Multidisplinairy approach, active teaching and balance in staff work load

Project introduction and background information

The project starts with a new course. FEM-1xxx3 Introduction to Forest and Nature Conservation. In the next year new activating working methods can be implemented in the 4 other first year courses, unique to the BSc Forest and Nature Conservation. The problem is that in most BBN courses a mono disciplinary approach is used, while both staff and students consider the programme to be multidisciplinary. Therefore, the students have to see for themselves how they combine the social and ecological disciplines. Exception is field course PEN-10806. Integrative introduction to BBN is needed at the start of the programme. Another problem is the high work load for the teachers involved. To maintain the (very) high evaluation results the highly motivated staff is working very hard. However not enough money is available to finance the intensive teaching methods.

Objective and expected outcomes

By co-organizing this course by teaching staff from social and ecological sciences, we want to create awareness, openness, appreciation and the right attitude by students that both disciplines are needed to really solve resource management problems. By summer 2017 we want to have created a partially online version of the course for current students that can be offered both as scheduled course as well as non-scheduled. It will activate students and it will be beneficial as reference material and refresher material for incoming new master students. 

Results and learnings

The students will be actively participate in education through a variety of (active) learning methods. Regarding didactics, the course builds upon various forms and styles: short lectures (45 min. max), assignments (for small student groups), flipping the classroom (to acquire the competence of reading scientific texts), student presentations (on their field work), reading sessions (to help students to learn how to read scientific texts), excursions (introduction to field work).