Novel Way in Teaching Introductory Soil Science

Abstract

The importance of soils is often underemphasized in introductory undergraduate geology courses, despite their relevance to students and the communities in which they live.  The high agricultural productivity of United States and the economic well-being of many of its communities are dependent on the physical properties of soils, as well as agricultural practices, human and natural history, and climate.  Although this could be realized through lectures and memorization, in order to achieve the metacognitive changes necessary to promote long-term understanding and behavioral change associated with resource planning and conservation, learning activities that promote a deep approach rather than a surface approach to learning must be utilized, so that students are engaged in activities in which they are actively searching for meaning, rather than engaging in rote memorization.  This paper discusses a teaching method in which the learning objectives, activities, and assessment are aligned to achieve this aim and presents evidence of its efficacy over seven years of its use.