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Full-Text Articles in Education
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants: Promises And Pitfalls, Sarah Vonhof
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants: Promises And Pitfalls, Sarah Vonhof
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
After working with almost forty undergraduate teaching assistants over the past six years, I have developed and refined a program to effectively utilize these students as teaching assistants. At first I registered one or two students for individual independent study projects, but this has since evolved into a new formal course offering and a group or “class” of three to five teaching assistants per semester. This presentation explores some of the advantages and disadvantages of using undergraduate students to fulfill responsibilities that are typically assigned to graduate students. An undergraduate teaching assistantship program can benefit both students and instructors. Instructors …
Envisioning The Future Of Continuing And Professional Education In The Pacific Northwest, Nicole A. Strong, James E. Johnson
Envisioning The Future Of Continuing And Professional Education In The Pacific Northwest, Nicole A. Strong, James E. Johnson
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Historic demand for Natural Resources‐based Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) in the Pacific Northwest originated largely within private industry and government agencies. Rapidly changing and evolving professions and fields of interest necessitate a strategic shift among service providers, including higher education, so that professionals remain competitive and informed on emerging research, technology, and markets. A regional strategic plan to grow continuing and professional education infrastructure and business was developed for the Oregon State University College of Forestry (COF). Key informant interviews were conducted around the country to develop a guiding tool that will assist the College of Forestry take a …
Students Teaching Students A Unique Approach To Learning About The Complexities Of Marine Resource Management, Jim Berkson
Students Teaching Students A Unique Approach To Learning About The Complexities Of Marine Resource Management, Jim Berkson
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
The National Mairne Fisheries Service and Virginia Tech have teamed to develop a unique learning experience for top undergraduate students from across the country. During the six week summer program, students learn about the complexities of an important marine resources issue first‐hand from the experts who know the subject the best. In the summer of 2006, six students learned about marine protected areas (MPAs), and in particular, methods to evaluate the effectiveness of MPAs. The six students traveled to two MPAs in different stages of development and met with MPA experts. We designed the summer program to share the summer …
Instructional Program For Interdisciplinary Master Of Natural Resources Degree, Oregon State University Online, Badege Bishaw, Paul Doescher, Steven Radosevich
Instructional Program For Interdisciplinary Master Of Natural Resources Degree, Oregon State University Online, Badege Bishaw, Paul Doescher, Steven Radosevich
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Managing natural resources is a complex problem involving production, ecological, social, economic and ethical systems, which affect and, in turn, are affected by the others. The proposed Master of Natural Resources (MNR) degree is designed to engage university scientists and world‐wide natural resource professionals in a process that integrates diverse perspectives about natural resource situations at the state, regional, national, and international levels. The MNR degree will assist agency and industry personnel meet their self‐improvement goals. Students will learn about the various disciplinary components that make up natural resource problems and solutions to them. The MNR curriculum is organized into …
Forest Technology Program Outcome Assessment, G. Andrew Bartholomay
Forest Technology Program Outcome Assessment, G. Andrew Bartholomay
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Course grades are the norm for reporting a student’s overall proficiency. However, the one dimensional nature of grades implies that all individual course components have been equally mastered. The Pennsylvania College of Technology employs an institution wide program of Quality Through Assessment to aid in evaluating the institutional mission to, “provide students with quality academic programs that respond to economic and employment realities” (www.pct.edu/assessment/). The initiative employs outcome assessment at three levels, institution, academic school, and program. The Forest Technology faculty has been charged with incorporating outcome assessment into our ongoing curricular evaluation process. The faculty identified broadly defined required …
Merits And Broader Impacts Of Undergraduate Research In Water Sciences, Tamin Younos
Merits And Broader Impacts Of Undergraduate Research In Water Sciences, Tamin Younos
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
This presentation will discuss the importance of udergraduate research as critical component of undergraduate education. Three different undergraduate research activities will be discussed: 1) the Stroubles Creek Watershed Initiative at Virginia Tech; 2) the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) in watershed sciences and engineering at Virginia Tech; and 3) integrating undergraduate research into service‐learning ‐ the Virginia Tech study abroad program in the Dominican Republic. The presentation will discuss merits of these programs and broader impacts on professional and personal growth and attitudes of participating undergraduate researchers. The presentation will also include testimony of 2‐3 students …
