such as slope, elevation, and aspect at nine selected points in the field and extract similar measures for those locations from a GIS elevation dataset. Collating data from students and groups yields a rich dataset of multiple observations. This dataset is then analyzed to develop estimates of uncertainty such as standard deviation and root mean square error (RMSE). Results from a recent lab exercise indicate that area of a forest clearing had coefficients of variation of 11.5% for delineations from aerial photographs and 7.6% from GPS delineations. The RMSE for GPS X coordinate, GPS Y coordinate, and elevation at nine terrain measurement points were 5.3, 7.1, and 3.4 m, respectively. The RMSE for slope percent was 4%, and the GIS-based slope estimate was within the range of field estimates at only seven of nine points. The RMSE for field-measured aspect was nearly 17 degrees. An online assessment of the lab exercise indicated that most students found the exercise was worth the class time devoted to it, and many students gained valuable insights about spatial uncertainty.

Most soils found in the Amazon region are characterized by highly weathered profiles that are incapable of long-term agricultural production. However, small patches of highly fertile relict soil referred to as Terra Pretas, are also found in the Amazon region, and have maintained their integrity for thousands of years. These soils were anthropologically formed, being of pre-Columbian origin and are unique in their high amounts of charcoal and nutrients compared to the surrounding soils. The charcoal serves to stabilize the organic matter in the soil, increase cation exchange capacity, and increase water retention due to its porous structure and high surface area. Organic wastes, such as bones and manure are thought to be the source of additional nutrients. To improve the overall productive capacity of the soil in this region, slash and char has been proposed to replace the traditional practice of slash and burn to mimic the high amounts of charcoal found in Terra Pretas soils. Instead of burning the vegetation and releasing the carbon into the atmosphere, the vegetation would be charred and the carbon would be sequestered in the soil on a small scale. Furthermore, based on the stability of charcoal and its ability to sequester carbon, some scientists are suggesting we consider pyrolysis (the process that creates charcoal by heating organic material with low amounts of oxygen) and its byproducts as a solution to soil quality issues, global warming, and peak oil. This concept is very controversial and relatively unstudied; further research is needed to truly understand the feasibility and consequences of sequestering large amounts carbon in the soil and the use of biofuels formed as byproducts of pyrolysis.

Transfer students are of recognized importance to postsecondary education and every year feed thousands of students into natural resources programs across America. This influx of students can have a sustaining effect on many academic programs, including fisheries and wildlife programs, which are suffering from a nation-wide decrease in interest and declining enrollment. In this pilot study, we conducted face-to-face interviews with students who transferred into a fisheries and wildlife program at a large Midwestern university. We asked 13 questions related to their experiences to better understand student reasons for transferring into, and staying in, a fisheries and wildlife program. Programmatic experience was cited most often by transfer students as their reason for persisting in the program. Students acknowledged the importance of a sense of belonging to a community of scholars as critical to their choice of program; this notion was influenced by parameters such as class size, student–faculty relationships, and peer interactions. Other important characteristics of program selection for transfer students included an ability to be engaged in hands-on activities (e.g., field courses and undergraduate research experiences) and the desire to engage in a career rather than just a job (i.e., students felt passionate about the work they were doing). Using information generated from this study, other natural resources programs may be better poised to attract and retain transfer students to their programs.

International learning experiences are increasingly considered critical by universities in order to address the breadth of knowledge and skills required by food and agricultural scientists. An international experience helps create an awareness of international perspectives and prepares students for a global workforce. This article discusses the impact of a study abroad course in Costa Rica focused on agricultural sustainability and cultural awareness. The experimental design had three components: a pre-test, 7-week intervention, and post-test to assess participants’ changes over time, regarding their cultural awareness and interests to pursue careers in agriculture. The experiment occurred in 2009 and 2010. Participants agreed the course enhanced their cultural awareness and that as a student studying agriculture it was important for them to understand other cultures. They indicated the ability to apply their learning to their careers in the United States. In addition, within the open ended question section, 27 of the 33 students participating in the course reported that as a result of the course they would like to work with agriculture in an international capacity in the future. In summary, this study succeeded in reaching its goals to enhance students’ cultural awareness.

