MARSTON SCIENCE LIBRARY
MAR 2 4 2000
TLP 99-2
TEACHING AND LEARNING PAPER SERIES
ENGAGING LEARNERS IN ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT
EDUCATION: A CHALLENGE TO OUR PROFESSION
by
Paul Wilson, Gary F. Fairchild, Lois Schertz Willett and Bernie Erven
Teaching and Learning Paper TLP 99-2
December 1999
The goal of the Teaching and Learning paper Series is to improve, enhance, and enrich
the teaching and learning environment in the department, college, university, and
profession through the publication ofpapers on teaching philosophies and techniques,
curricular issues, and case studies. Papers are circulated without formal review by the
Food and Resource Economics Department and thus the content is the sole
responsibility of the faculty author or co-author.
UNIVERSITY OF
2 FLORIDA
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Food and Resource Economics Department
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Engaging Learners in Economic and Management Education:
A Challenge to Our Profession
by
Paul Wilson, Gary Fairchild, Lois Schertz Willett, and Bernie Erven
Abstract: An overview is provided of a teaching/learning workshop at the 1998 American
Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting sponsored by the AAEA Resident Instruction,
Extension, and Economic Education Committees with the theme "Active Learning: Engaging Adults
in Economic and management Education." Examples of active learning are provided and the
agricultural economics profession is challenged to incorporate active learning experiences in both
on- and off-campus learning environments and to improve understanding of learning styles, group
dynamics, and teaching methods to increase educational efficiency and effectiveness.
Key Words: active learning, engaging learners, economic and management education.
Engaging Learners in Economic and Management Education:
A Challenge to Our Profession
by
Paul Wilson, Gary Fairchild, Lois Schertz Willett, and Bernie Erven
"One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it-
you have no certainty until you try."
Sophocles, 5th Century, B.C.
Our Challenge
Society is demanding greater accountability from public organizations concerning the value
added by their activities and programs Publicly funded higher education is one of the
organizations under increased scrutiny--with ongoing taxpayer and legislative calls for increased
educational efficiency and effectiveness. Teaching responsibilities have received a significant
portion of the public's attention. Concerns have been raised about the quality and quantity of on-
and off-campus instruction. The status quo in teaching strategies and technologies may become
an untenable position in higher education as consumer expectations change, competition increases,
and financial resources decline in real terms. The status quo is also unacceptable to teachers
committed to improving their own effectiveness and efficiency.
Paul Wilson is Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Arizona, Tucson,
Gary Fairchild and Lois Schertz Willett are Professors of Food and Resource Economics,
University of Florida, Gainesville and Fort Pierce, respectively, and Bernie Erven is Professor of
Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, The Ohio State University, Columbus.
We find ourselves within this evolving and uncertain future when discovery and learning
lie at the core of our agricultural economics profession. Most of us are engaged, to varying
degrees, in research and the learning activities associated with the research process (e.g. M.S. and
Ph.D. training, reading journal articles). Arguably, these activities have taken center stage in our
profession and throughout the academy. Our challenge lies in the fact that our teaching and
extension responsibilities, strongly influenced by the research process, have been cast in terms of
"us teaching them", placing the focus on our transferring or delivering information to either on-
or off-campus audiences. Delivering facts, figures, trends, relationships, concepts, estimates, and
techniques often dominate our teaching and extension programs. Learning is secondary. Learning
does not necessarily occur just because we walk into a classroom or extension meeting prepared
to "teach".
In analytical terms, our profession has generally concentrated on the necessary, but not the
sufficient conditions for learning. We have developed our knowledge base with great enthusiasm
and skill. We congratulate ourselves for doing a good job teaching because we know our material,
believe it to be of critical importance, use outstanding audio-visuals, have a reasonable answer for
all questions asked, and receive better-than-average student ratings. However, a critical question
remains: has enough learning occurred? Learning requires both the communication of
knowledge/information and the successful internalization of same on the part of the learner. Very
few of us have invested any significant time acquiring the communication, organizational,
classroom management, and other teaching skills needed to successfully facilitate learning.
A Teaching/Learning Collection
The Resident Instruction, Extension, and Economic Education Committees of the
American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) sponsored a teaching/learning workshop
at the 1998 AAEA Annual Meeting with the theme "Active Learning: Engaging Adults in
Economic and Management Education". Eighty participants experienced innovative teaching and
learning strategies which are research and experiential based. The workshop's presenters
encouraged us to provide outstanding learning experiences for both on- and off-campus learners,
and to take risks in our teaching programs by using simple but powerful tools for engaging learners
in their education.
The following topics were discussed at the workshop and provide perspective to the
instructional challenges facing us all. Rick Weldon, Bea Covington, Burl Long, and Larry Connor
from the University of Florida took a futuristic look at our students with implications for who,
what, how, and where we teach [Review ofAgricultural Economics, 21(1999):526-540]. Charles
Bonwell then challenged our profession to engage our students in active learning and provided
many helpful tips for taking low-risk, but significant, steps in this direction [Review ofAgricultural
Economics, 21(1999):543-550].
