The effectiveness of Internet or online training was compared to traditional classroom training in the Master Gardener Core Course/Horticulture 1003 at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul. Overall horticultural knowledge was significantly greater for both groups in posttest results, and there was no significant difference in horticultural knowledge between the two groups. Online learners did not perceive the lack of instructor face-to-face interaction to be as important as did classroom participants. Online learners also placed a greater value on flexibility of class time and no commuting. Both groups spent approximately 75 hours on the class. However, 20% of classroom participants' time was commuting. Online training was an effective method for teaching Master Gardeners in this study.
) reported video modules to be better than actual live classroom situations in knowledge transfer as students responded more positively to personalized video presentations. Some studies have documented significant educational advantages to online instruction
(network or internet etiquette) along with rules adapted from the Rules of Netiquette ( Ross, 1990 ). In all classes, content delivered in the classroom (live or online) helps students to learn the theory and skills needed for the hands-on application of
producer program as a traditional live classroom and subsequently as an asynchronous online program. For more information on developing the online program, please consult the companion article ( Marble et al., 2016 ). Materials and methods Advantages
valuable repository for online instructional materials that will be used in classrooms, laboratories, and outreach education by horticulture professionals and the general public.” The development goals of the HortIM ™ System were to 1) Inform authors about
the United States. Nursery management and production involves an understanding of fundamental principles as well as practical operations. A traditional NMP course includes classroom lectures and observation of actual production systems and operations
Hybrid teaching refers to course delivery through a blend of traditional, face-to-face teaching, along with online instruction outside of the classroom ( Hino and Kahn, 2016 ). Incorporating online components can allow educators to reach a greater
online course for credit ( Jaschik and Lederman, 2017 ), distance education was found comparable or even superior to traditional classroom teaching ( Driscol et al., 2012 ; Means et al., 2010 ). Many instructors struggle with keeping students engaged
A distance learning homepage at: http://www.bsi.vt.edu/welbaum/hort4764/ was created to teach an introductory college-level course on vegetable crops to students at Virginia Tech. The course was created to serve students in the horticulture program at Virginia Beach, Va., students in the Commonwealth who cannot take classes on the Blacksburg campus, and students on the Blacksburg campus who could not schedule the classroom-based course. The course is not selfpaced, but directs students through 44 lessons on various topics including detailed descriptions of 28 different vegetables. The site is primarily in HTML format with archived student projects and old exams in PDF format. Audio clips are used to emphasis key information and to add a personal touch. There are >550 pictures and descriptions of vegetables and vegetable crop production linked to the website. Students can be examined using a computer testing system call Whizquiz that grades and corrects each exam. “Web Forum” software enables online discussion among students and the instructor. Discussion sessions have been successfully conducted between students and guests at distant locations. Links are provided to over 25 other websites with information on vegetable crops. The project was funded by a USDA/CSREES Higher Education Challenge Grant.
The Univ. of Connecticut has designed a website that will help facilitate the learning of landscape plant material. The main objective of this site is to help students taking plant identification courses in New England's land-grant universities and one private college. Virtual Campus Plant Walks have been developed to address budget constraints, student demands for technology integration in the classroom and to make use of the pedagogical benefits of the internet medium. The Virtual Campus Plant Walks are on-line walks that have detailed pictures and information given during actual plant walks done in each plant identification laboratory. Students are able to retake the walks at their own pace, reevaluate a plant they are having trouble remembering, or take the walk over the internet for the first time if they were unable to attend lab. Students will now be able to study plant material whenever they want, regardless of the time of day or weather. The educational validity of the walks has been tested for three semesters and the results are favorable. Surveys reveal that 80% believe the website improved their grades and 76% claimed the website decreased their study time. This evidence will promote the continued and expanded use of the website.