Undergraduate enrollment in natural resources-related programs are 13% lower than they were 30 years ago, even though overall collegiate enrollment has increased by roughly 8.5 million students during the same period. Because of this, we decided to investigate the question of student retention in a fisheries and wildlife (FW) program from the perspective of the students themselves. In this pilot study, we conducted face-to-face interviews with seven students who left a FW program (“leavers”), and asked them 13 questions related to their experiences at a large Midwestern university to better understand student reasons for leaving. Specific findings include: the importance of job prospects and earnings potential, a general reluctance to pursue postgraduate education, a degree of disillusionment at the relative lack of outdoor experiences offered, and a desire for more active participation in the undergraduate program. Some students expressed a feeling of deception at the realities of the departmental curriculum, although these were poorly defined and may be the product of other issues such as unrealistic program expectations. The results of this study inform the discussion on student retention and motivation in natural resource programs, and provide real-world suggestions on how to stem student attrition.

This study investigated the comprehension and effectiveness of teaching formal, probabilistic decision-making skills to middle school students. Two specific objectives were to determine (1) if middle school students can comprehend a probabilistic decision-making approach, and (2) if exposure to the modeling approaches improves middle school students’ decision-making abilities? DECIDE learning unit is developed to provide the context. This learning unit integrates mathematics, science, and decision-making concepts. Differences in students’ pre- and post-test performance on a general decision-making test were statistically significant, indicating students can learn formal decision making in middle school and improve their decision-making abilities. Both race and gender variables were shown to have no statistically significant effect on pre- and post-test scores.

Web 2.0 technology is expanding rapidly from social and gaming uses into the educational applications. Specifically, the multi-user virtual environment (MUVE), such as SecondLife, allows educators to fill the gap of first-hand experience by creating simulated realistic evolving problems/games. In a pilot study, a team of educators at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and eXtension created a soil and water environmental case study using SecondLife in eXtension's Morrill2 Island for testing and use by students in an introductory soil science course (n = 126). In this pilot test with a class period of 110 minutes, approximately half of the students (n = 64) were first given an orientation on how to navigate in SecondLife before beginning the soil and water pollution activity. Another group of students (n = 62) formed a control group and completed the same activity using a traditional paper and pencil method and using supporting data presented in table or graphics format. A pre-activity survey suggested that about 33% of all students had some level of experience with virtual environments and/or playing computer/video games. Results from a randomized experiment showed that the average post-test score for the control group was 8.38 (out of a possible 12 points), which was significantly higher than the 7.34 for the SecondLife group. Post-activity student survey results suggested that students prefer to have educationally designed virtual interactive objects such as simulation activities and experiments, characters with whom to interact and gain information, and overall more action and gaming features to benefit their educational experience. While SecondLife and other simulation software packages have potential for educational use, in order to improve learning, the design of the activity within the technology must be pedagogically sound and also create tasks that capture and engage the learner.

Hydrology has at its core a focus on real-world applications and problems stemming from the importance of water for society and natural systems. While hydrology is firmly founded in traditional “hard” sciences like physics and mathematics, much of the innovation and excitement in current and future research-oriented hydrology comes through intersection with other disciplines. This leads to combinations of intended learning outcomes (ILOs) in hydrology courses that may not be easily or completely achieved using traditional lecture-based learning environments or using basic problem-solving techniques. Problem-based learning (PBL) may work well in hydrology courses due to the focus on real-world applications and cross-discipline nature of modern hydrology. Since PBL differs from traditional teacher-centered approaches, student learning must be supported and assessed differently. This article focuses on identifying several non-traditional assessment forms to help facilitate the use of PBL approaches in hydrology courses. We present an example hydrology modeling course employing one such non-traditional PBL-specific form of assessment. Further, we seek to test the hypothesis that non-traditional assessment associated with PBL better reflects the ability of the students to achieve the ILOs in such courses. Results from the example course considered indicate that students not only preferred but also performed better in a PBL environment with its non-traditional form of assessment. This makes a strong case for incorporating both PBL and associated non-traditional forms of assessment into our teaching in hydrology and other applied science courses.