Professional Learning Experiences in a Field‐Based Course: Student Perceptions and Preferences

Core Ideas Participants in this study placed high value in the professional learning experiences. The job market can quickly impact student perception of professional learning experiences. Professional learning experiences can give students a good sense of related careers. Timing and site location can impact student preferences for field course experiences. Two professional learning experiences were added to an existing field‐based soil science course. Including relevant professional learning experiences in field‐based courses for non‐soil science majors can provide the opportunity for these students to apply soil science skills and knowledge in the context of the profession most relevant to their area of study. As participation of government and industry requires additional logistics and resources, it is important to assess the added value to the student experience. Using an online survey, data was collected over 4 years. Students most preferred the professional–government (Pgv) learning experience followed by the academic experience (Acm) and the professional–industry (Pid) experience (55, 31, and 14%, respectively). Students perceived the Pgv experience as most relevant to their future career plans, followed by the Pid and Acm experiences (41, 32, and 27%, respectively). Student comments indicated that they valued both Pgv and Pid experiences for their authenticity. Yearly variation in the results indicated that the Pid experience was least preferred and considered least relevant to career plans in 2014 and 2015, coinciding with a crash in crude oil prices and economic downturn in western Canada. Inclusion of professional learning experiences added considerable value to the student experience, but student preferences and perceptions of these experiences can be altered by relevant employment market and economic forces.