Multimedia Communication Laboratory in Agriculture

A.Y. 2024/2025
4
Max ECTS
48
Overall hours
SSD
AGR/03 AGR/19
Language
Italian
Learning objectives
The course will provide interdisciplinary theoretical and applicative knowledge aimed at developing general and multimedia communication skills about agriculture and agricultural sciences for the dissemination to different recipients (students, technicians, farmers, consumers, society). Students will have the opportunity of experiential learning in the classroom, at the university farms and at external farms. The educational objective will be achieved through the development by the students, in agreement and under the guidance of the teachers, of a communication project on agriculture and agricultural sciences topics with: i) collection and organization of documentary material on the field (photos, videos, interviews) at farms; ii) collection of technical-scientific documentation on the subject; iii) critical analysis of the documentary material; iv) development of a multimedia object (page / website, docufilm, etc.); presentation and discussion of the multimedia project. Among the issues that can be developed there are, for example, the documentation of the phases, from the soil preparatory work to the harvest, and the related technical contents, of a production process in the case of crops; or the documentation of the time sequences, daily / seasonal, of the activities in the case of animal husbandry. The set of multimedia contents developed by the students of the course will constitute and expand, year after year, a documentary core available to all students of the faculty, technicians, farmers and citizens. The results of the students' projects will be presented at the end of the course to the faculty teachers and students and promoted through social media. Every year the best photos collected will be selected to prepare a photo exhibition at the University.
Expected learning outcomes
After passing the exam, the student will be able to understand and communicate, through the web and social media, contents about agriculture and agricultural sciences using multimedia techniques and knowing how to modulate appropriately communicative language according to the recipients (students, technicians, farmers, consumers, society).
The student will learn about the basics of communication, the problems posed by communication in agriculture, the main languages and means of multimedia communication. He/she will also resume and enhance his/her technical and scientific knowledges and skills on agricultural production processes for the aim of a critical analysis. Finally, he/she will acquire skills in the collection and assembly of multimedia documentary material and multimedia communication skills through the web and social media.
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The teaching program will be structured as follows:

Frontal lectures (1,5 ECTS): Basics of communication; Communication in agriculture and technical-scientific dissemination; Languages of multimedia communication: text, photography, video, audio; Means of multimedia communication: websites, social media, multimedia platforms.
Seminars conducted by experts on the relationships between communication, science, and society (0.5 ECTS).
Independent activities: Students will independently develop multimedia communication projects on a topic related to Agricultural Sciences (2.0 ECTS).
The teaching will be supported by faculty members who will assist in the development of projects related to specific topics.
Prerequisites for admission
The laboratory requires:
· Knowledge of the main agricultural and livestock systems in the Po Valley/Italy.
· Proficiency in using software from the Office suite or similar programs.
· Availability of a laptop computer and smartphone.
Teaching methods
The laboratory will be structured as follows:

Frontal lectures will be conducted to introduce the topics covered, including the theoretical foundations of communication, languages, and tools of multimedia communication.
Seminars conducted by experts will focus on the relationships between communication, science, agriculture and society.
Field activities will be carried out at farms and other relevant settings to collect multimedia material.
Practical activities in the classroom will involve the assembly and processing of multimedia and textual materials
Teaching Resources
Available on the ARIEL website: lecture slides, scientific articles, and other materials provided by the teachers.
Assessment methods and Criteria
At the end of the course, students will present and discuss the multimedia project they developed during the course. The evaluation will consider aspects such as the communicative effectiveness of the multimedia object, as well as the clarity and accuracy of the technical and scientific content included. The evaluation will be based on a scale of thirty points.
Students with SLD or disability certifications are kindly requested to contact the teacher at least 15 days before the date of the exam session to agree on individual exam requirements. In the email please make sure to add in cc the competent offices: [email protected] (for students with SLD) o [email protected] (for students with disability)
AGR/03 - ARBORICULTURE AND FRUITCULTURE
AGR/19 - ANIMAL SCIENCE
Field activity: 32 hours
Lessons: 16 hours
Shifts:
Professor(s)
Reception:
by appointment
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Via Celoria 2