Concepts in Soil Science Education: Effectiveness and Integration in Student Learning.

ConcepTests support instruction by using three levels of reflection/discussion; individual, peer-to-peer, and whole class. ConcepTests were devised by Eric Mazur at Harvard for use in introductory physics courses.  Questions were developed for three upper division soils courses at Humboldt State University in the 2013-2014 academic year: Origin and Classification of Soils, Forest and Range Soils, and Soil Physics.   When polled, a majority of students felt ConcepTests were a valuable aid to student learning, agreed that 10 to 12% of the course grade was appropriate for ConcepTests, and that peer consultation was helpful.  They did not think that ConcepTests changed their behavior with respect to before-class preparation or class attendance.  On average, between 2 to 12% of respondents answered questions perfectly as individuals. Between 75 and 95% could provide a partially correct response as individuals. Seventy-five to 94% improved answers after peer consultation and about half, on average, improved answers after class discussion. One unanticipated result of offering ConcepTests and peer interaction on a weekly basis was that students in large classes (n=38, 48, 42, respectively) became acquainted faster and worked more efficiently in teams doing field and lab work. ConcepTests closely mirrored course learning outcomes, were administered using paper forms, and were highly recommended by the instructor as study materials for subsequent quizzes and exams.