Enhanced Learning in Soil and Crop Sciences through Collaborative Activities.

Collaborative learning occurs across the curriculum in the Department of Agronomy at Purdue University.  Every student majoring in Agronomy takes the Soil Science course where interactive and collaborative activities occur weekly.  At the end of each week students meet in small groups and review a series of questions which they individually write answers to and then they discuss them as a group.  After careful deliberation of each question a student is selected to teach the topic to the class.  Grades are based on individual and group performance.  In addition to this final presentation of the week’s work, students participate in lecture where they work in pairs to address questions posed by the instructor using student response devices.  Each student answers every question but they discuss these questions prior to making a final response.  In the Soils Resource Center students work in groups as they conduct computer exercises, laboratory experiments, and answer questions related to monoliths and other displays.  Many such activities also are conducted in the Crops Resource Center. The students often work in pairs using online learning tools such as iFARM to discuss plant identification or farming calculations.  In addition, several international courses are offered each year where students work collaboratively in learning about the countries they are going to visit and develop reports prior to the trip which they present to the entire class. Most often during the trips students work collaboratively focusing on onsite farm participation by developing pre, during and post evaluation discussions, building upon each students previous background investigations of a assigned tropical farming systems.  While on these study abroad experiences data is collected by the students about soils, plants, and animals which are brought back and shared with students in both the Soil Science class and the Crop Science class.  This provides an international experience to the students who have not traveled abroad and also enriches the learning experience of the students who have traveled internationally.