Abstract:

Plant Protection subject, taught within the Degree in Agricultural Engineering at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), aims to train students in the basic concepts of plant protection: identifying the different pests, diseases and weeds, as well as, solving the phytosanitary problems the cultivated plants in a sustainable environment. This subject needs lacks of practical approach and, the experiential learning is a proper methodology to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge through direct interaction to real-world problems or authentic situations related to crop protection, where the students improve their capacity for reflection analysis. This work presents the development of an experiential learning activity directly linked to the future professional practice of the students, which allows them to improve the acquisition of the generic competence of respect for the environment and also to complete the acquisition of different specific competences directly related to diagnosis and control methods. The experiential learning consisted in the monitoring of the two crops located in the fields of practices of belonging to School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB). Fieldwork was carried out in groups (5 or 6 students), who monitored the crop and performed different activities such as: sampling of plants, microbiological analysis, arthropod identification, etc. These activities were evaluated in an oral presentation and a report final by using different rubrics. In regarding the results, this methodology improved the environmental awareness and responsibility derived from the control of pests and diseases of crops and the learning of the specific competences of the subject.

Keywords:

Environmental responsibility, fieldwork, experimentation.