Impact of multimedia learning tools in agricultural science classes

Abstract

Agricultural and environmental scientists collaborated with educational technology researchers to create multimedia learning tools to fill gaps in student understanding of key concepts that undergraduates often struggle with, including sorption, cation exchange capacity, inner and outer sphere bonding, and soil system complexity. These resources are freely available online at ScienceOf-Agriculture.org. The modules were evaluated in several soil, environmental science, and agriculture classes using pre-and post-tests via survey tool Qualtrics. After watching the videos, nearly all students (95%) stated the videos would be "extremely valuable" or "valuable" to their studies, and 90% said, "other students in an introductory class on agricultural topics" would benefit from the tools. Key chemistry concepts also gained traction, especially concepts related to soils and charged particles. Before watching "Cation Exchange," 49% of the students identified divalent cations (vs. monovalent) as the ions that would be held tightest in soils typical of temperate regions. After watching, 83% answered correctly. Before watching Cation Exchange, only 56% of students correctly identified clay and organic matter in soil as usually being negatively charged, but after watching, 97% of students correctly identified the particle charge. The study was hampered by the fact that as many as 53% of the survey attempts were not successful, either because the student did not complete both pre-and post-tests or they did not sign the permission page.

Pivoting to online laboratories due to COVID‐19 using the Science of Agriculture digital tools: A case study

“…The design process used to create many of the SoA, UWS, and VL activities has also been shown to be highly effective (Mayo, 2007;Foster, 2008;Chamberlin et al, 2012). Furthermore, specific activities within the SoA website have been evaluated and demonstrated to enhance student learning (Ulery et al, 2020). Some concepts such as CEC or sorption are more easily visualized using computer graphics and online tools (Ulery et al, 2020).…”

“…Several of the SoA activities were well aligned with the lecture topics remaining in SOIL 210 at the time of the shift to distance learning ( Figure 1). Another important consideration was that previous research indicated that the SoA activities were successful in helping students grasp difficult soil science concepts (Ulery et al, 2020). Therefore, SoA was chosen for the development of several online laboratory activities for the second half of the semester.…”

“…This content was developed via a research-based method that incorporated formative testing and user feedback (Chamberlin et al, 2016). Topics were chosen based on findings that students engage well with multimedia animations conveying science topics of intermediate complexity (Ulery et al, 2020). The site also provides links to Understanding Western Soils (UWS; https://westernsoil.nmsu.edu/) and Virtual Labs (VL; https://virtuallabs.nmsu.edu/), related collections of additional resources.…”

“…Several of the SoA activities were well aligned with the lecture topics remaining in SOIL 210 at the time of the shift to distance learning (Figure 1). Another important consideration was that previous research indicated that the SoA activities were F I G U R E 1 Links between the laboratory skills that were planned at the beginning of the semester, the lecture topics remaining when the class moved to distance delivery, and the laboratories that were developed using the Science of Agriculture website successful in helping students grasp difficult soil science concepts (Ulery et al, 2020). Therefore, SoA was chosen for the development of several online laboratory activities for the second half of the semester.…”

Introduction to Enhancing Natural Sciences Education in Postsecondary Settings

“…This special section contains 12 articles that illustrate a range of philosophies, techniques, teaching methods, and/or case studies developed to enhance undergraduate and graduate education in natural sciences at 11 universities in the United States and Canada. Reflecting the ongoing trend of incorporation of online educational tools to enrich campus‐based courses, several articles describe development of some of those online tools (Culbert, 2020; Ulery et al., 2020). A group of articles in this special section focus on the experiential learning and enhancement of student engagement.…”