Comparative Perspectives on Forests

UF Faculty: Karen A. Kainer Department: School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences College: Center for Latin American Studies, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences	Partner Faculty: Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro Department: Forest Engineering Department Partner Institution: Federal University of Acre (UFAC)

Project details
Title:	Comparative Perspectives on Forests and Forest Learning
Project Description:	Students from the University of Florida (UF) and the Federal University of Acre (UFAC) will compare forest knowledge and perceptions between Southwestern Amazonia and the Southeastern U.S. Following an exchange of short videos that introduce professors and students from each university, groups of students (2-3 from each university) will work together to jointly prepare video ‘shorts’ that offer comparative perspectives of a subset of 7 forest components observed on their respective campuses. A final synchronous session will allow UF-UFAC students to briefly exchange perspectives on key contributions that forests in their region provide to society/people.
Learning Outcomes:	Interact with university students studying forest management and living in the Brazilian Amazon. Compare ‘forest and campus’ knowledge and perspectives between Southwestern Amazonia and Southeast US (state of Acre in Brazil and the state of Florida in the USA). Jointly produce a video ‘short’ that reflects a subset of forest components observed on their respective campuses. Develop online communication skills with students of a different language and culture. Network with others in their field on an international scale.
Participating Countries:	Brazil
Number of Participants:	15 UF Students; 22 Federal University of Acre (UFAC) Students
Discipline:	Forest Sciences
UF Course Code & Name:	FOR 4060/LAS 4935 - Global Forests
Project Duration:	4 Weeks
Activity Type(s):	Student-to-Student Dialogue Student-to-Student Project
Time allotted to each activity:	Synchronous activities: 1 hour/week Asynchronous Activities: 1 hour/week Local group activities: 1 hour/week Individual work: 1 hour/week
Technology Tools:	Cell phones WhatsApp IFAS-facilitated alternative Canvas site used for extension groups Google translate Riverside.fm Zoom
Sequence of Activities:	Icebreaker: Each student from UFAC uploaded a short video introducing themselves (name, hobby, a university place they liked). Subsequently, groups of 2-3 students from UF introduced themselves by uploading short videos with similar introduction prompts. Collaboration Activity: Groups of 2-3 UF students signed up for one of the following 7 possible topics. 3 species of animals you can see on campus 3 economically important trees in your region 3 notable (renowned for some reason) trees on campus 3 fruit/nut trees/palms on campus that humans eat 3 forest insects you should know 3 forest snakes you should know one nice natural area on my campus Subsequently, UF students met virtually with 2-3 students from the Federal University of Acre (UFAC) in Brazil to jointly produce a 2- to 3-minute short (or short video) based on their comparative topics. Each of the UF-UFAC teams (a pair from each country) worked together virtually, outside of classroom time. These shorts were uploaded on the alternative Canvas site so that students from both universities could view all of them. Reflection Activity: UF students prepared a personal, individual reflection on this virtual exchange experience. Each wrote a 400 to 450-word essay (~1 single-spaced page), responding to the following prompts: Were there things that other people did that helped you learn or work toward completing the UF-UFAC research and presentation? Were there things that you did that helped others to achieve this goal? Did this experience enhance your understanding of forest management, forest conservation, sustainable development, and/or higher education? What insights did you gain from the experience about your professional goals, skills, interests, or expertise? What is the most interesting thing that you discovered about yourself from this virtual exchange experience?