Reflection As A Learning Tool In A Nature Based Study Abroad Course, Annette C. Moore, Roger L. Moore, Patti Clayton
Reflection As A Learning Tool In A Nature Based Study Abroad Course, Annette C. Moore, Roger L. Moore, Patti Clayton
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Study abroad programs taking students from the U.S. to other nations have grown in recent years, both in terms of the number of programs and participants. As international education becomes more extensive and popular, approaches to teaching and learning have evolved as well, including various approaches to reflection as a learning tool. Student reflection in general and the DEAL Model (Ash & Clayton, 2009) in particular appear to be well suited to generate, deepen, and document learning in nature‐based study abroad courses. International education typically exposes students to places and cultures different from their own. In the context of natural …
Assessing Student Learning In Natural Resources: Recent Efforts At The University Of Arkansas At Monticello, Sayeed R. Mehmood
Assessing Student Learning In Natural Resources: Recent Efforts At The University Of Arkansas At Monticello, Sayeed R. Mehmood
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
In recent years, there has been a trend requiring outcomes‐based assessment of student learning in all academic programs. Most of the major accreditation entities have revised their standards to reflect this trend. The Society of American Foresters (SAF), the accrediting body for the nation’s forestry programs has also moved in this direction. The School of Forest Resources (SFR) in the University of Arkansas at Monticello has taken an active role in revising its model for student learning and program assessment. SFR’s two‐tier model is an effort to link student learning and program assessment in a way that is meaningful and …
Building A Learning Community And Authentic Assessment Into A Hybrid Course, Dennis B. Propst
Building A Learning Community And Authentic Assessment Into A Hybrid Course, Dennis B. Propst
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
A review of the literature on blended learning, called hybrid courses at the author’s university, reveals that such learning “can be as successful as either online or face to face instruction” (Vignare, 2007). Blended learning has been defined as 1. “Courses that integrate online with traditional face‐to‐face class activities in a planned, pedagogically valuable manner; and 2. Where a portion of face‐to‐face time is replaced by online activity” (Laster et al., 2005). Learning communities arise as people address recurring sets of problems together and engage with each other in a collective learning process. In a classroom setting, this process typically …
Internships In Natural Resources: 15 Years Of Positive Results, Rich Etchberger
Internships In Natural Resources: 15 Years Of Positive Results, Rich Etchberger
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Since 1995, I have administered the internship program in Natural Resources at the Uintah Basin Regional Campus of Utah State University. During that time, nearly 100 students have participated in the program. To date, 100% of program participants have been successful in seeking jobs in natural resources. My objectives are to outline the model I have used for this internship program, to describe a few examples of partnerships that have contributed to the program’s success, and to review student projects. I believe that one of the keys to the success of this program has been the partnerships forged with natural …
Graduate Students As Evaluation Consultants For Natural Resource Programs: A Service Learning Success Story, Nick Fuhrman
Graduate Students As Evaluation Consultants For Natural Resource Programs: A Service Learning Success Story, Nick Fuhrman
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Providing graduate students with authentic, field‐based service‐learning experiences can be challenging. Promoting these experiences can be particularly difficult with graduate students enrolled in Extension‐related degree programs at a distance. Recent studies have found that employers desire new hires with Master’s degrees to have skills in educational program development and evaluation. In an effort to provide evaluation resources to statewide Extension programs, enhance the relevance of program evaluation skills for graduate students, and address the above‐listed challenges, twenty‐four Master’s level graduate students participating in a distance‐technology delivered (synchronous) program evaluation course served as evaluation consultants during the last four weeks of …
Integrating Service Learning And International Study Into The Traditional Degree Programs, Quint Newcomer
Integrating Service Learning And International Study Into The Traditional Degree Programs, Quint Newcomer
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
In 2001, the University of Georgia Foundation made a significant commitment to expanding the opportunity for study abroad at UGA when it purchased a 155‐acre farm and built a new education and research center in San Luis de Monteverde, Costa Rica. UGA Costa Rica collaborates with departments and schools across the University to offer study abroad programs that offer courses directly related to major areas of study and that also integrate service‐learning as a central component of the overall study abroad experience. “Global service‐learning is a course‐based form of experiential education wherein students, faculty, staff and institutions a) collaborate with …
Assessing Embedded Geospatial Student Learning Outcomes, John Carr, Heather Cheshire, George Hess, Hugh Devine, Donna Bailey
Assessing Embedded Geospatial Student Learning Outcomes, John Carr, Heather Cheshire, George Hess, Hugh Devine, Donna Bailey
