Using experiential learning to enhance knowledge

1
Using experiential learning to enhance knowledge
about sustainable whole farm systems Edly
Santiago Andino (PhD candidate Ag. Extension
Education), Tracy Hoover (Ag. Extension
Education), Heather Karsten (Agronomy
Pasture), Mary Barberchek (Soil Entomology),
MaryAnn Bruns (Soil Microbial Ecology), Shelby
Fleischer (Entomology), Jeffrey Hyde (Ag.
Economics), William Lamont (Vegetable Crops),
David Mortensen (Weed Ecology), Robert Stout
(Agron. Techn. Research Asst.).
Introduction Experiential learning (EL)
provides a link between theory and practice,
abstract generalization and concrete instance,
and between affective and the cognitive domains
of learning (Miller, 2000). This type of learning
occurs when students participate in activities,
reflect upon the activity, use the new
understanding in their daily lives.
Students' Raw Scores on Technical Questions
Before and After Internship
Purpose Objectives To provide an opportunity
to learn by experiencing a whole-farm system.
Objectives were to asses the value of
interdisciplinary guided on-farm learning, and
describe facultys perception of the internship.

• Methods
• Week one interns attended to an
  interdisciplinary faculty
• team orientation week.
• Pairs of interns spent 10 weeks working with
  host farms,
• and conducted research projects.
• Weekly, interns documented their farm
  experiences.
• Faculty and interns visited all host farms twice
  during the
• farm stay.
• In week 12, interns spent 10 days with the
  faculty team
• finalizing their research projects, preparing
  whole farm
• decision case studies.
• A pre post-test was administrated to evaluate
  learning
• and the internship.
• Interns presented the whole farm case studies
  and research
• project results during a final symposium.
• Educational materials, and interns experiential
  essays are
• available at http//PAonfarminterns.cas.psu.ed
  u

Summary Students participating in the
experiential internship enhanced their knowledge
about sustainable whole farm systems. The
interdisciplinary faculty group reported that
they obtained new knowledge outside their area of
expertise and to understand whole farm systems.
Implications More experiential on-farm
internship may be organized where students and
interdisciplinary faculty groups interact to
enhance understanding about agroecology farm
systems while learning by experience.
Grant provided by USDA Higher Education Challenge
program.