The remaining papers represented analyses, approaches, and experiences associated with
engaging students in off-campus learning. Mike Ellerbrock and Marjorie Norton, Virginia Tech,
analyzed philosophical foundations for engaging off-campus adults in the learning process. Henry
Bahn, USDA, accepted the challenge of answering the extension question, "How do we serve the
adult who is an unwilling learner?". Drawing on eight years of experience, Jim Kendrick,
3
University of Nebraska, discussed the student engagement challenges and opportunities associated
with distance education courses. Recognizing that U.S. industry trains more students for more
hours than our universities, Kim Harris, Southern Illinois University, shared what he has learned
from being an industry trainer, providing six important lessons for on- and off-campus teaching.
Steve Sonka, University of Illinois, and Michael Boehlje, Purdue University, shared their
experiences in executive education, concluding that engagement is critical for adult learning. And
finally, Bruce Weber, Oregon State University, analyzed the challenges associated with engaging
citizens in the Oregon Fiscal Choices Project.
What Is Active Learning?: Some Teasers
Engaging college students and adult learners in an educational process requires their active
participation. Charles Bonwell notes that learning is a process of discovery, with the student
(learner) as the main agent. Bonwell emphasizes that students learn what they care about and
remember what they understand. Learning is not a spectator sport, even though we often teach as
though it were. Learning best occurs when the instructor or extension specialist is able to actively
engage the learner in a creative, interactive, integrative process.
Active learning simply means keeping the learners' heads in the game. We must engage
the students' minds, helping them make what they learn a part of themselves, and tying new ideas
to what they already understand and know. Active learning is having students doing things and
thinking about the things they are doing.
Common Threads Woven Through the Workshop Papers
Mix it up. Research suggests that student learning styles are not consistent with the traditional
"talking head" lecture format. Retention of information declines dramatically after 15-18
minutes of straight lecture. Students learn more when they are actively engaged, in some
way, in the classroom or extension meeting. A challenge: Break your traditional 50 minute
lecture up into two 18 minute mini-lectures and two 6 minute learning activities. Break your
traditional 15 minute extension presentation into 10 minutes of lecture and 5 minutes of
audience participation.
Less is more. We are driven, as instructors, to cover the course material. Often we fall into an
instructional trap when we think covering every topic in our syllabus implies student
learning. Research indicates that students learn and retain more information at the end of
a session or semester when less is covered. Consistently ask yourself, "What is the tradeoff
between subject matter coverage and learning in my extension presentation or classroom
today?". A challenge: Evaluate your extension presentations and course syllabi for signs of
content maximization versus learning maximization.
Begin at the end. Decide what are to be the important "take aways" from your presentation.
Next determine the educational process that will yield a high level of retention on these key
points. A challenge: Take a recent lecture and work back from your objectives for that day.
Did the process produce learning?
The professor as coach. Coaches prepare athletes through conditioning, instruction, drill, and
encouragement. The athlete is the center of attention, not the coach. A challenge: Answer
this question: "Where is the focus in your classroom or extension program?".
Fun enhances learning. We are professional learners. We enjoy learning or we would not have
selected this career path. A challenge: Look around your classroom or extension audience -
are the students having fun? Explore the recommended readings at the end of this paper for
possible methods for enhancing learning, even learning economics, through enjoyment.
Take a risk. Much is known about learning styles and teaching strategies. Too often we ignore
or fail to explore the wealth of research-based literature that would improve our teaching.
A challenge: Read Bonwell's paper and incorporate one idea into your classroom or
extension program this year. Another challenge: Over the next year, explore the rich body
of knowledge cited in the recommended reading section at the end of this paper.
Our Opportunity
We can improve student learning by taking our content expertise and combining it with a
serious investment in and understanding of learning styles, group dynamics, and teaching methods.
Anything less reduces our efficiency and effectiveness in producing educational value for society.
Recommended Reading
Bonwell, Charles C. and Tracy E. Sutherland. "The Active Learning Continuum: Choosing
Activities to Engage Students in the Classroom" in Using Active Learning in College
Classes: A Range of Options for Faculty. T.E. Sutherland and C.C. Bonwell (eds.), San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996.
Byrns, Ralph T. and Gerald W. Stone. Great Ideas for Teaching Economics. New York:
HarperCollins, 1995.
Cyrs, Thomas E. Essential Skills for College Teaching: An Instructional Systems Approach.
Las Cruces: Center for Educational Development, New Mexico State University, 1994.
Keenan, Diane and Mark H. Maier. Economics Live.': Learning Economics the Collaborative
Way. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
McKeachie, Wilbert J. Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research and Theory for College and
University Teachers. 10th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1999.
Pike, Robert W. Creative Training Techniques Handbook. 2nd Edition, Minneapolis: Lakewood
Books, 1994.
|