agr3cs agr
AGRICULTURAL AND ANIMAL SCIENCE CASE STUDIES
AGR3CS
2015
Credit points: 30
Subject outline
In this subject students will participate in a series of case studies. They will work in teams (i) to act as advisers to clients/industry representatives on how best to manage their animal or agricultural business for clients, or (ii) to arrive at an understanding and explanation of observations and data in a scientific research scenario. Students will develop skills in accessing relevant information and in a range of teamwork and communication activities, as they develop their recommendations for a series of problems areas, for the client in the case study.
SchoolSchool of Life Sciences
Credit points30
Subject Co-ordinatorPeter Sale
Available to Study Abroad StudentsYes
Subject year levelYear Level 3 - UG
Exchange StudentsYes
Subject particulars
Subject rules
Prerequisites (ZOO2AP or ZOO2APH) and (AGR3AH or AGR3ANI) and (AGR2AN or AGR3ANN)
Co-requisitesN/A
Incompatible subjectsN/A
Equivalent subjectsN/A
Special conditionsN/A
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Prepare three individually written consultants reports, each related to an animal/crop production case study scenario, or a scientific research scenario, where students will explain the problem at hand and recommend strategies to overcome the problem.
- Activities:
- At the beginning of the case study, students will be presented with the scenario of a problem confronting a farmer client, or a research team. Students will be given instruction on the format of the requested report and for each case study each student will submit an individually written report on the case study problem, prepared for either the manager of the animal/crop production business, or the research team leader.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Writing(Writing)
- Ethical Awareness(Ethical Awareness)
- Discipline-specific GCs(Discipline-specific GCs)
02. Work as team of 5-6 students to discuss each case study scenario, the factors involved and possible solutions to the problem.
- Activities:
- Students are allocated to groups and given instruction on group/team dynamics. The ability to work as a team will be indicated by the quantity and quality of their postings to their team discussion forum.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Teamwork(Teamwork)
- Discipline-specific GCs(Discipline-specific GCs)
03. For each case study students will read the selected readings, complete the associated online research activities prior to the case study discussion session and in class produce short written possible solutions to the problem.
- Activities:
- Selected readings are provided in the subject manual and research tasks are outlined. Students will be given guidelines and directions for assessing information on-line from texts and published scientific sources. In addition, there may be guest lecturers on the different issues that arise and impact on the production system involved in the current scenario. During the case study discussion sessions students work in their group to discuss the problem and possible solutions. On-line and session preparation quizzes will examine discipline knowledge of the issues involved, and critical analysis of the problem will be assessed through short in class assessments.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Creative Problem-solving(Creative Problem-solving)
- Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)
- Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)
- Discipline-specific GCs(Discipline-specific GCs)
04. For each case study scenario, students will critically analyse either (i) complex production problems on farms by recognizing the key current biological, economic or social factors that affect sustainable production and profitability, or (ii) scientific research issues and collected data that test hypotheses that increase understanding around research questions.
- Activities:
- Case study discussion sessions will involve group discussion where the team will assess the information, their research findings, and then arrive at recommendations to pass on to their clients to overcome the problem. Individually written quizzes will be answered in class and written reports submitted.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Creative Problem-solving(Creative Problem-solving)
- Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)
- Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)
- Discipline-specific GCs(Discipline-specific GCs)
Subject options
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Melbourne, 2015, Semester 2, Day
Overview
Online enrolmentYes
Maximum enrolment sizeN/A
Enrolment information
Subject Instance Co-ordinatorPeter Sale
Class requirements
Field TripWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.0 days field trip per study period on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
"There will be a one-day firled trip on a week day during the cropping case study for the Agricultural Science cohort."
Problem Based LearningWeek: 31 - 43
Three 2.0 hours problem based learning per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
"There will be two concurrent case studies running each week. Students will be attending 2 x 2 hr problem-solving sessions for each case study each week."
Problem Based LearningWeek: 31 - 43
Two 1.0 hours problem based learning per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
"There will be two concurrent case studies running each week. Students will be attending 2 x 2 hr problem-solving sessions for each case study each week."
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short problem-solving written assessments (in class, at the end of problem-solving sessions) | 40 | 02, 04 | |
| Online quizzes (on readings and session preparation) | 30 | 02, 03, 04 | |
| Four written reports (one per case study scenario) (1200 words each) | 30 | 01, 02 |