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) plays an increasingly pronounced role in providing natural resource professionals with information and analysis tools. GIST is an integral component of resource planning, management and assessment; therefore, professors in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University have designed and embedded geospatial exercises across undergraduate curricula in Forest Management and Natural Resources. We developed a flexible framework for assessing how well geospatial learning objectives are being met. Developing a framework requires identifying geospatial learning objectives, establishing criteria for success, and creating assessment tools. Structured interviews were used to identify geospatial learning objectives …
Peer Reviewed Publications From Class Projects, Carolyn A. Copenheaver
Peer Reviewed Publications From Class Projects, Carolyn A. Copenheaver
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
From 2001 to 2008, I coordinated the publication of 13 peer‐reviewed manuscripts stemming from group projects in a graduate‐level Advanced Forest Ecology class. The intention of the group projects was to immerse the students in actual forest ecology research and increase their professional development by personally involving them in the publication process. The student publications appeared in 11 different journals (American Midland Naturalist, Castanea, Dendrochronologia, Forest Ecology and Management, Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, Natural Areas Journal, Northeastern Naturalist, Southeastern Geographer, and Tree‐Ring Research) and each group project had a unique …
Teaching Environmental Communications Through Service Learning, Marc J. Stern
Teaching Environmental Communications Through Service Learning, Marc J. Stern
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
The presentation will reflect on the results of evaluations of a service learning course in environmental education in which students developed and delivered afterschool environmental education programs at local elementary schools. One strategy for a service‐learning course is basically to push the students off of a cliff, dangle a rope, and hope they can not only find the rope, but also climb back up. This generally means getting students out there as quickly as possible, equipping them with some basic tools and knowledge to make sense of their experience along the way, and seeing if they can put it all …
Teaching Critical Thinking In Statistics For Natural Resource Education, Lisa M. Ganio
Teaching Critical Thinking In Statistics For Natural Resource Education, Lisa M. Ganio
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Graduate education in natural resource fields requires high level critical thinking in specialized areas of interest to the student. This challenge is typically embraced by graduate students who are excited to be learning in the areas of their choice. Most graduate programs in natural resources require students to take a course in statistics or data analysis and natural resources research relies heavily on these tools. But many students have limited experience with quantitative science and that experience may not have been recent. This poses a challenge when teaching courses in statistics. In this presentation I will outline the challenges to …
Assessment Of Employer Perceptions And Student Needs In The Design Of A Cooperative Employment Program In Professional Forestry Curricula, Jim Kiser, Kama Luukinen, Thomas Maness
Assessment Of Employer Perceptions And Student Needs In The Design Of A Cooperative Employment Program In Professional Forestry Curricula, Jim Kiser, Kama Luukinen, Thomas Maness
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
The knowledge and skills needed by professional foresters is rapidly evolving as the practice is changing to respond to a broader set of ecosystem services and markets. Today’s organizations prefer to hire graduates that have a specific set of skills to address these new and evolving issues, however, it can be difficult for students to gain experience in all of the necessary areas through a traditional four‐year academic program. A cooperative education program is an undergraduate education with approximately 1/3 of the education component conducted on the job. The work terms are structured to have a learning component, and the …
Partnering With International Study Abroad Vendors For Mutual Benefits, Wayde C. Morse, Greg Somers
Partnering With International Study Abroad Vendors For Mutual Benefits, Wayde C. Morse, Greg Somers
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
International educational experiences have the ability to promote cultural understanding, cooperation and interaction with global society. In a period of reduced financial and administrative resources it is more difficult to promote these experiences. Auburn University (AU) and the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences (SFWS) has partnered with International Student Volunteers, Inc. (ISV) to provide academic oversight and credit for study abroad volunteer service experiences. ISV is an international volunteer travel organization who sends over 3,000 students abroad each year and whose participants have contributed over 250,000 volunteer hours in the fields of natural resource conservation and community development. ISV …
Teaching Ecological Ethics, Mark C. Wallace, Dan Perry, Gad Perry, Howard Curzer, Peter Muhlberger
Teaching Ecological Ethics, Mark C. Wallace, Dan Perry, Gad Perry, Howard Curzer, Peter Muhlberger
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Wildlife researchers and managers frequently have to contend with difficult ethical questions during the course of their work, but currently lack an explicit scholarly forum to help them analyze the complicated ethical situations they encounter in the field, the laboratory, or conservation area. Since neither environmental ethics, nor animal ethics, nor research ethics currently addresses the tradeoff problems peculiar to wildlife research and management, a new field is needed. It must be the interdisciplinary product of organized and on‐going discussions across the natural sciences, social sciences, the humanities, and the conservation professions. Minteer and Collins (2005) proposed the creation of …
