Biological Systems Engineering
Date of this Version
6-23-2023
Citation
Heeren, D. M., & Taghvaeian, S. 2023. Peer review of teaching: ET theory, deficit irrigation and consumptive use. BSE Peer Review of Teaching. Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Abstract
A BSE Peer Review of Teaching was carried out for a graduate level course on Advanced Irrigation Management. This course has been offered for several years; each time improvements are made, but there is always a need for additional improvement. In particular, ET theory, deficit irrigation, and consumptive use are topics that the students struggle to grasp. These topics involve a relatively high level of math for an MS-level (800-level) Agricultural Systems Technology course, and the available materials on these topics either were not well developed or were not a good fit for this class. The primary objective was to develop clear lecture materials, readiness test questions, homework problems, and exam questions on these particular topics. Results from Post-Pre Survey indicated a large increase in the students’ self-assessed skills (related to learning objectives) during the semester. Future course improvements should include updating the course sequence of topics to provide a more uniform distribution of workload for the students.