Preparing tomorrow's foresters: Embedding professional interactive skills in a technical discipline

Abstract

In recent surveys, employers of forestry graduates have indicated that interpersonal skills as well as technical competencies are essential for long-term success in forestry. These employers find that many recent graduates fall short in their ability to work in teams, listen to and address public questions, and solve problems collaboratively. New classroom approaches that embed interactive skills within a disciplinary framework can assist students in developing those necessary social skills and at the same time enhance students' learning and retention of technical information. A six-course sequence for Iowa State University sophomores illustrates the concept of cooperative learning as an alternative to individual and competitive learning models. Instructors find that supervised practice of interactive skills in a classroom environment develops the professional competencies employers want.