When low and high tech solutions converge: Adapting to teaching soils during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 restrictions required a transition of our Soil Science and Forest Soils courses to an online format. A pre-transition survey found that ∼10% of students enrolled in our courses lacked high-speed internet capable of streaming videos and/or computers compatible with the applications in our Learning Management System (LMS). To ensure that students with limited internet or technology were not left behind, we adopted a low-tech/bandwidth delivery (slides + transcript with LMS-delivered assessments) of all lectures and recitation activities. Students could also complete either a low-tech/bandwidth (lab slides + transcripts) or hightech/bandwidth lab option (delivered via video). Upon completion, students were surveyed to assess preferences and perceptions which are vital in understanding how our approach impacted student motivation, engagement with the material, and overall course satisfaction. Despite 90% of the students having access to high-speed internet, ∼45% of the students used the low-tech solutions either exclusively or half the time, even when high-tech options (such as video) were available. Overall, students felt the low-tech/bandwidth delivery of the lecture (∼87%) and recitation (∼76%) material was effective. Students (∼74%) also reported that online delivery of the lab material effectively supported their learning and was an effective replacement for the in-lab learning experience. Students preferred in-person to online delivery (63 vs. 17%) with 20% undecided. Noting the flexibility and organization of the course, 69% of the students felt the online delivery of our courses was more effective than their other courses despite, or perhaps because of, the lack of high-tech delivery. Our experience demonstrates one approach to adapting an in-person course to a virtual environment that considers inequities in broadband and technology access. Despite being perceived as effective by our students, low-tech options were less preferred than inperson instruction suggesting that, while effective, it was not viewed as equivalent.

Teaching introductory soil science before, during, and “after” the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…For instance, in the Fall 2021 semester, a few students reported over the weekend that lab videos were missing from the LMS for that week. For a day or two until information technology experts could resolve the issue, we made video presentation slides and scripts available as previously described by Mashtare et al (2021).…”

“…problems), the perception of receiving a lower quality education by students, reduced human interactions, increased mental health issues and anxiety, limited professional growth due to isolation, and overworked conditions (Mahler et al, 2021;Mashtare et al, 2021;Moorberg et al, 2021).…”

Soil science education: A multinational look at current perspectives

“…Many instructors discovered teaching options or developed new educational resources during this emergency teaching situation they intend to continue using after COVID‐19 restrictions end (Brevik, Ulery, et al., 2020; Brown & Krzic, 2021). Reactions of soil science students to online education during COVID‐19 shutdowns generally indicated they preferred face‐to‐face classes and activities over the online options (Mashtare et al., 2021; Owen et al., 2021; Rees et al., 2021; Schulze et al., 2021; Wyatt, 2021). Students were also overall less engaged in their learning, although this did differ by mode of delivery, and students found synchronous content more engaging than asynchronous (Walker & Koralesky, 2021).…”

Natural sciences education in a COVID‐19 world

“…A second group of papers focuses on technological approaches to enhance online education. These papers focused on the use of both high-and low-tech solutions to F I G U R E 1 The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 required modification of teaching practices for science classes at most educational institutions in North America (Photo credit: Paul H. Joseph / UBC Brand & Marketing) F I G U R E 2 Modified teaching strategies such as using zoom were utilized at most universities during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 (Photo credit: Paul H. Joseph / UBC Brand & Marketing) teach soil science (Mashtare et al, 2021), rural broadband on teaching with Zoom (Beorngen & Rickard, 2021), different types of teaching technologies (de Koff, 2021), the Science of Agriculture digital tools (Brevik et al, 2021), decision support tools to link management practices with environmental emissions (Jabbour et al, 2021), and podcasts to enhance agricultural education (Barnes et al, 2021).…”

“…A second group of papers focuses on technological approaches to enhance online education. These papers focused on the use of both high-and low-tech solutions to teach soil science (Mashtare et al, 2021), rural broadband on teaching with Zoom (Beorngen & Rickard, 2021), different types of teaching technologies (de Koff, 2021), the Science of Agriculture digital tools (Brevik et al, 2021), decision support tools to link management practices with environmental emissions (Jabbour et al, 2021), and podcasts to enhance agricultural education (Barnes et al, 2021).…”