Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This report reflects partial output for the entire program and not just that completed by this minimal grant of $10,000. To manage the program and ensure proper communication on projects and programs, we held 19 of our own staff meetings and five joint meetings with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) pesticide staff, participated in the Michigan Agri-Business Association Pesticide Committee four times, MDARD's Pesticide Advisory Committee three times and EPA/SLA Pre-SFIREG meeting two times to share our program's activities, resources, plans and results. Some of the topics presented were: training updates including curriculum development, turning point and evaluation data; manual progress including exam item analysis for Turf manual; development and release of revised Ornamental, Mosquito, Seed Treatment manuals; and discussions on cooperating with other states in creating regional Aquatic, Right of Way and Aerial manuals. John Stone conducted 50 Core and category training workshops where he contacted 1,294 people directly and collected $22,982 in registration fees. We also received $27,306 in sales of manuals to support program activities. John and Antonio Castro-Escobar of MDARD attended the National Workshop "Using Audience Response (Turning Point) Systems in Delivering Training and Assessing Impacts" offered by National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Research Foundation (NASADRF). Attendees from PSEPs and SLAs received hands-on training in the use of Turning Point software to poll groups and assess impacts of training. Larry Olsen and Brian VerHougstraete of MDARD attended the NASDARF National "Exam Development Workshop" in Indianapolis, IN. They learned how to: improve skills and efficiency of those who develop and revise exams and convey the benefits of a comprehensive exam development program. On August 13-16 MSU PSEP and MDARD co-hosted the NC Region C & T Workshop. Topics included protection of pollinators, mini-bulk containers, sharing of manual development and exam questions, bedbug updates, You Tube training videos, soil fumigant training per EPA Phase II rules, temperature inversions, and dry vs. liquid measures. Tours include the DJ Angus research vessel in Grand Haven, MDOT roadside applications, and mini-bulk container emergency response. There were 38 participants and 5 guests. John modified the National Core PowerPoint for Michigan with new images. 50 DVDs were made and distributed to educators who attended the October 26 in-service training program. John uses these in his core credit program. Larry completed the item analysis of the Turfgrass (Category 3A) exam questions to determine their ability to measure competency for pesticide certification. A total of 150 questions were reviewed using 340 completed bubble sheets with "Grader 3" software. Criteria used to determine the usefulness of each question were overall difficulty and discrimination, questions with more people selecting the incorrect answer, questions where the discriminators were too strong (chosen too frequently) or too weak (not chosen enough), and percent of examiners selecting each option. PARTICIPANTS: INDIVIDUALS: L.G. Olsen. PI. Director of PSEP Program. Assisted in editing training materials, prepared grant and reports, interacted with cooperators, agencies and stakeholders. J. Stone, PSEP Coordinator. Developed training materials, conducted training programs, assisted in report writing, networking with cooperators, agencies and stakeholders. PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS: Michigan State University Extension - several educators; Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division; Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association - Kristen Fassee, Education Coordinator; Michigan Department of Transportation - Todd Rowley; Master Gardener Program - Mary Wilson; Michigan Aerial Applicators Association - Polly McKillop Executive Director and education committee; West Michigan Cluster of Land Conservatives; IPM in Schools Coalition, Sue Risley. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our primary audiences are restricted use pesticide applicators in Michigan, both private and commercial. We offer training programs to assist them to get initially certified or educational programs to get recertified with continuing education units. To assist Extension educators we also conduct in-service programs to provide them new and revised training materials that they can use when teaching the same audiences in the counties. State agency employees involved in pesticide issues attend our in-service training program. We participate in the MDARD Pesticide Advisory Committee, Michigan AgriBusiness Association Pesticide Committee and the Michigan Aerial Applicators Association education committee to share our program outputs and outcomes. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No changes in the program.
Impacts
These outcomes reflect effort for the entire program and not just that completed with funds provided by this minimal grant of $10,000. The following discussion is on the outcomes of four of the projects or programs we conducted this year. 1). In-service training: On October 26, 2011 an In-service program was held for 31 MSU Extension educators and MDARD PPPM staff. Presentations were given by Abbey Schwartz, MDCH; Brian Rowe, Gina Alessandri, Brian Verhougstraete, Gary King, Antonio Castro- Escobar and April Hunt, MDARD; John Stone and Larry Olsen, MSU PSEP. John Stone piloted the revised Michigan Core Manual DVD training with embedded Turning Point polling questions. Great feedback was received from the audience on the product according to the polling taken. Educators can now use the new materials and agreed to provide the PSEP program a share of their registration fees. The impact not measured could be the improvement in passing rate of the certification exam using the new materials. This will not be done because the grant was way too small to even consider conducting the project. 2). NC C&T Workshop: MSU PSEP and MDARD co-hosted the NC Region C & T Workshop in Grand Rapids, MI. The purpose of the workshop was to communicate current issues, share resources and learn about new program opportunities. The 38 participants completed surveys which showed that they felt all sessions were very informative. On a rating of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), the average score for all sessions was over 4.0. More than 80% of the participants said 'they will be able to use something from all presentations in their work'. The field trip on roadside application scored 4.7 showing a great interest in the topic. 3). Turf Exam Item Analysis: Larry completed the item analysis of the Turfgrass (Category 3A) exam questions to determine their ability to measure competency for pesticide certification. The major outcome was a recommendation to MDARD on 45 questions which need further review. This review should greatly improve the quality of the exam, improve the discrimination and reliability of the exam, increase the appropriateness of the exam to the learning objectives, increase the passing rate, improve the opinion of the exam by industry, and improve the defensibility of the exam process. Several other recommendations were provided to guide the proper creation of learning objectives, work activities, a manual outline and exam blueprint involving key stakeholders in every step. 4). Ornamental manual: The newly revised training manual was published and released for sale. A pool of exam questions was provided to MDARD for their use in administering the exam. Other states looked at the manual but felt it was too comprehensive for their use. An item analysis of the exam will be completed next year pending grant dollars from MDARD. This review should greatly improve the quality of the exam, improve the discrimination and reliability of the exam, increase the appropriateness of the exam to the learning objectives, increase the passing rate, improve the opinion of the exam by industry, and improve the defensibility of the exam process.
Publications
- Davis, T., Randall, C. and Brown-Rytlewski. D. (Eds). 2011 "Ornamental plant pest management: A guide for commercial applicators in category 3B". E-2291. Rev ed. East Lansing, MI. MSU Extension.
- Stone, J. 2012. "Michigan Core Pesticide Applicator Training Presentation". DVD. Pesticide Safety Education Program. MSU Extension.
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