Progress 09/01/04 to 11/30/07
Outputs
The project sought to provide additional resources for students in distance education courses in integrated pest management (IPM), particularly those working in the landscape maintenance industry, and to increase the efficiency of teaching and Extension by creating instructional materials in formats that serve both students and Extension clientele. Development of the modules evolved over the project period, with periodic meetings and discussions among the project team members to keep the focus on creating products that would be practical for students working in or entering the landscape maintenance industry. Despite the diversity of academic disciplines represented, the team kept in mind that the end product should be oriented to real world situations that require multidisciplinary problem solving, and be specifically focused on the student and practitioner interested in creating a true IPM service in the landscape maintenance sector. The main steps in the development
of the materials over the project period included the following: 1.) A team of state and county faculty was formed to develop the materials. 2.) Existing materials were compiled and reviewed. 3.) Those materials were presented to the team to utilize in preparing the new modules. Objectives of each module were developed, and several meetings were held to clarify the format and content. 4.) Initial drafts of the modules were developed. 5.) Industry representatives were asked to review these initial drafts. Their feedback was incorporated into the modules. 6.) An in-service training for horticulture Extension agents was conducted to present the modules and feedback requested from that group was further incorporated into the evolving modules. Having additional input from county Extension agents at this stage ensured that the team was on the right track in meeting students' needs for materials directly relevant to what they can accomplish when entering the landscaping industry. 7.) Several
meetings were held with the project team and distance education specialists at UF/IFAS Communication Services, where delivery methods and technological considerations were discussed. 8.) Modules were converted to interactive formats and audio was added. Quizzes and additional learning components also were added. 9.) Completed modules were reviewed by a team including industry representatives. 10.) Additional resources were compiled for inclusion in the CD set. 11.) Files were organized on the CDs with menus and internal links finalized. 12.) Final reviews and evaluation in courses are being conducted this semester and the dissemination plan outlined below will be followed. In addition to the electronic submission of this report, samples of the products developed during this project (the 2-CD set of training materials and resources) are being submitted by mail.
PRODUCTS: A 2-CD set of modules was developed that focuses on preventing pest problems and developing a knowledge-based IPM program. The emphasis in each of the modules is on preventing outbreaks of pests by understanding their interactions with the living and non-living components of their environments. Although these materials are related to landscape IPM, those general concepts can be applied to the teaching of IPM in other contexts and to plant related topics involving development of problem solving skills. In order to keep students with varied learning styles interested and engaged, a combination of delivery methods was included on the CD set. Modules were originally created as PowerPoint presentations but an emphasis was placed on making that format more interactive. A mix of alternative, mostly interactive formats was created, while maintaining the general look and navigation of a Powerpoint presentation with which students are familiar. Many of the slides were converted to
interactive elements and audio was added using the Articulate software, Presenter and Engage. Modules were published as Flash files. In addition to providing a versatile platform that avoided the need for additional software on the user's computer, the file format significantly reduced file size, thus allowing the inclusion of video and audio files without requiring many disks. All of the modules, including video segments, fit on two CDs, which is a much more practical format than the original plan for several DVDs of video files in addition to a CD. With the two-CD set, the user has everything in one place and can access the additional resources while going through the modules. Short video segments were included to highlight certain key practices and serve as reviews at the end of modules. Quiz questions and learning games of different types (true/false, multiple choice, multiple response, fill in the blank, matching and put events in order) were added at varying points within each
module and at the end of modules for review and evaluation. Review and evaluation exercises also included a crossword puzzle and interactive scenarios in which the student evaluates the situation and makes choices about how they would respond if encountering the situation while working in the field. Those scenarios provide feedback on the choices made and allow the students to gain practice in making decisions about how to manage pests in the landscape using information they observe or measure, including signs and symptoms of damage and environmental conditions. Also included on the CDs are background and reference information about landscape pests, IPM options, and plant selection, including a glossary of IPM terms that can be accessed from within other activities on the CD.
OUTCOMES: Since the goal was to produce materials to teach how to offer a new type of service while engaging the students in interactive exercises to maximize learning, the standard IPM materials that have been created in the past were not considered sufficient. Therefore, the project team devoted significant time to developing the most appropriate concepts in terms of both content and delivery, both of which evolved progressively over the course of the project. Although that process led to greater time being spent than anticipated, resulting in project delays, the end products were refined and improved. The outcome is a more interactive set of modules geared more to what students will face in the industry than were the initial versions. The process also resulted in the project team developing and refining additional skills that can be applied to their teaching and Extension activities. Those included both technological skills in learning new ways of presenting distance education
materials and learning new software, as well as advancing skills in taking research/technical information and finding ways of making it relevant to real world situations.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The dissemination plan is through both classroom instruction and Extension avenues. Once all refinements are made, the product will be provided to the 67 Extension offices in Florida and to the land grant institutions in the southern region. It will be made available to students and Green Industry personnel through the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore. By making the final products available as for-sale publications through the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore, they will be accessible to students, industry and other Extension clientele who have expressed an interest in using them. The resulting revenues can be used to fund duplication costs and future updates, thus ensuring that the project's benefits continue. The CDs initially will be provided at no charge to instructors of related distance education courses. The IPM Florida program is also connected to a regional and national IPM network through the state IPM Coordinators, and that network will continue to be
accessed for dissemination of information on availability of the products. In addition, a collaborative effort with the Louisiana State University Extension Service has developed over the project period that provides an additional avenue for evaluation and dissemination of the product.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: The project team is dedicated to continuing to refine and evaluate the product in formal course settings this spring. Once the final versions are completed, it will also be made available to Extension agents for training of landscape maintenance personnel and disseminated widely. While reviewing these modules, the Florida Landscape Maintenance Association (LMA) has expressed an interest in using some of them to train their members in IPM. The modules will be used by the members and an exam will be developed based on the material. Successful completion of this exam will make LMA members certified as IPM practitioners who will help to disseminate this information to their customers.