Student Reported Individual And Team Effectiveness In A Service Learning Capstone Course: Lessons From Five Cohorts, Brian Lee
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Many students who enter a university setting have not necessarily been formally educated in how to engage learning as a functional team member. One of the skills employers continually say they highly value is the ability of an individual to contribute productively to teams. A requirement for an undergraduate degree in landscape architecture is completing a six‐credit hour capstone service‐ learning course. The course involves individual work that contributes to a team effort resulting in several products for a community sponsor. Typically, team members have attended classes and worked on class projects together prior to this course and are not …
Trends In General Education Requirements For Forestry And Other Professional Program Students, John D. Bailey
Trends In General Education Requirements For Forestry And Other Professional Program Students, John D. Bailey
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Some novel general education requirements have been in place at Oregon State University (OSU) since a major and admirable development effort in 1988, but implementation has become overly problematic over the last decades. This observation and other pressing issues on campus drove a major review effort last year involving administration, faculty, staff and students. We were reassured by those results in terms of the philosophy and structure of our “Baccalaureate Core” and how well they align with emerging ideas from the American Association of Colleges and Universities and peer institutions nationwide. However, our campus community was consistently unsatisfied with the …
Survey Of Forest Engineering And Forest Operations Programs In North America, Elisabeth M. Dodson, Chad Bolding, Ben Spong
Survey Of Forest Engineering And Forest Operations Programs In North America, Elisabeth M. Dodson, Chad Bolding, Ben Spong
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
In 1999 the International Journal of Forest Engineering published a special edition titled “Forest Engineering – Looking Ahead Ten Years.” The lead article was “Graduate programs in forest engineering and forest operations: working towards extinction.” McNeel, Stokes, and Brinker surveyed graduate programs in North America that have named graduate programs in forest engineering and forest operations (FE/FO) with a primary focus on PhD‐level graduates. Concerns were raised over the low numbers of PhD graduates, aging FE/FO faculty, and declining employment opportunities for PhDs within traditional forest industry. These issues are still of significant concern; therefore, we propose to repeat this …
Human Dimensions And Civic Engagement In The Natural Resources Classroom, Pat Stephens Williams, Ray Darville, George Mehaffy
Human Dimensions And Civic Engagement In The Natural Resources Classroom, Pat Stephens Williams, Ray Darville, George Mehaffy
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
The role of the natural resources professional continues to expand into the world of communications, politics, and civic responsibility. How do we prepare our students to engage with that world as leaders? Using human dimensions issues associated with the American Democracy Project in the classroom to build civic engagement and communication skills in our future natural resource professionals is one approach. This presentation provides the opportunity for the audience to learn how to use particular strong issue sites (in this case the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) as a way to help students learn how to identify issues, explore public sentiment, plan …
The Natural Resources Distance Learning Consortium, Kieran J. Lindsey, William C. Woodland Jr., Robert Bush
The Natural Resources Distance Learning Consortium, Kieran J. Lindsey, William C. Woodland Jr., Robert Bush
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
The NRDLC, an organization formed in 2003 with the support of USDA‐Forest Service, delivers courses to web‐based learners who are either currently working in the natural resource professions or who are hoping to enter the field. Currently the organization consists of 10 accredited university members as well as various federal agency partners. NRDL members offer over 350 distance learning courses, 11 degrees, and 18 certificates. Kieran Lindsey, the NRDLC director, will present an overview of the organization, its history, and its impact. Additionally, Bill Woodland, National Partnership & Volunteers Program Manager at USDA‐Forest Service, will discuss the needs of federal …
Evolution Of A Client Based Capstone Course, Jay Sullivan
Evolution Of A Client Based Capstone Course, Jay Sullivan
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Project‐based senior capstone courses are a common part of natural resources curricula around the US, often providing undergraduate students with a “real‐world” experience prior to graduation, and provided educational programs with a means of conducting outcome assessments. At Virginia Tech, we have conducted a client‐focused forestry capstone course since 1999, and completed nearly 120 projects for actual clients from in and around Virginia. The evolution of the course and lessons (successes and flops) learned from our experience with student groups, clients, projects, and faculty involvement will be discussed. Future opportunities and directions in an evolving curriculum will also be addressed.
