Application of Models in Teaching Modern Agricultural Engineering Practices:A Case Study of Laikipia North Technical and Vocational College
Abstract
The efficiency and effectiveness of various teaching methods are key in the teaching and learning process. Teaching Agricultural Engineering requires high-cost machines and equipment normally accessible only on commercial farms. While the use of conventional approaches in teaching Agricultural Engineering is routine, this study establishes whether innovative approaches would yield higher efficiency and effectiveness in teaching. Two groups of learners are taught using one method, either conventional (lecture) or innovative (application of low-cost physical models) and are this study’s focus. The learners under similar conditions attempt standard examinations post-teaching. Results show that learners taught using the conventional method have a relatively larger gap of 71 % between the highest and the least score and a mean score of 51.65 %. In addition, a majority of the learners in the conventionally taught group score between grades C plain to B Plain and thus are defined as Transitory Learners. Learners exposed to the innovative teaching methods scored higher with the highest score being 95 % and the least score being 45 % thus translating to a gap of 50%. Financially, innovative methods are affordable due to the absence of recurring costs such as power, printing, and internet connection costs. In conclusion, Teachers of Agricultural Engineering ought to adopt innovative approaches to teach modern agricultural engineering practices. Further policies and sensitization activities by institutions are also necessary to ensure teachers expose the transitory learners in their classes to models that reinforce learning. On the research front, the availability of models for use in cases of learners with special needs awaits.
Article Views and Downloands Counter
References
Aston, P. S., & Spigarelli, J. A. (2020). Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival. Cross-Current Publishing.
Cantabella, M., Martínez-España, R., Ayuso, B., Yáñez, J. A., & Muñoz, A. (2019). Analysis of student behavior in learning management systems through a Big Data framework. Future Generation Computer Systems, 90, 262-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2018.08.003
Chauhan, B. S., Matloob, A., Mahajan, G., Aslam, F., Florentine, S. K., & Jha, P. (2017). Emerging challenges and opportunities for education and research in weed science. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 1537. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01537
Chen, Y. S., Cai, X. T., & Li, J. (2021). A study of smart agriculture trends in new normal of economy: a perspective of academic genealogy. International Journal of Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation, 2(1), 37-61. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJAITG.2021.115776
Creese, B., Gonzalez, A., & Isaacs, T. (2016). Comparing international curriculum systems: The international instructional systems study. The Curriculum Journal, 27(1), 5-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2015.1128346
Hadfield, A., Dimmock, M., & Shinn, A. (Eds.). (2016). The Ashgate Research Companion to Popular Culture in Early Modern England. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315613420
Kember, D. (2003). To control or not to control: The question of whether experimental designs are appropriate for evaluating teaching innovations in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 28(1), 89-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930301684
Khalaf, B. K. (2018). Traditional and Inquiry-Based Learning Pedagogy: A Systematic Critical Review. International Journal of Instruction, 11(4), 545-564. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1191725.pdf
Koutsopoulos, K. C., & Kotsanis, Y. (2016, June). Efficiency and Effectiveness in Teaching and Learning: Need For New Paradigm. In Conference Proceedings. The Future of Education (p. 162). libreriauniversitaria. it Edizioni.
Wu, T. T., & Wu, Y. T. (2020). Applying project-based learning and SCAMPER teaching strategies in engineering education to explore the influence of creativity on cognition, personal motivation, and personality traits. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 35, 100631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100631
Menon, S., & Suresh, M. (2020). Enablers of workforce agility in engineering educational institutions. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-12-2019-0304
Ndukwe, I. G., & Daniel, B. K. (2020). Teaching analytics, value and tools for teacher data literacy: A systematic and tripartite approach. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00201-6
Nilson, L. B. (2016). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors. John Wiley & Sons.
Pishghadam, R., Makiabadi, H., Zabetipour, M., Abbasnejad, H., Firoozian Pooresfahani, A., & Shayesteh, S. (2020). Development, Validation and Application of an Inventory on Emo-Sensory Intelligence. Teaching English Language, 14(2), 173-216. https://dx.doi.org/10.22132/tel.2020.120213
Plance, R. (2020). Access, Participation and Sustainable Development Goal 4: A Systematic Literature Review of Technical and Vocational Education and Training. http://hdl.handle.net/10464/14797
Pöntinen, S., Dillon, P., & Väisänen, P. (2017). Student teachers’ discourse about digital technologies and transitions between formal and informal learning contexts. Education and Information Technologies, 22(1), 317-335. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10639-015-9450-0.pdf.
Skinner, B. F. (2016). The technology of teaching. BF Skinner Foundation.
Yu, Q., Gu, H., & Lai, X. (2021, May). Exploration on Teaching Reform of Rural Landscape Planning and Design Under the Background of Rural Revitalization. In 6th International Conference on Education Reform and Modern Management (ERMM 2021) (pp. 23-26). Atlantis Press. https://dx.doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210513.007
Copyright (c) 2023 Africa Journal of Technical and Vocational Education and Training

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice Copyright of published articles is held by AfriTVET. No limitation will be placed on the personal freedom of authors to copy or to use in subsequent work, material contained in their papers. Please contact the Publisher for clarification if you are unsure of the use of copyright material. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of research and private study, or criticism and or review, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the Publishers.