Abstract:
A traditional agricultural machinery management course was restructured to meet the needs of traditional and non-traditional students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University. The new course embraced the basic principles of a traditional agricultural machinery course while applying them to a broader audience. Prominent components included using computers as a problem solving tool, incorporating a class website for enhanced instruction, using MS PowerPoint presentations in lecture, and using hands-on problem-based laboratory exercises. The new course has been taught three times with an average enrollment of 17 students. This is three times the average student enrollment for the previous eight-year period. Student evaluation of Teaching written comments and category ratings have been exceptional with an average score of over 4 on a scale of 5 for all categories. The restructuring efforts revitalized a dated machinery management course and allowed machinery management principles to be delivered to a more diverse audience.
Keywords:
machinery management, agro-ecosystems
 Download Article | [ ] | 408 kB |
