| Department of Agricultural Sciences
60 % Department of Plant Biology 20 % Department of Ecology 20 % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | Two blocks | ||||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 15 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Course Level | MSc | ||||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination oral examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: Oral examination of project report, submitted deliverables and required readings Weight: Oral examination 100% 7-point scale, external examiner | ||||||||||||||||||
| Requirement For Attending Exam | Three out of four deliverables passed | ||||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | A mixture of fact based learning in class, organized in themes (lectures, exercises and deliverables), and problem based learning as group project work with open-ended real-life problems (excursions, discussions, seminars and report writing). | ||||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 3 Week Structure: C Block 4 Week Structure: B | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English | ||||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | 250031 Plant Infection and Disease Management 250048 Weed Science 250056 Insects in Agricultural and Horticultural Crops 250004 Applied Plant Nutrition 250045 Water and Soil in Plant Production Optional prerequisites for horticulture: 250058 and 250063. Students are strongly recommended to have a minimum of 2 of the above prerequisite courses, or similar prerequisite knowledge, in order to achieve course competence goals. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Restrictions | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Areas of Competence the Course Will Address | |||||||||||||||||||
| -understanding of facts and considerations governing farmers' choice of cropping and management system -understanding relationships between quantitative and qualitative crop yield aspects and the environment -knowledge of how plant production is regulated by society -understanding of principles behind contemporary trends in plant production -understanding of differences and similarities between organic and conventional systems -knowledge of key actors' role in farmers' decisions and actions -ability to discuss principles of models and decision support systems used in plant production -ability to discuss knowledge transfer within the plant production sector -skills in management of complex problems defined by actors such as farmers, consultants, policy makers -ability to use scientific and other types of knowledge to analyze and suggest action to problems in plant production in dialogue with relevant actors -ability to adapt written communication to different actors | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Objectives | |||||||||||||||||||
| To prepare students to work with complex real-life problems related to plant production systems in actor networks | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||||||||
| -Key elements in plant production and their interdependence in the actual context (crops, cultivars, crop rotation, tillage systems, fertilization, management of pests, diseases and weeds, irrigation and mechanization). -Quantitative and qualitative aspects of plant production -Environmentally aspects of plant production including regulations -Contemporary trends in plant production such as precision agriculture, integrated production systems and sustainable farming -Organic versus conventional plant production systems -Key actors within the society and their impacts on plant production -Decision support systems and models in plant production. -Knowledge transfer: From science to management and vice versa -Solving of open-ended problems related to plant production -Working with different types of knowledge and end products | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||||
| The fact based learning will be structured by the teachers as a mixture of lectures and exercises. The problem based learning will give students opportunity to work within a real-life actor-network. A number of actors are associated with the course and each student group work with a project around the actor's questions and perspectives. The actors define the key problems, which they consider important to plant production and their own activities within the sector but students may influence the way of presenting the problem in agreement with the actors. Each student group choose a specific actor (e.g., a farmer, a R&D group, The Danish Agricultural Council, The Danish Plant Directorate) based on their interests. The student group works as a partner aiming at improving a situation for the actor. The problem based learning part requires students to work independently to solve problems rather than receiving direct instructions on what to do from the teacher or the actor. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||||||
| Stipulated in "Areas of Competence the Course Will Address" | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||||||
| Literature for the common part will be made available on Campusnet. For the project part literature and other materials will depend on the specific problem. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||||
| Jesper Rasmussen, jer@life.ku.dk, Department of Agricultural Sciences/Environment, Resources and Technology, Phone: 35333456 Hans Jørgen Lyngs Jørgensen, hjo@life.ku.dk, Department of Plant Biology/Plant Pathology Section, Phone: 35332323 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Scope | |||||||||||||||||||
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