Incorporating Primary Literature in Undergraduate Crop Science Courses

Abstract

Primary literature is an underutilized learning resource for undergraduate courses in crop science. Reading assignments from scientific journals were utilized in an undergraduate University of Minnesota crop physiology course at Southwest Minnesota State University from 2002 to 2004. The subjects of the articles corresponded to the lecture topics. Specific questions were developed to guide student engagement with each article. Students demonstrated an ability to learn from the primary literature, but they expressed a preference for learning from more familiar activities such as lectures and laboratories. Despite having successfully used primary literature throughout the semester, surveyed students expressed a negative to mildly positive agreement to the assertion that primary literature assignments reinforced classroom concepts, demonstrated commercial application of those concepts, broadened awareness of agricultural research, and increased confidence in the students’ abilities to use primary literature. Based on the experiences gained through these assignments, suggestions on how to utilize primary literature in ways that better complement students’ learning styles are offered.