The purpose of this study tour is to introduce students from Iowa State University to tropical ecosystems, their components, the services they provide, the exploitation of these services by the population, and the indigenous ways of their management. As part of this study tour, undergraduate students jointly identify ecosystem management-related problems, find approaches to research and study the problem using field and laboratory techniques, and use appropriate approaches to analyze, interpret the data and disseminate any results. This paper will report on two studies carried out in Ghana as part of this experiential learning. In the first case study, students used a simple kit to determine and add to the soil quality database of Ghana. In a second case study, students investigated the impact of urbanization on soil and water quality. The cooperative learning approach adopted in these study tours will be discussed.