Impacts
This project was based on the concept that landscape maintenance providers would offer a separate service for IPM that would mean a change in how they typically operate. That required a new way of thinking about the presentation of their training materials. A more complete focus on preventing pests also required a shift in the way that pest management materials have typically been presented in both IPM related university courses and in industry training. In addition, the focus on providing materials that are interactive and engaging for the students, instead of relying on PowerPoint presentations, also required a greater time investment in developing the content. Discussions among members of the group of state and county faculty who developed the modules ultimately led to a greater understanding of the needs of students who are involved in or are entering this very applied field. The project also provided a learning experience for graduate students involved with the
IPM Florida program who assisted in development of the materials. Additional positive impacts will be seen in the future once the products are fully distributed and will continue to be monitored as a result of this project. These impacts will include having graduates who are better able to enter the workforce with an understanding of IPM for landscapes, knowledge increasingly in demand. Those impacts will also include having more effective classroom and distance teaching as the project team continues to utilize the additional skills they have learned during the project.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
This project involves developing supplementary instructional materials to be used to enhance distance education courses and professional training in the field of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for urban landscapes. Based on a hands-on short course for Extension that is being developed simultaneously, the project is producing a CD-ROM that includes an interactive case exercise in addition to other materials, and a DVD that will take the viwer through the whole course and provide supplementary exercises. Many of the students who will be using these products will later seek jobs in the pest management industry, many specifically with landscape pest management firms, so making the products relevant to the industry's situation while at the same time providing the latest science-based training to improve industry performance in IPM is very important. In order to develop products that are truly relevant and useful to the students using them, spending enough time on the
planning portion of this project has been essential, as has involving the extension agents who work with pest management professionals. In addition, the need to bring together expertise from around the state and make use of the best of the landscape IPM materials already produced has required an emphasis during this first year on planning the overall structure of the materials as well as the details of the contents. Therefore, the first year's activities have focused on developing content for the products and getting support and buy-in from the participants in Extension who are critical to making the products relevant to the students' ultimate professional needs. See the section below on products for details of progress on the activities. The project has experienced some delays from the proposed timeline and more time than anticipated has been spent on planning the materials, but it is anticipated that that will lead to more effective products and outcomes. In addition, prior to the
start of the project, the PI moved to a different position within UF/IFAS that focuses on landscaping education. That move does not affect the project other than to provide access to additional resources and outlets for dissemination of the products.
PRODUCTS: The final products will be the CD-ROM and the DVD, including the accompanying materials kit, with supplies for completing the activities in each module. As described above, the progress made so far has been in developing content through garnering participation from state and county faculty and synthesizing the information into detailed draft modules. Activities and progress made during the first year include: 1. Several meetings with project planning team to plan and begin design of the materials. 2. Several meetings with IFAS Communication Services' distance education group, which is carrying out the technical development of the products, to discuss options and plan details of the products. 3. Disseminating information about the project to extension agents by giving presentations at regional horticulture agent meetings and in-service trainings and distributing information through email list-servs. The presentations described the project and the future products that will
available and solicited additional participants and sharing of materials that agents have developed. This has resulted in several key faculty participating in the project and the availability of a wide range of materials for incorporation into the products. 4. Gathering of materials on landscape IPM that have already been developed by state and county faculty throughout the state. This has constituted a large portion of the time spent on the project so far, but it is anticipated that this approach will allow the team to put together the final materials in a more efficient way. 5. Development of draft modules with details of content to be included for each and activities and materials to be included in the kits that will accompany the DVD. 6. Scheduling of an in-service training for county faculty, to cover the short course and materials developed through this grant to complement both the short course and university courses on IPM. Funding from UF/IFAS Extension was secured for this
training, which is scheduled for May 2006. Feedback from extension faculty on the materials for further refinement will also be solicited during this event.
OUTCOMES: The outcomes will not be able to be measured until the products have been finalized. The principal outcome to be measured, increased knowledge gained by students using the supplementary materials, will be evaluated by student performance during an IPM course in which the materials are used once the products are completed.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The project has been explained on numerous occasions to extension agents, both to inform them of upcoming products that will be useful in both IPM classes for university students and for extension training of pest management professionals, and also to solicit their input and sharing of related materials. These preliminary dissemination activities during the first year have served to increase awareness of the products that will be available.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: Beyond the funding period, the materials developed will continue to be used in teaching and Extension training of current and future landscape professionals. Dissemination of information about the materials as a resource for these audiences will continue, and to increase accessibility, the materials will be placed on a website on Florida-friendly (environmentally sound) landscaping for the public, professionals and students.
Impacts
Once the materials are used by students in the field of landscape IPM, the landscape maintenance industry in Florida and the region will benefit by having more employees trained in research-based IPM practices. The public will benefit by greater numbers of landscape maintenance firms offering IPM services. During this first year of the project, an emphasis was placed on planning of the materials and detailed content, in order to maximize that future impact.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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