richer or deeper?: inquiry-based workshops in the new...
TRANSCRIPT
Dr Michael Santhanam-Martin Dr Sarah [email protected] [email protected]
School of Agriculture and Food SystemsFaculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
University of Melbourne Teaching and Learning Conference30 – 31 May 2017
Richer or deeper?: Inquiry-based workshops in the new Bachelor of Agriculture
Thankyous and acknowledgements
• The movie stars• The audio stars• The data sharers/generators• The industry informants• The multimedia designers• The tutors• The tech support• The students
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2016: First cohort enrolled in the new Bachelor of Agriculture degree
Employers increasingly require graduates to have:
• Better developed “soft” skills (communication, teamwork)
• A sound grounding in the fundamentals of agricultural science underpinning the production system.
• Understanding of farming systems (including knowledge of the practical tasks and challenges faced by producers) and
• An ability to problem solve within a farming systems perspective.
Cohorts: 2016 = 172 students2017 = 196 students
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Learning domains
Scientific basis of agricultural practice
Environmental sustainability
Markets, trade and policy
Social responsibility and ethics
Professional development and leadership
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APS1Intro to Agricultural Production Systems
APS2Intro to Plant Production
APS3Intro to Animal
Production
Biology of Cells and OrganismsBIOL10004
Structure of 1st Year of the Bachelor of Agriculture
Natural Environments
ENVS10001
Genetics & the Evolution of life
Foundations of Ag Science 1 & 2
Semester 1 Semester 2
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Learning domains
What species of plants are grown? What is the biology of these plants? What are their environmental and management requirements, and how do cropping systems provide these?
Who is producing which crops, and for which markets/supply chains? How are Australian producers positioned in domestic and global markets?
What are the environmental or natural resource constraints & challenges in cropping systems?
What are the ethical, social or community issues and dilemmas?
What skills and knowledge will you need in order to be an effective future leader in
cropping?
Opportunities for students to engage with realistic agricultural
situations, integrating perspectives across learning
domains
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The Week 2 workshop: What should we plant in McPoyles 3?
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4. DISCUSSION: What do you need to know to choose a crop for this season?
5. Compile paddock history(Interview with farm manager)
6. Examine soil test results(Lab report)
7. Consider seasonal climate forecast(BOM)
11. Discuss decision with the class
8. Economic analysis (gross margin calculation) 9. Choose a crop! 10. Scenario/sensitivity testing
1. Get to know the Dookie farm(Google Earth)
2. Get to know the Dookie climate(BOM)
3. Ascertain the goals of the enterprise
(Interview with farm manager)
The Week 2 workshop: What should we plant in McPoyles 3?
Week 3 – Apples and climate change
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Staff reflections –”social arrangement of learning”
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1. 2.
3.
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Staff reflections – resourcing
• Staff : student ratio
• Create/maintain/update materials
• Materials provide good structure for tutors (but large class size is demanding)
Student feedback
142016: 61 responses from 172 students2017: 34 responses from 196 students
Student feedback
152016: 61 responses from 172 students2017: 34 responses from 196 students
Student feedback
162016: 61 responses from 172 students2017: 34 responses from 196 students
Student feedback
172016: 61 responses from 172 students2017: 34 responses from 196 students
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“Real world applicability, small group, v. interesting and engaging”
“The tutorials were very interactive”
2016 – workshop mentions in overall SES
“Workshops didn't really feel productive or interesting - I felt I could I have done it quicker in my own time as not everyone in the group was willing to contribute"
2017 – specific evaluation of workshops
“I liked going through the processes of deciding which crops to plant when. It helped also to teach where we could find important information ourselves, using things such as the Bureau of Meteorology, rather than spoon-feeding it to us.”
“I think the workshops are doing great as they are... the Melbourne Uni staff can’t do anything to improve the setting. It is the other students who need to make these workshops be more constructive. E.g. My group was made up of 4 student (including myself) however only 2 people (myself and one other student) completed all the work ... the other students were on their phones and wasting time (NOT CONTRIBUTING)”
“The fact of analyzing real-world problems or enterprises, taking decisions and understand the why of the decisions and its consequences.
But what about “depth”?
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