Introductory soil science courses are an important part of the undergraduate curriculum in agriculture, environmental sciences, and natural resource management and traditionally include an in-person laboratory where students acquire both hands-on learning and practice important skills. This all changed when all classes quickly transitioned to…

Literature circles are student-led, small-group discussions that promote active learning and engagement with literary texts. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of literature circles on student engagement and learning outcomes in a pedology course. For various reading assignments throughout the semester, students either…

The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented pressure on students and educators around the world, calling for a major shift in the delivery of educational lessons to implement remote learning opportunities in place of in-person classes. The shift to remote learning practices was particularly difficult for courses, such as pedology, that rely heavily…

The recent novel coronavirus pandemic led to global changes in higher education as universities transitioned to online learning to slow the spread of the virus. In the United States, this transition occurred during the spring of 2020, and the compulsory shift to online learning led to frustrations from students and instructors alike. I studied…

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…

This paper presents an experimental lab designed for undergraduate students which focuses on soil science and chemistry. Students perform a series of tests to classify soil's phosphate retaining characteristics, texture, pH, organic matter content, and permeability with the addition of a novel soil amendment, Al Mg biochar. This lab has minimal…

The application of charcoal to soils to increase carbon stocks has been of great interest recently. To gain a better understanding of the long-term effects of charcoal presence in soils, historic charcoal production sites at Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland were studied for organic carbon content and compared to nearby unaffected soils. Soil…

Scientists rely heavily on tree-ring records to better understand climate variability of the past millennium. Tree rings can also be utilized to give students a window into paleoclimate research, the methods scientists use, and the importance of scientific findings. Here, we present five online labs that introduce undergraduate students to the…

Innovative didactive strategies such as online learning and flipped classroom can improve student performance while maximizing university resources and personnel. Assessing how students perceive courses designed using these strategies, as well as perform within them, is becoming increasingly important. An introductory soil science course at a…

This study investigates the impact of instructional methods based on a one-day informal science field experience comparing a teacher-centered methodology versus a student-centered (inquiry-based) methodology. The 5E learning cycle was selected as the framework for implementing the inquiry-based learning for the treatment groups as it provides the…

Hydraulic fracturing is a major process for oil and natural gas production in the United States, and sand mines in Western Wisconsin provide highly desirable sand for the fracturing industry. After being mined, sand is wet-sieved to isolate economical-size fractions. Polyacrylamide is used as a flocculant to settle out the fine particles,…

As the use of plastics expands, microplastic concentrations increase in aquatic environments and negatively impact water, soil, and animals inhabiting these areas. Microplastic research frequently incorporates citizen science to assist in data collection and environmental education. These projects provide opportunities for greater societal…

In this study, high school students' perceptions about the concept of soil were tried to be determined through metaphors. The phenomenological design was used in the research. Data from the study was collected from 451 students studying in four different types of high schools in the central district of Kütahya. As part of the study, students were…

Experiments are an important way of working in the geography classroom. They promote and require numerous geographic skills. At the same time, experiments are only used comparatively rarely in geography lessons in Germany. In order to increase the frequency of experiments in the classroom and to better exploit their potential, GeoBoxes have been…

The rising cost of textbooks is a barrier to higher education for many students. Open textbooks are one potential solution, though few open textbooks exist for agriculture and natural science disciplines. Here, I present a case study examining my selection of assigned reading material for a college course on soil and water conservation. Potential…