Providing the essential foundation through an experiential learning approach: An intensive field course on forest ecosystems for undergraduate students

Abstract

Increasingly, the focus for many natural resources professionals is on the forest ecosystem, defined both spatially and temporally to include all of the interacting organisms and their physical environment. The ecological interrelationships among their major components (climate, vegetation, soil, and physiography) must be understood to effectively manage the forest for diverse values and products. Over the past 16 years, I have developed an intensive field-based course using an experiential learning approach. During the autumn semester, the students participate in weekly half-day lab opportunities to collect and quantitatively analyze data from local (meso-scale) forest ecosystem types. Student teams communicate their results in both written lab reports and by sharing and reflecting on them during class discussions that contrast the distinct characteristics of each forest ecosystem type. We have experimented with a variety of student evaluation strategies, e.g., personal course notebooks, to determine the foundational knowledge attained by students. Through many different experiences as part of a learning cycle, students develop indispensable field skills and demonstrate competence by individually performing forest ecosystem assessments. Overall, students in the course have commented that they have appreciated and benefited from these essential experiences and acquired critical sampling, analytical, and evaluation skills and knowledge that they will use in their careers.