Search Results
Distance education is an area of rapid expansion in higher education today. Unfortunately, the development of distance education efforts, like all new programming, is fraught with numerous barriers. Frequently, technological advances precede internal policies necessary to support these activities, and because of the nature of distance education, concerns over expense, workload, intellectual property, conflict of interest and teaching methodology may impede progress. Funding distance education efforts also requires long-term vision and commitment. It is essential that a clear vision, including identification of existing needs and benefits, be developed before equipment and personnel are secured. Finally, some distance education efforts by their nature involve collaboration between other institutions of higher education. These schools may view participation in these programs as opportunities for their advancement or possible encroachment on their educational market. Establishing strong relationships is essential for ultimate success. At Texas Tech Univ., the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources along with the Dept. of Plant and Soil Science have committed to the development and implementation of distance education as an educational tool providing enrichment and access to high-quality programming for its on campus and place-bound students. Some of the success stories as well as the frustrations behind these efforts will be discussed.
Interactive video conferencing provides a useful medium for distance education. Due to the highly visual nature of many horticulture courses, the multimedia techniques utilized in video conferencing provide a rich platform from which to conduct many aspects of these efforts. Video conferencing also requires an overall evaluation of which common teaching techniques work and what possible modifications may be necessary to accomplish the desired teaching goals. Some of the topics for consideration in utilizing interactive video conferencing include encouraging participation of remote students, overcoming the feeling of viewing television, identifying the desired level of involvement by the students with the technology, considering alternative methods to reach desired course objectives, coordinating evaluation and testing, implementing classroom management techniques, and adding high touch to the high tech medium. Texas Tech and Texas A&M Universities have utilized interactive video conferencing at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Some of the successful techniques as well as identification of a few of the pitfalls will be discussed.
To enlarge the palette of environmentally-responsible landscape plants, 117 garden rose cultivars were evaluated under minimal input conditions. Other than mulching and irrigation, no other inputs were provided, including no fertilization and no pesticide applications. Plants were established in completely randomized blocks with four reps in the spring of 1998 with data collection beginning in 2000 and continued through 2002. Data on overall performance (an index comprised of flower number, percent of plant covered with flowers and plant growth) and relative chlorophyll content were collected the first and third week of each month from April through October. Disease ratings or incidence ratings were collected for Diplocarpon rosae Wolf (black spot), Alternaria sp. (petal blight) and Sphaerotheca pannosa (powdery mildew). Statistical analysis was performed on the mean data for all dates. `Knockout' was the top rose for overall quality with little or no disease observed, high foliage quality, and continuous flowers from spring until late in the fall. `Knockout' also ranked among the top rose cultivars in terms of overall nutrient concentrations (N, P, K, and Fe) in new growth tissue. Most of the hybrid tea roses such as `Peace' and `Double Delight' died in at least three blocks due to disease and a lack of vigor.