Teaching water movement in soil through experiential activities

Abstract

Water movement in soil is often difficult for students to understand, particularly when soil texture changes within the profile. Students in introductory soil science courses may be able to define concepts of water movement, but not be able to apply the information in real scenarios due to reliance on intuition rather than fundamental concepts. To apply concepts, students need to experience them for themselves. Experiential learning can teach concepts of water movement through the soil in order to link fundamental concepts with real‐life experiences to improve understanding. A lesson was developed for an introductory soil science course for undergraduates utilizing small plastic soil columns that allow students to test scenarios of water movement through soil to prove concepts taught in class. The described lesson plan can be expanded or revised to adapt to a wide range of students, and activity materials are relatively inexpensive and reusable. Student feedback was positive. Assessment through exam questions showed an increase in correct responses for all types of soil water questions with experiential activities, except soil water forces and potentials. Substitution of demonstrations utilizing non‐graded self‐evaluation with experiential learning activities requiring submission of answers improved engagement during lab, which is translated into improved exam scores. Experiential learning activities appear to have improved understanding of soil and water concepts.

The evaluation of a drinking water and human health course developed to broaden soil science offerings and enrollment

“…This high level of learning satisfaction should increase over time going forward as new innovative e‐learning techniques are implemented at the college level throughout North America. Several of the distance learning studies cited in the introductory section of this paper have used new and innovative ways of teaching students online (Culbert, 2021; Howe & Barrientos‐Velazquez, 2020; Krzic et al., 2020; Ulery et al., 2020).…”

“…Remote delivery of field experiences in soil sciences improved student learning (Aleman et al., 2021). Studies showed that experiential activities about water movement in soils and student participation in remote soil physics courses could effectively negate many problems associated with remote learning (Howe & Barrientos‐Velaquez, 2020; Wyatt, 2021). A study comparing the pros and cons of teaching soil fertility and plant nutrition live versus online indicated that remote students could still receive a quality learning experience (Mahler, 2021).…”

Benefits and challenges of online teaching: Lessons and perspectives gained during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Their observations indicate that students enjoyed the remote learning experience and that students were even more attentive to completing their field assignment than when the class was held in‐person at the field site. Similarly, Howe and Barrientos‐Velazquez (2020) utilized inexpensive mini soil columns to teach laboratory exercises about water movement through the soil and found these exercises to be more effective than traditional lab demonstrations. The transition to online courses simply required mailing the columns to students as part of a course lab kit.…”

Understanding the influence of maize (Zea mays) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) growth period on some thermal and hydrological properties of two soils with textural class variation

“…Comparing the mass wetness values of the soils of the experimental location, it was expected that the CL soil would have a higher water content than the SCL soil. It has been concluded that soils with higher sand percentage would allow easier drainage of water than storage, while soils with a higher clay content have a greater ability to adsorb water than soils with higher percentage of sand [30].…”