Source: UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS submitted to
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS FOR IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
SERD GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0200229
Grant No.
2004-38411-14738
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2004-02803
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2004
Project End Date
Jul 31, 2006
Grant Year
2004
Program Code
[ER.P3]- (N/A)
Project Director
Evans, M. R.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
(N/A)
FAYETTEVILLE,AR 72703
Performing Department
HORTICULTURE
Non Technical Summary
Despite their educational value, economics and logistics have greatly reduced or eliminated the ability of instructors of greenhouse management and controlled environment agriculture to use field trips or on-site visits as educational tools. We are proposing to develop new virtual field trips (VFT's) as innovative curricular materials that will allow instructors to demonstrate to students the most recent advances in facilities, technologies and management strategies used in greenhouse management and controlled environment agriculture. These VFT's will provide a cost-effective alternative to field trips and improving learning.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90360993020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
Due to logistical and budget limitations, and despite their value in the educational process, it has become increasingly difficult if not impossible to include on-site visits or field trips in the educational process. To address this problem, we will develop fourteen (14) DVD-based virtual field trips (VFT's) to provide access to learning experiences to which students in greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture (GCEA) would otherwise not have access. The VFT's will be interactive and include video with a preface, self-examination, teacher's guides and case studies. We will also evaluate the effectiveness of the VFT's for improving student learning. The VFT's will be provided to instructors at all U.S. Land Grant and 1890's universities. This will be the first attempt to solve the problems that instructors face with respect to providing field trips in GCEA classes. Additionally, this project will improve education equity by providing these learning experiences to all students regardless of their institution's location or technological capacity. This project will also serve as a model for other areas of agriculture where on-site visits are important but difficult to provide. The overall result of this project should be a more cost effective way for instructors to provide the benefits derived from field trips to students and improved student learning.
Project Methods
Fourteen virtual field trips (VFT's) will be developed. The sites were selected primarily based upon the types of structures and the technologies used at each location. Secondary consideration was given to the location in the U.S. and the types of crops grown. Each VFT will include a three-part DVD-based video. The first part of each VFT will be a preface designed to provide students with background on the company and location. The preface will also be designed to prepare the students for the important concepts and types of technology about which they will learn during the tour. The body of the VFT will be a tour of the location and will be approximately 24 minutes in length. The tour will be used to demonstrate facilities, structures, systems, technologies and management strategies. In this portion of the VFT, we will pay particular attention to explaining and demonstrating structures and technologies and how these are utilized in the companies' management strategies (i.e. reducing costs, improving quality, meeting environmental standards, etc.). The third part of the VFT will be a self-examination of approximately 4 minutes in length. In the self-examination, a narrator will pose a question to the students. The question will appear on the screen. After a pause of approximately 20 seconds, a section of video will appear in a split screen and replay to provide the correct answer. For each VFT, a 3 - 4 page printed teacher's guide will be developed that will provide instructors with additional background information on the company, additional examination questions, potential discussion questions and case study questions. Initially 70 copies will be available at no cost to instructors at any U.S. Land Grant and 1890's institutions teaching classes in GCEA. Those receiving the VFT's at no cost will be requested to participate in an evaluation survey. After the project is completed, other public institutions, private universities, community colleges, international institutions, corporations or others will be allowed to purchase copies of the VFT's. The quality of each VFT will be evaluated using two methods. The first method will utilize a peer review process of each VFT in which instructors obtaining and using the VFT's will complete a survey to determine whether the VFT's adequately presented the information of interest. The second method of evaluation will be used to determine the learning value of each VFT. At the locations of the team members (University of Arkansas, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University, and Oklahoma State University) the students in the GCEA classes (or equivalent) will be randomly divided into two populations. Both populations will receive the same information in the lecture. However, in the laboratory, half of the class will take the examination seven days after participating in the VFT and half the class will take an examination (related to the content of the respective VFT) before seeing the VFT.

