Matrices to Revise Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Curricula

Autor/inn/en	Savin, Mary C.; Longer, David; Miller, David M.
Titel	Matrices to Revise Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Curricula
Quelle	In: Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, 34 (2005), S.77-82 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1059-9053
Schlagwörter	Undergraduate Study; Natural Resources; Environmental Education; Soil Science; Agricultural Education; Curriculum Development; Curriculum Research; Research Methodology; Matrices; Curriculum Evaluation; Arkansas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Grundstudium; Natural Ressource; Natürliche Ressource; Umweltbildung; Umwelterziehung; Umweltpädagogik; Bodenkunde; Agriculture; Education; Landwirtschaftliche Ausbildung; Landwirtschaft; Ausbildung; Curriculum; Development; Curriculumentwicklung; Lehrplan; Entwicklung; Research; Curriculumreform; Forschung; Research method; Forschungsmethode; Matrizenrechnung; Evaluation; Curriculumevaluation; Rahmenplan; Evaluierung
Abstract	Undergraduate curricula for natural resource and agronomic programs have been introduced and revised during the past several decades with a desire to stay current with emerging issues and technologies relevant to constituents. For the past decade, the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences (CSES) faculty at the University of Arkansas has engaged in decision making processes to revise its two undergraduate degree programs: Environmental, Soil, and Water Science (ESWS) and Crop Management (CPMG). In working separately and targeting distinct areas for improvement, CPMG and ESWS faculty have taken similar approaches to curriculum review. After reviewing other academic programs for common elements needed to revise and articulate goals for undergraduate students, faculty developed priority rankings for course topics, skill development, new course introductions, and/or revised program structures based in part on the data from curriculum matrices. Constructing and completing matrices allowed faculty to visualize strengths, weaknesses, redundancies, and gaps in the two degree programs. The CPMG faculty began meeting monthly in 1996, and within 8 years, the undergraduate curriculum in crop management had been completely revised. The ESWS faculty began meeting in 2002, and while the process is ongoing, courses have been revised and implemented, and a program structure is facilitating further improvements. Current challenges include offering new courses while simultaneously building student enrollment for a critical mass to sustain new course offerings. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.) (Author).
Anmerkungen	American Society of Agronomy. 677 South Segoe Road, Madison, WI 53711. Tel: 608-273-8080; Fax: 608-273-2021; Web site: http://www.jnrlse.org/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10