Groen Kennisnet: Research knowledge in the classroom
By Rob van Genderen
WUR Library staff works together with researchers of Wageningen University & Research and teachers in professional agricultural education to spread research results into the classroom. Through the Groen Kennisnet program (‘Green knowledge network’), new digital books and dossiers are made openly available.
How does it work?
In different projects, groups of WUR researchers and teachers from professional agricultural education in the Netherlands work together on new educational content. They discuss what new skills students need and they translate newly available knowledge to education. In 2018, twenty groups of WUR researchers and teachers in MBO and HBO started new WURKS (WUR Knowledge Share) projects. These groups work on new educational content for professional agricultural education in the Netherlands. All educational content will be open accessible in the Groen Kennisnet infrastructure.
How does WUR Library staff support the dissemination of knowledge?
WUR Library works with tools from the Groen Kennisnet infrastructure that make it easy to present innovative knowledge in an open environment.
- In a Groen Kennisnet Wiki, a group of teachers works on an open online education module on a certain subject. WUR Library staff supports teachers with the layout and navigation of the wiki, and with finding publications that can be used in the wiki.
- In a dossier format, WUR Library staff presents a certain subject on the Groen Kennisnet website. Researchers and teachers write the texts that WUR Library staff uses to build up the dossier.
Groen Kennisnet wiki
WUR uses Confluence wiki to make open online modules. Teachers get access to the wiki, supported by WUR Library staff. At the moment, Groen Kennisnet offers ten openly available wikis. Ten new wikis will be made available in the first quarter of 2019 about the following themes: vertical farming, agrofood robotica, green biotechnology, vegetation research, greenhouse simulation, animal welfare, horse genomics, dairy farming and fruit growing.
A few examples of openly available wikis:
- Leerboek Natuurinclusieve landbouw (Textbook Nature-inclusive agriculture) Nature-inclusive agriculture or ecologically intensive agriculture is a form of sustainable agriculture based on a resilient food and ecosystem. It makes optimal use of the natural environment (the ‘natural capital’) and integrates it into business management. The textbook made by the Learning Network Natuurinclusieve landbouw contains theory, videos and exercises for different levels of education (VMBO, MBO, HBO).
- Foodbedrijven in transitie (English version available: Food transition) The Learning Network Food (WUR researchers of Wageningen Economic Research and teachers in agricultural schools) made this study material with exercises about a change in food production. This source can be used in MBO and HBO.
Groen Kennisnet dossiers
A Groen Kennisnet dossier presents a theme on a page of the Groen Kennisnet website. A dossier format has the following elements: introduction, subthemes, available exercises, current issues, and many open access publications and other open sources (i.g. websites, video’s). There are about 150 dossiers available.
An example of a dossier that WUR Library staff used to support researchers and teachers is Veranderend eetpatroon, which is about changes in the dietary pattern of consumers. In the first quarter of 2019, ten new WURKS dossiers will become available about themes like smart farming, naturebased solutions, consumer connection in food and bulb physiology.
More information?
Would you like to know more about the possibilities of spreading research knowledge to the classroom? Please contact the Servicedesk to find out if WUR Library / Groen Kennisnet can create a solution for you.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality supports the dissemination of knowledge from research to education, agribusiness and society. In the WUR program Groen Kennisnet, WUR Library staff uses the Groen Kennisnet infrastructure to support project groups of researchers and teachers with tools they can use in the classroom or for online education.