Progress 09/01/04 to 07/31/06

Outputs
Economics and logistics have greatly reduced or eliminated the ability of instructors of greenhouse management and controlled environment agriculture to use field trips or on-site visits as educational tools. To address this problem, we developed a multi-institutional team that produced fifteen (15) DVD-based virtual field trips (VFTs) for instructors to use in demonstrating to students the most up-to-date facilities, technologies and management strategies used in greenhouse management (ornamental and food crops) and controlled environment agriculture (GCEA). Each VFT included an introduction to the business and location, a tour of the location, and a self-examination. Each VFT, had menu options that allowed an instructor to play the VFT from beginning to end, select specific chapters or select specific topics within the VFT. For each VFT, a teacher guide was included that provided a case study regarding the location to enhance student learning. The VFTs ranged from 16 minutes to 42 minutes in length. The locations for the VFTs were selected to provide a broad range of facilities, climates and cropping systems. The operations and locations included Eurofresh Farms, Willcox, AZ; Wayne Smith Greenhouses, Brookhaven, MS; Klassic Beauty, Homestead, FL; Hines Horticulture, Homestead, FL; AgriStarts, Apopka, FL; Sun Gro Horticulture, Pine Bluff, AR and Seba Beach, Canada; Sun Valley Floral, Arcata, CA; California Masterplant, Tracy, CA; Bachman Greenhouses, Minneapolis, MN; Wagner Greenhouses, Minneapolis, MN; Len Busch Roses, Plymouth, MN; Glass Corner Greenhouses, Grand Rapids MI; C. Raker and Sons Greenhouses, Grand Rapids, MI; Metrolina Greenhouses, Charlotte, NC; and Van Wingerden International, Fletcher, NC. The types of cropping systems included vegetable transplant production, ornamental transplant production (plugs), hydroponic vegetable production, containerized ornamental plant production, annual bedding plant production, vegetative annual rooting, cut flower production and root substrate production. Among the numerous types of facilities and technologies documented were types of greenhouse structures, fertilization systems, irrigation systems, water-purification systems, benching systems, types of greenhouse glazings, container-filling machines, automatic seeding and transplanting equipment, germination chambers, tracking and shipping technology, digital imaging technology for spacing and grading, high-intensity discharge lighting and hydroponic production systems. Each Land Grant and 1890s institution teaching greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture was provided with a set of the VFTs at no charge. Other education entities will be allowed to purchase the VFTs with any net revenues being used to produce future VFTs. PRODUCTS: Fifteen (15) DVD-based virtual field trips were produced and distributed. Additionally one (1) DVD containg teacher guides were produced and distributed. OUTCOMES: We developed and distributed fifteen (15) DVD-based virtual field trips (VFTs) for instructors to use in demonstrating to students the most up-to-date facilities, technologies and management strategies used in greenhouse management (ornamental and food crops) and controlled environment agriculture (GCEA). These products are now available to instructors at land-grant and 1890's institutions. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Two presentations regarding the project were made at the annual meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Sciene (2006) and one presentation was made at the International Horticulture Society meeting (2006. Each Land Grant and 1890s institution teaching greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture was provided with a set of the VFTs at no charge. Other education entities will be allowed to purchase the VFTs with any net revenues being used to produce future VFTs. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Each Land Grant and 1890s institution teaching greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture was provided with a set of the VFTs at no charge. Other education entities will be allowed to purchase the VFTs with any net revenues being used to produce future VFTs.

Impacts
The VFTs developed through this project will assist instructors of greenhouse management and controlled environment agriculture to improve undergraduate education. Instructors will be able to demonstrate the most up-to-date facilities, technologies and management strategies used in greenhouse management (ornamental and food crops) and controlled environment agriculture. Previously, instructors in most areas of the U.S. would, due to logistics or economics, have been unable visually demonstrate this type of information to students. The result of this project will be enhanced learning for students in greenhouse management and controlled enviroment agriculture.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05

Outputs
The team has traveled to thirteen (13) locations in Arizona, Mississippi, Minnesota, Florida, California, North Carolina, Arkansas and Canada to film locations. The team has completed nine (9) DVD-based virtual field trips that are ready to be distributed to instructors of greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture at U.S. land grant institutions. The team also received an additional grant ($15,000) from the private sector in support of this project. These additional funds will be used to produce an additonal virtual field trip. All virtual field trips should be completed by May 31, 2006. PRODUCTS: The team has completed nine (9) DVD-based virtual field trips that are ready to be distributed to instructors of greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture at U.S. land grant institutions. OUTCOMES: The outcomes of the project will be assessed after the completion, distribution and use of the products. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The DVD-based virtual field trips will be distributed to all instructors of greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture at U.S. land grant institutions. FUTURE INITIATIVES: During the next 4 months the team will complete the virtual field trips and evaluate the educational value of the products.

Impacts
The virtual field trips will be used by instructors of greenhouse management and controlled environment agriculture to improve the undergraduate educational experience.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 09/01/04 to 07/30/05

Outputs
The team has traveled to eight (8) locations in Arizona, Mississippi, Minnesota and Florida to film locations. The team has completed seven (7) DVD-based virtual field trips that are ready to be distributed to instructors of greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture at U.S. land grant institutions. The team also received an additional grant ($15,000) from the private sector in support of this project. These additional funds will be used to produce an additional virtual field trip. PRODUCTS: The team has completed seven (7) DVD-based virtual field trips that are ready to be distributed to instructors of greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture at U.S. land grant institutions. OUTCOMES: The outcomes of the project will be assessed after the completion, distribution and use of the products. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The DVD-based virtual field trips will be distributed to all instructors of greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture at U.S. land grant institutions. FUTURE INITIATIVES: During the next 10 months the team will complete the virtual field trips and evaluate the educational value of the products.

Impacts
Seven (7) DVD-based virtual field trips have been completed. These products will be used by instructors of greenhouse and controlled environment agriculture to improve the educational experience of students.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period