Learning Interdisciplinarity and Systems Approaches in Agroecology: Experience with the Serious Game SEGAE

Julia Jouan, Mireille De Graeuwe, Matthieu Carof, Rim Baccar, Nathalie Bareille, Suzanne Bastian, Delphine Brogna, Giovanni Burgio, Sébastien Couvreur, Michał Cupiał, Benjamin Dumont, Anne-Lise Jacquot, Serena Magagnoli, Joanna Makulska, Kevin Maréchal, Guénola Pérès, Aude Ridier, Thibault Salou, Barbara Tombarkiewicz, Fabio Sgolastra and Olivier Godinot
Additional contact information
Julia Jouan: SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35042 Rennes, France
Mireille De Graeuwe: ULiège Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, TERRA research and teaching center, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium
Matthieu Carof: SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35042 Rennes, France
Rim Baccar: USC 1432 LEVA, Ecole Supérieure d’Agricultures, INRAE, SFR 4207 QUASAV, 55 rue Rabelais, 49100 Angers, France
Nathalie Bareille: INRAE, Oniris, BIOEPAR, 44300 Nantes, France
Suzanne Bastian: INRAE, Oniris, BIOEPAR, 44300 Nantes, France
Delphine Brogna: ULiège Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, TERRA research and teaching center, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium
Giovanni Burgio: DISTAL, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Sébastien Couvreur: USC 1481 URSE, Ecole Supérieure d’Agricultures, INRAE, 55 rue Rabelais, 49007 Angers, France
Michał Cupiał: Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-269 Kraków, Poland
Benjamin Dumont: ULiège Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, TERRA research and teaching center, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium
Anne-Lise Jacquot: PEGASE, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35042 Rennes, France
Serena Magagnoli: DISTAL, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Joanna Makulska: Faculty of Animal Science, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-269 Kraków, Poland
Kevin Maréchal: ULiège Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, TERRA research and teaching center, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium
Guénola Pérès: SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35042 Rennes, France
Thibault Salou: SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35042 Rennes, France
Barbara Tombarkiewicz: Faculty of Animal Science, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-269 Kraków, Poland
Fabio Sgolastra: DISTAL, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Olivier Godinot: SAS, INRAE, Institut Agro, 35042 Rennes, France

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: Agroecology represents a pertinent option to improve the sustainability of agriculture. To promote its application, agroecological concepts should be taught to students and professionals in the agricultural sector. However, most agricultural courses are not adapted to teach these concepts due to little interactivity or interdisciplinarity, and a lack of a systems approach to farm management. Serious games help to fill these gaps by simulating complex models in which players can learn by doing. We thus developed a serious computer game, called SEGAE (SErious Game for AgroEcology learning), which represents a mixed crop-livestock farm and assesses impacts of farming practices on indicators related to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Its pedagogical interest was evaluated through two types of surveys given to university students who played the game during a one-week workshop: A knowledge survey on agroecology, and a feedback survey based on flow theory. Results showed that students increased their knowledge of agroecology significantly, particularly those who had had little knowledge of crop production. More than 86% of the students enjoyed the game, appreciating its interaction and feedback. Thus, SEGAE is an interesting tool to help students acquire knowledge of agroecology in a fun way by facilitating interdisciplinary and collaborative learning.

Keywords: serious game; agroecology; systems thinking; interdisciplinarity; farming system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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