Progress 07/01/06 to 06/30/09
Outputs
Three New Mexico Hispanic Serving Institutions, Dona Ana Community College, (DACC), a two-year community college, New Mexico State University (NMSU), a state university and Central New Mexico College, a two-year college partnered to create landscape irrigation courses that were delivered via distance or traditionally. An outdoor landscape irrigation classroom also was built at the Fabian Garcia Science Center on the New Mexico State University campus. Both four-year and two-year college students were enrolled in the new courses. Eighteen students were trained in the new irrigation classes that were created and seventy high school students participated in irrigation audit events. One instructor and three students were certified as irrigation auditors. A team of undergraduate students competed in a national completion on irrigation assembly. One graduate student was trained on this project. A guide on how to plan, setup and conduct an irrigation audit for high school students was created. Future activities will include the development of articulation agreements for the newly developed courses across the three institutions. PRODUCTS: An irrigation class curriculum was developed and synchronized across Central New Mexico College and New Mexico State University. Two new irrigation courses (HORT 200 and HORT 450) were developed and taught at New Mexico State University. We equipped one classroom with a Polycom video conferencing system. This system was setup at the west side campus of Central New Mexico College. An outdoor irrigation classroom was built at the Fabian Garcia Science Center on the New Mexico State University campus. The classroom was equipped with four irrigation stations, weather-controlled irrigation controllers and low flow sensors. Classes on irrigation auditing were held at the site. One instructor and two students received certification as a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditors (CLIA) from the Irrigation Association. The Irrigation Association is one of the premier membership organizations in the United States for irrigation equipment and system manufacturers, dealers, distributors, designers, consultants, contractors and end users. The irrigation Association includes over 2,000 corporate and individual members and is dedicated to promoting efficient irrigation. Central New Mexico and New Mexico State University purchased Irrigation Audit kits from the Irrigation Association. These kits were used in class field audits. Irrigation audit classes were conducted at three New Mexico high schools: Mayfield High School in Las Cruces, Animas High School in Animas and Tularosa High School, in Tularosa. OUTCOMES: The installation of the Polycom system allowed course content material to be delivered synchronously and interactively across remote sites. Eighteen students received instruction in the new irrigation classes that were created. Five people were certified as Irrigation Auditors. Seventy high school students participated in irrigation audit classes. A guide on how to plan, setup and conduct an irrigation audit for high school students was created. Six students from NMSU attended Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) conference and competed in the Irrigation Assembly competition at North Metro Tech College in Acworth, Georgia. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: A guide on how to plan, setup and conduct an irrigation audit for high school students was created. Irrigation audit materials were distributed to participating schools. Instructors liaised with educational outreach managers at irrigation conferences in San Antonio, Texas and San Diego, California where curriculum materials were exchanged. Project team reviewed Irrigation Industry recruitment brochure and made suggestions for improvement. A newspaper article about an irrigation audit class was published in the Hidalgo Herald, "Water auditing workshop given in Animas", by Starla Richins, Hidalgo Herald, volume 9, Issue 18, Page 9: May 1, 2009. FUTURE INITIATIVES: In the future, articulation agreements for the newly developed courses will be developed. The newly developed outdoor classroom will be used to demonstrate contemporary technologies in outdoor water conservation. Irrigation field days for the general public to show simple ways of efficiently irrigating the urban environment will be conducted. An outdoor classroom will be developed at the Westside Campus of Central New Mexico College.
Impacts
A multi-institutional project was successfully developed to enhance irrigation teaching and training at three institutions of higher learning. An outdoor irrigation classroom was constructed and is being used as a site for irrigation training for high school and college students. Future plans involve making the site available for training the general public on contemporary issues of water conservation in the urban environment. Several new irrigation classes and course modules were developed to improve student instruction in landscape irrigation. Both four-year and two-year college students and high school students were participants in those new courses. One class was delivered via distance which allowed place-bound students to take an irrigation class at a four-year institution. A multi-media instructional system was installed and this will allow irrigation courses to be offered synchronously to remote sites. Media releases about this project as well as an invitation for the project team to review recruitment materials for the irrigation industry show that this project has had an impact beyond the core participant institutions.
Publications
- Richins, S. 2009. Water auditing workshop given in Animas. Hidalgo Herald, Vol. 9 (18) Page 9, May 1, 2009.
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Progress 07/01/06 to 06/30/07
Outputs
During the first year of this project, three New Mexico Hispanic Serving Institutions, Dona Ana Branch Community College, (DABCC), New Mexico State University (NMSU), and Central New Mexico College (CNM) implemented an educational model that will strengthen landscape irrigation teaching and training among agriculture programs. This collaboration will strengthen the irrigation curriculum at each institution because course modules are being developed collaboratively and instructional expertise is being shared. A 6050 square feet outdoor irrigation classroom was equipped. The classroom consists of four irrigation stations complete with 110-volt power supply and a two-inch water mainline to each station. The site provides easy access to students that want to test irrigation controllers or install underground irrigation systems. Students will benefit from this approach because their irrigation skills will be developed in a real world setting.
PRODUCTS: One distance education course and one regular course (authorized as a special topic) in landscape irrigation were created and will be offered in fall 2007 from NMSU and CNM college. Seven students are currently enrolled in the courses. Four off-campus sites will also receive course content. Based on the number of sites that indicated a willingness to receive course content, the potential course enrollment is 36. Course content will be placed online on the project's website.
OUTCOMES: A major expected outcome of the project is to foster professional development of students and faculty through certification. One instructor at the CNM was certified as a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor. While another instructor at NMSU has successfully passed the two parts of the three part exam for the Certified Irrigation Designer. Certification ensures that the instructors have been trained to meet industry standards. Instructors from all three institutions met with representatives from the irrigation industry while developing the current irrigation curriculum. The industry has provided educational materials such as irrigation controllers.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: One project website has been created and course modules are being uploaded to the website. A presentation of the project activities was given at the National Academy of Sciences leadership summit in Washington, DC. Industry representatives have been contacted and informed of the project. Cards that outlining the main project objective as well as the contact information of the co-project directors were distributed the industry representatives at the annual irrigation show in San Antonio, Texas.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: Future initiatives of the project will be to create animated tools to enhance irrigation instructional modules.
Impacts
Three new irrigation courses have been created. For the first time, landscape horticulture students at New Mexico State Universtiy can take a course dedicated to landscape irrigation. Course instructors have progressed to meeting industry mandated standards through certification. A greater link has been forme between the irrigation industry and the agriculture programs at the three institutions.
Publications
- St. Hilaire, R., J.M. Thompson and P.Z. Zalesak. 2006. A model to enhance the transition of students from a two-year college to a four-year university: The case of landscape horticulture. Program of a leadership summit to effect change in teaching in learning by the National Academy of Science, page 5.
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