Promoting Environmental Writing in Undergraduate Soil Science Programs

Revision of soil science curricula to include opportunities for student environmental writing may help to overcome declining enrollments in soil science by attracting undergraduate students interested in environmental issues to learn about soil science. Experience in environmental writing also may help prepare future soil science and natural resource professionals to communicate with diverse audiences in a variety of formats and media. Starting in 2000, the University of Missouri (MU) Soil Science Program and the MU Campus Writing Program initiated a research and teaching effort to: (i) assess the need for science and nonscience majors to improve their writing skills; (ii) develop a writing‐intensive soil science course as part of the writing across the curriculum (WAC) program that would improve writing skills and encourage students to learn more about soil science and its role in addressing environmental issues; and (iii) evaluate the success of this approach. A survey of former MU science and nonscience majors indicated that both groups ranked writing skills as important in their current jobs. Most undergraduate students currently enrolled in soil science courses experienced limited opportunities to write in both their secondary and undergraduate science classes. An undergraduate writing‐intensive soil science course entitled Soils and the Environment was initiated to emphasize the role of soil science in environmental issues and provide writing exercises for realistic target audiences. Student writing from the course was published with the assistance of MU journalism and graphic design students. Student evaluations indicated that the course improved their writing skills and stimulated their enthusiasm for the subjects discussed in the course. The results of this experiment to include environmental writing opportunities in a soil science curriculum suggest that writing may be an important active‐learning tool to promote undergraduate student interest and motivation to study soil science.