Wednesday, December 12, 2007
D0608

Expanding the undergraduate experience: Multidisciplinary online courses and instructional modules

Jerome Grant, jgrant@utk.edu, University of Tennessee, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, 205 Ellington Plant Sciences Building, Knoxville, TN

In an increasing number of curricula, undergraduate students are faced with degree programs that limit their abilities to enroll in many elective courses due to specific degree requirements and the limitations of a four-year program. Multidisciplinary courses that offer a cohesive blending of several disciplines enable undergraduate students to gain exposure to, and knowledge of, subject areas that they may not have been exposed to otherwise, strengthening their degree program and enhancing their employment marketability. Depending upon the nature of their degree program, these students may not have been able to enroll in specific courses offered in each discipline; however, they can gain some appreciation of each discipline through multidisciplinary courses. By expanding this opportunity further and offering these types of courses via online technology, more students are able to enroll in them due to the flexibility and self-paced approach of online courses. A recently designed multidisciplinary course (entomology, plant pathology, horticulture, and integrated pest management) illustrates how the use of different disciplines, various teaching techniques, and electronic educational modules can expand the undergraduate experience. Course materials, instructional modules, and web-related materials were designed to pique the interest of students, as well as enhance their understanding of the concepts presented. Evaluations of course materials provided by current/former students, industry personnel, and academic professionals have been positive and have been used to improve course design.