Assessing students and coaches learning experience with virtual collegiate soil judging contest during pandemic

Authors: Bhandari, Ammar; CHUMBLEY, STEVEN - Texas A&M University; TURNER, BENJAMIN - Texas A&M University

Submitted to: Natural Sciences Education
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/12/2023
Publication Date: 7/14/2023
Citation: Bhandari, A.B., Chumbley, S., Turner, B. 2023. Assessing students and coaches learning experience with virtual collegiate soil judging contest during pandemic. Natural Sciences Education. 13(7):717. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070717.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070717

Interpretive Summary: Soil judging provides a competitive platform for students to practice, identify and describe soil characteristics in the field. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced soil judging contests to find new strategies to maintain student engagement and provide competitive opportunities to apply what they have learned. Developing a novel approach to a virtual soil judging contest by using previously available soil profile pictures for the contest can help engage students, save resources, and provide opportunities to accommodate many students at a time. Hence, researchers from USDA-ARS Crop Production System Research Unit, Stoneville, MS, and Texas A&M University-Kingsville used data from a virtual soil judging contest to analyze the feasibility of such contest during the era of pandemics such as COVID-19. Results indicated that the coaches and students were satisfied with the virtual soil judging event format. But prefer the face-to-face option over the virtual contest. They also reported the virtual soil judging contest helped them gain soil judging experience and perhaps an inexpensive way to educate students about soils, especially during the pandemic. Those regions such as Region IV, which are adopting a week-long event for the soil judging contest, this can be modified to a hybrid version by providing some practice pits virtually beforehand and cutting down in-person face-to-face activities for 2-3 days event. The hybrid format can be an economical approach in the future, considering restrictions, economic challenges across the Universities, etc.

Technical Abstract: Collegiate soil judging is organized yearly as face-to-face regional and national competitions. It provides a competitive platform for students to practice, identify and describe soil characteristics in the field. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced soil judging contests to find new strategies to maintain student engagement and provide competitive opportunities to apply what they have learned. In response, Region IV hosted a virtual regional contest in October 2020. The objectives of this study were to quantify students’ and coaches’ perspectives on virtual soil judging contests and evaluate the role of virtual soil judging contests as either a complement or alternative to in-person contests. We conducted post-contest surveys to assess student learning outcomes and reflections on the virtual soil judging contest compared to past in-person contest experiences. We received an 86.12% response rate from students (31 total responses) and a 100% response rate from coaches (6 total responses) who participated the Region IV contest. The most common positive comments were related to the flexibility that the online components of the event provided. However, most of the students chose a face-to-face option compared to the virtual contest. Likewise, coaches were satisfied with the event format but elected face-to-face options over the virtual contest. Coaches also indicated that the virtual soil judging contest would not accurately measure the student’s skills. Overall, the coaches and students reported the virtual soil judging contest was helpful to gain soil judging experience and perhaps an inexpensive way to educate students about soils, especially during the pandemic