The FEW-Nexus: Using soil to grow meaning and relevance in undergraduate general education Earth science courses

Soils are central to human survival, through their critical roles in regulating water supplies and providing the medium for most agricultural productivity. Even as fewer and fewer students know where their water and food come from, and where their wastes go, soils tend to be under-emphasized in Earth science general education courses. Combining a place-based focus on soils with the FEW-Nexus model provides an integrating context for concepts and information that students sometimes perceive as disconnected and irrelevant to them. This approach can transform the experiences and learning of undergraduate students in the Earth science general education curriculum.