Building Cross-Disciplinary Market Research Projects as Experiential Learning: A Model Pairing Animal Science and Agricultural Economics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v69iTT.392Keywords:
experiential learning, cross-disciplinary collaboration, market research, undergraduate research, agricultural marketing, survey designAbstract
This teaching tip describes a cross-disciplinary project model in which animal science and agricultural economics students collaborate to design, execute, and present original market research. Animal science students developed information treatments (branded promotional materials grounded in production and nutritional science) while agricultural economics students designed a survey instrument, administered it, and wrote up findings in manuscript and poster formats. Using a semester-long project on consumer perception of sheep and goat products as an illustrative case, we outline the project architecture, discuss its pedagogical rationale, and offer practical guidance for instructors seeking to replicate or adapt the model. The approach gives students authentic research experience, strengthens disciplinary identity by requiring each group to contribute expertise the other lacks, and produces deliverables that mirror professional outputs in agricultural marketing and applied economics.
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References
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