Fly, J. Mark

Keele, Denise

Mathis, Amy

English

DigitalCommons@USU

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues Volume 12 University Education in Natural Resources Article 30 2004 Using the engaged student approach in wildland recreation classes proposed session: Learner-centered education J. Mark Fly Department of Forestry, WIldlife, and Fisheries, Knoxville, TN Amy Mathis Department of Forestry, WIldlife, and Fisheries, Knoxville, TN Denise Keele College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nrei Recommended Citation Fly, J. Mark; Mathis, Amy; and Keele, Denise (2004) "Using the engaged student approach in wildland recreation classes proposed session: Learner-centered education," Natural Resources and Environmental Issues: Vol. 12 , Article 30. Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nrei/vol12/iss1/30 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Natural Resources and Environmental Issues by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@usu.edu. University Education in Natural Resources Fifth Biennial Conference 2004 107Using the Engaged Student Approach in Wildland Recreation Classes Proposed Session:  Learner-Centered Education J. Mark Fly 1, Amy Mathis2 and Denise Keele3In the fall of 2000, the structure of the introductory class in Wildland Recreation (50 students) was revised from a more traditional approach to a blend of the “engaged student” and “mastery learning” approach. The  “engaged student” approach is based on creating opportunities for the student to become involved with real world activities and make connections with professionals in the field while learning the basic concepts of recreation.  The class is viewed as a job setting with similar expectations.  The “engaged student” takes responsibility for their own learning, similar to what they need to do throughout their career with life-long learning. All students have to meet the minimum criteria of a test score of 85 or above on class lecture material.  For some students this means they have to take the test multiple times or pass an oral exam.  The students can choose to earn additional points needed by participating in field trips, practicums, a professional meeting or public participation sessions, conducting a park or resource problem analysis, and/or reading chapters from the textbook and responding to discussion questions in written format. Additional points can be earned by giving a presentation to class and attending guest lectures and student presentations.  Early feedback on the course indicated that 71% of the students thought that they learned more with this alternative self-directed approach than they would have if the class had been taught in a traditional mode.  Details of the procedures will be presented and the advantages and disadvantages discussed.1Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, 274 Ellington Plant Sciences, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996-4563, (865) 974-7979  markfly@utk.edu 2Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, 274 Ellington Plant Sciences, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996-4563, (865) 591-9064 amathis@utk.edu 3College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, (315) 727-2740, dmkeele@syr.edu 1Fly et al.: Using the engaged student approach in wildland recreation classesPublished by DigitalCommons@USU, 2004

Using the engaged student approach in wildland recreation classes proposed session: Learner-centered education

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Using the engaged student approach in wildland recreation classes proposed session: Learner-centered education

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