Abstract:
This article outlined the design of a small-enrollment, non-lecture course on international livestock agriculture and documented self-reported learning gains and changes in worldviews of 66 students captured with a 14-item survey administered the first and the last day of class in four consecutive years (i.e., student cohorts). Measured as change in self-reported level of knowledge, learning gains averaged 64%, but ranged from 24 to 157% across course topics. The course changed students’ worldviews on food security, livestock agriculture as a means to reduce poverty in rural Mexico and the relative benefits for Mexico and the U.S. to engage in dairy trade, but not on immigration and environmental issues. At the beginning of the semester, self-reported level of knowledge varied between majors (dairy science vs. non-dairy science) and among standings (freshman, sophomore, junior or senior), but worldviews varied between majors only. By the end of the semester these relationships had subsided, but cohort had risen in influence. More than the major, the cohort shaped a student’s self-reported learning gains and changes in worldviews during the semester. These outcomes may reflect the impact of an instructional design aimed at engaging students from diverse backgrounds in a discussion-driven classroom throughout the semester.
Key Words:
Learning gains, worldviews
 19. Wattiaux NACTA Special Issue Sept 2013.pdf | [ ] | 649 kB |
