Applied Economics Teaching Resources

an AAEA Journal

Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Research Article

What does the pandemic mean for experiential learning? Lessons from Latin America

Grace Meloa, Dérgic(a),Sanhuezab, Sarahi Morales(c), and Luis Peña-Lévano(d)
(a)Texas A&M University, (b)Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, (c)Zamorano University, (d)University of Wisconsin-River Falls

JEL Codes:
Keywords: Agricultural sciences, educational plans, experiential learning, online education

Publish Date: September 7, 2021
volume 3, Issue 3

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Abstract

This study presents survey evidence of Latin American college students’ perceptions of the switch from in-person instruction toward online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three key findings emerge that present a negative outlook for higher education in programs that rely heavily on experiential learning. First, undergraduate students are not fully satisfied with the quality of online education received during the pandemic, especially the quality of experiential learning-based courses. Second, students perceive lower teaching quality independently of the course type as the main factor affecting learning. Third, students who experienced adverse stress and other limitations during the pandemic expressed difficulties in learning and have concerns about their educational paths, although just a small group expressed intentions to switch careers. These findings may affect long-term education in agricultural and applied sciences and show that remote education has not been successfully addressed in many countries of this region.

About the Authors: Grace Melo is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University. Dérgica Sanhueza is Research Fellow in the Departamento de Economía Agraria at Pontificia Unversidad Católica de Chile. Sarahi Morales is an Assistant Professor in the Department of General Studies at Zamorano Univeristy. Honduras. Luis Peña-Lévano is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at University of Wisconsin-River Falls (Corresponding author: luis.penalevano@uwrf.edu). Acknowledgements: This work was supported by seed funds from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Zamorano University.

Copyright is governed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA

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