Undergraduate Soil Science Education

In 2019, development of an open access Canadian Introductory Soil Science Textbook started. An editorial board (Fran Walley, Maja Krzic, Amanda Diochon, Maxime Pare and Rich Farrell) has received funding through the BCcampus and CSSS. The open textbook will cover the main areas of study within the discipline of soil science, including soil genesis and classification, soil chemistry, soil physics, soil biology and soil provisioning services. The material will be relevant and appropriate for courses teaching soils from multiple perspectives. Soils of Canada will be highlighted, with recognition of regional differences in soils and soil management and production potential. Presenting this information in an open textbook format, will allow individual instructors to tailor the textbook to their specific region and/or perspective.
In 2018, we carried out a survey of professionals and managers who recruit, supervise, or work directly with soil science professionals, with a goal to gather feedback regarding the application of soil science knowledge and field skills in the areas of agriculture, environment, forestry, and/or resource management. The findings of this study are published in:

Jacynthe M., T. Yates, M. Krzic, A. Unc, Z. Chi Chen, S. Quideau, K. Hodgson, C.J. Warren. 2019.

In 2017, we completed a study of Canadian post-secondary units that offer introductory soil science courses, documenting attributes of instructors, students, and teaching approaches in these courses. The findings of this study are published in:

Krzic, M., T. Yates, A. Diochon, M. Swalow, N. Basiliko, and M. Pare. 2018.

In 2015-2016, we carried out an inventory of soil science course offerings at Canadian universities and colleges; the findings of this inventory are published in:

Diochon, A., N. Basiliko, M. Krzic, T.T. Yates, E. Olson, J. Masse, B. Amiro, and D. Kumaragamage. 2017.