To the members of the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture,
We are conducting a survey of Introductory Soil Science (or equivalent) courses as a joint study between the University of Minnesota and Kansas State University. Our intent is to survey every instructor of Introductory Soil Science (or equivalent) courses at 2- and 4-year institutions in the United States. In order to ensure that survey responses are received by as many Introductory Soil Science instructors as possible, this message is being sent to all members of the NACTA. We kindly ask that if you do teach an Introductory Soil Science (or equivalent) course, that you please complete the survey. If you do not teach such a course, but know someone that does at your institution or elsewhere, that you please forward this invitation to them.
This survey is designed to collect information about the current state of Introductory Soil Science (or equivalent) education in the United States from the primary instructors of such courses. Data collected from this survey includes information on course content, pedagogy, and audience. We anticipate that this data will 1) improve knowledge of the diversity of materials, methods, and pedagogies utilized to teach Introductory Soil Science (or equivalent), 2) assist instructors or institutions in the process of revising or reviewing their Introductory Soil Science courses, and 3) identify opportunities for cross-institutional cooperation or the development of multi-user course materials and resources. The outcomes of this survey are intended to be published in a peer-reviewed journal to ensure access to results for all interested parties.
If different faculty/staff teach the course in different semesters, quarters or sections at your institution and the materials, pedagogical methods or approaches differ between these courses (i.e. one section is an online section and a second is classroom only), we ask that the primary instructor for each of these differing courses complete a separate survey. The approximate time to complete is 35 minutes.
Your participation in this survey is greatly appreciated. If you have completed this survey previously, then please disregard this message. We thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nic Jelinski and Dr. Colby Moorberg
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Survey intent and outcomes: Dr. Nic Jelinski (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 612-626-9936), Dr. Colby Moorberg (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 785-532-7207). Qualtrics functionality and content: Dr. J.D. Walker This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 612-624-1097). If you have questions about your rights or welfare as a participant, please contact the University of Minnesota Institutional Review Board (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 612-626-5654). Determined as Exempt status by the University of Minnesota IRB on 06/06/2016.
