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234 Natural Resources and Environmental Issues Volume VII UNIVERSITY-BASED COURSES IN HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF FISH & WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A PRELIMINARY INVENTORY AND INVESTIGATION Donna L. Minnis 1 , Robert A. Robertson 2 , Judy Silverburg 3 , and Peter Pekins 4 1 Donna L. Minnis, Ph.D., Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi State University, Box 9690, Mississippi State, MS 39762 2 Robert A. Robertson, Ph. D., Department of Resource Economics and Development, University of New Hampshire, 317 James Hall, 56 College Road, Durham, NH 03824-3589 3 Judy Silverburg, State of New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Public Affairs Division, 2 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301 4 Peter J. Pekins, Ph.D., Department of Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire, Rm: 7 Petty Hall, Durham, NH 03824-3589 Human dimensions is one of the newest areas of emphasis in the evolving field of wildlife management (Manfredo, Vaske and Sikorowski, 1996). Human dimensions is a general term used to describe the application of the social sciences to natural resource-related problems and issues. Manfredo and others (1995) describe the human dimensions approach as consisting of two components. The first emphasizes acquisition of sound information that explains human thought and action regarding wildlife using the concepts and methods of social science. The second component involves determining how to use that information in wildlife decision making. Over the past five years, wildlife managers, policy makers and planners have been applying the human dimensions approach to management of wildlife resources. Likewise, many institutions of higher education have responded to the need for a human dimensions approach by offering courses that focus on this important topic. Unfortunately, no data are available on the number and/or focus of programs of curricula that offer course work in human dimensions of wildlife. This paper prepared for presentation at the Second Biennial Conference in University Education in Natural Resources provides a summary of a study completed during the spring and summer of 1997 intended to address these information needs. The purpose of this research was to complete a preliminary inventory of Human Dimensions of Wildlife courses offered in the USA, to collect descriptive information on the institutions and faculty offering these courses, and compile information on the course (e.g., enrollment patterns, course requirements, course title, etc.), and develop a preliminary profile of the objectives and content of the courses identified. A one-page mail questionnaire was distributed to 110 Universities in the United States. The Wildlife Society provided a list of 80 universities that offer undergraduate degrees in wildlife or fisheries, the Wildlife Society Membership Directory (members affiliated with a university or college who identified “human dimensions” as an interest area (20), the advisory board and associate editors of the Human Dimensions of Wildlife Journal who listed a university affiliation (10), and a general solicitation was provided over the human dimensions of wildlife list server. The letter that accompanied the survey stressed the importance of an accurate inventory of human dimensions courses and offered incentives for participating in the study (i.e., a copy of the study results, a compendium of syllabi, and the publication of a listing of universities offering human dimensions courses). The survey resulted in the identification of twenty-six colleges or universities that offer a Human Dimensions of Wildlife course. A vast majority of the human dimensions course identified were offered in Colleges or Schools of Natural Resources. A majority of the courses were offered for the first time in the past five years and most are taught by persons with traditional degrees in Wildlife Biology, Natural Resources, or Zoology. Enrollment appears to be fairly stable and averages about 20-30 students. Most of the courses are offered at the junior or senior level. The objectives of the courses varied considerably but typically included exposing students in the natural sciences to the human context of wildlife management decisions. A majority of the courses covered topics related to the identification of key stakeholder groups, the policy making process and an overview of a public involvement techniques. Course topics typically did not include an overview of social science research methods or techniques for integrating the biological and social sciences.
1998 University Education in Natural Resources 235 ENHANCING SUCCESS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS IN NATURAL RESOURCES Brian R. Murphy 1 , David Wm. Smith 2 , William E. Ensign 3 , Terry M. Wildman 4 , Carol A. Bailey 5 , and Edmund J. Pert 6 1 Head, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; 2 Associate Dean, College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources; 3 Research Associate, Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; 4 Director, Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching; 5 Director, University Writing Program 6 Instructor, Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences Virginia Tech,Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0321 Graduates from natural resource education programs move into a rapidly changing professional field. Whereas previous emphasis was on specialized technical skills, today’s graduates are entering a field that emphasizes a broadly constructed, holistic ecosystem approach. While employers still look for graduates with extensive technical backgrounds, today they also stress the need for graduates with excellent written and oral communications skills, strong critical thinking skills, and teamworking and leadership skills. Traditional approaches to natural resources education, as in most fields, primarily stressed acquisition of technical knowledge. To produce graduates able to compete in the complex ecological/social/political/economic web of today’s natural resource fields, educators need to adopt educational techniques that sharpen critical professional skills in conjunction with technical competence. Universities must move from providing instruction to producing learning, whereby students are encouraged to become active partners in their learning rather than passive receivers of knowledge. Active learning in their college years stimulates students to become effective life-long learners, which will be critical for their professional survival in our rapidly changing fields. We designed a program to alter the way that faculty teach and students learn in our undergraduate natural resources curricula. Specifically, our objectives were; 1) to create an interdisciplinary educational environment in the College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources (CFWR) at Virginia Tech that fosters higher levels of cognitive development in students, 2) to provide CFWR first-year undergraduate students with the skills needed for success in both their academic and professional careers, and 3) to provide current and future faculty with the support needed to develop and enact alternative teaching techniques that stimulate active learning. Our objectives were accomplished by drastically altering our approach to the introductory undergraduate natural resources course in CFWR. The new approach incorporated a broad array of teaching techniques to stimulate active learning and critical skills development among the students. The traditional lecture approach was replaced by inquiry-based modules centered on extensive reading, group discussions, formal and informal writing exercises, field exercises, and collaborative research projects. A select interdisciplinary team of faculty, graduate students, and outstanding undergraduate students worked together to create this active learning environment, aided by University teaching and writing specialists. Instructors met regularly for workshops on alternative teaching techniques and for collaborative study group discussions. The freshmen students in this project reported an increased sense of integration into the College and their chosen field, and a better understanding of what skills they will need to be successful natural resource professionals. Writing and speaking skills dramatically improved, and students reported that these improvements helped them in other courses in the curricula. Students developed problem-solving and teamworking skills that allowed them to tackle broad-scale interdisciplinary questions. Overall student performance in this experimental course was significantly better than under other teaching approaches, despite an increase in the quantity and quality of work demanded of the students. Contact: murphybr@vt.edu; phone 540/231-5573; Oral presentation; 2x2 slide projector needed
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THE INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURAL RESOU
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