1. October 11, 2015 A First Year Experience Team-Based Interdisciplinary Research Project A First Year Experience Team-Based Interdisciplinary Research Project Renee Eaton, Margaret Merrill, Cindy Wood, Eric Kaufman

2. 2 CALS First Year Seminar 210 students in Agriculture and Extension Education Animal and Poultry Sciences Crop & Soil Environmental Science Food Science and Technology Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise Life Science Undecided 200 first year students, 10 transfer students

3. Group Project 29 groups Most groups had 7-9 students Transfer students were grouped together; 2 groups of 4-6 students. Each group had at least 3 different majors/departments represented. Each group was assigned a peer leader. 3

4. How can we meet our goals? 4 Group Project Inquiry Problem- Solving Integration Interdisciplinary Perspective Information Literacy Communication and Teamwork

5. There’s A Heifer In Your Tank! There’s A Heifer In Your Tank! University of Alberta There’s A Heifer In Your Tank! There’s A Heifer In Your Tank! University of Alberta 5 2050

6. Formulating Questions Librarians CALS Librarians generated 50 possible questions Faculty Revision to 30 questions Students Final questions were more general in nature

7. For Example…. Does agriculture contribute (positively or negatively) to water quality? How does agriculture contribute to water quality? Does animal waste from confined animal feeding operations have an environmental impact? What role do animal wastes have in the environment?

8. Selected Topics Why is there now greater concern about how food is grown/raised than there was 20 years ago? What are the impacts from organic farming? Why is chicken cheaper than beef? Should you exercise outside during rush hour? A steer’s not a steak and a hog’s not all cops. What do we get from animals besides meat? Tobacco & cotton helped shape Virginia. What is their status today? Is “Eat Local” more sustainable? How have automakers changed design to accommodate “meals on wheels”- literally eating in the car? Why are Farmers Markets suddenly so popular? Why are earthworms so important? Why are pigs used for human research? What role do animal wastes have in the environment? How does agriculture contribute to water quality? 8

9. Project Design Group Introduction The First Essay Group Responsibility Worksheet Annotated Bibliography 25-Word Summary The Final Essay 9

10. Why is there now greater concern about how food is grown/raised than there was 20 years ago? 10 Demand Knowledge / Education Sustainability / Environmental Impact Nutrition Safety Health Movement Regulation Technology Media Social Pressure Economy Genetic Engineering

11. Goal Achievement 11 Group Project Inquiry Problem- Solving Integration Interdisciplinary Perspective Information Literacy Teamwork 63% reported they learned to effectively work in groups 85% met students from other departments Incorrect citations Incomplete understanding of “Reliable Source” Plagiarism Some connections to coursework / experience Group-work!!

12. What we learned: Provide additional time in class for group work, especially at the beginning. Assignment must be targeted to specific learning objectives. Locating sources Evaluate for relevance Evaluate for reliability Citations Ethical Issues Incorporating sources into an assignment Relevance to class / other classes 12

13. Practice Points Identify goal(s) of project. Identify the deliverables. How do the goals relate to student needs / student learning objectives? What are potential common topics? How are the topics relevant to each individual discipline? 13

14. Design your project! What should students learn? What will students do to learn these things? How will you know what they have learned? 14

15. Possible Common Topics Obesity Climate Change Energy Environment Increasing Lifespan 15

16. Project Collaborators Eric Kaufman, Agriculture & Extension Education Cindy Wood, Animal Poultry Science Ann Dunnington, Animal Poultry Science Ozzie Abaye, Crop & Soil Environmental Science Bill Eigel, Food Science & Technology Alex Niemiera, Horticulture Renee Eaton, Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise Susan Sumner, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Margaret Merrill, University Libraries Rebecca Miller, University Libraries Kiri Goldbeck-DeBose, University Libraries Jamie Penven, Residence Life Barb Weimerskirch, Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence 16