Distance Learning And Diversity, Pat Stephens Williams, Tamberly Conway
Distance Learning And Diversity, Pat Stephens Williams, Tamberly Conway
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Submitted as part of the Natural Resource Distance Learning Consortium (NRDLC)panel arranged by Kieran Lindsey. Distance learning is quickly becoming the educational opportunity of the future for those students who may not or would not be able to participate in a traditional college education. In addition, for universities to remain current, viable, and competitive, we must embrace at least some form of distance education. In a field where we are carefully watching consolidation of our colleges and departments and the bottom line of recruitment and retention, distance learning may provide us with a way to increase student numbers and diversity …
Wildlife Education: Changing In The Wind, Mark C. Wallace
Wildlife Education: Changing In The Wind, Mark C. Wallace
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
In December 2007 The Wildlife Society (TWS) Ad Hoc Committee on Collegiate Programs was established and charged with assessing current wildlife programs in North America, their change over time, theory vs. practice and the role of hands‐on training, the importance of TWS certification, and what the ‘ideal’ wildlife program should look like. This task was driven by concerns over wildlife programs, the type of education that students are receiving, the quality and experience of students entering the job market, university enrollments, and the role of TWS certification. I present some of the results from our Ad Hoc Committee including a …
Congress In The Classroom, Janaki Alavalapati, J G. Collomb
Congress In The Classroom, Janaki Alavalapati, J G. Collomb
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Policies play central role in natural resource conservation and management. It is imperative for students to gain an in‐depth understanding and hands‐on experience of policy development. However, unlike field or lab oriented classes, it is somewhat challenging for educators to provide this experience for students in classrooms. Several structural (multiple goals, diverse stakeholders, and multiple disciplines), spatial (local, state, and national), and temporal (months, years, and decades) features of policy development would make it even more challenging. Here we share our experience of a technique, Congress in the Classroom, which was tried in Natural Resource Policy and Administration class for …
The Wakenature Preserves Partnership As An Example Of Community Engagement, George Hess, Gary Blank, Patti Clayton, Kaytee Holcombe, Chris Snow
The Wakenature Preserves Partnership As An Example Of Community Engagement, George Hess, Gary Blank, Patti Clayton, Kaytee Holcombe, Chris Snow
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
The WakeNature Preserves Partnership (WakeNature) arose through a combination of citizen activism, recognition among government and other agencies of the need to appropriately manage ecologically valuable natural areas, and faculty and student interest in conserving natural resources in suburban Wake County, NC. WakeNature comprises individuals from government, non‐profit, and academic organizations. Since its inception WakeNature has been committed to positioning all partners as co‐educators, co‐learners, and co‐generators of knowledge, and has served as a platform for teaching, research, and engagement. During its two‐plus year history, WakeNature members have organized several service‐learning workdays at the Marks Creek pilot site involving professional …
Saf Specialized Accreditation For Urban Forestry Programs: A Case Study At Virginia Tech, Eric Wiseman, Susan Day
Saf Specialized Accreditation For Urban Forestry Programs: A Case Study At Virginia Tech, Eric Wiseman, Susan Day
Conference on University Education in Natural Resources
Recognizing the growth of the urban forestry profession and realizing that the accreditation standards for general forestry education were an inadequate measure of urban forestry curricula, the SAF Council charged its Educational Policy Review Committee in 2005 to develop specialized urban forestry accreditation standards. The review committee, augmented by additional members with urban forestry expertise, presented its accreditation recommendations to the SAF Council in December 2006. Following public review, the SAF Council approved the Standards for Specialized Accreditation of Educational Programs in Urban Forestry in June 2007 and incorporated the standards into the SAF Accreditation Handbook in August 2007. SAF …