INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Greenhouse Management Course Offered Online
A lecture presentation as it appears to students online. This close-up shot of a commercial bedding plant seeder in action is an example from the automation lesson in the Greenhouse Technology module.
Topics related to commercial greenhouse construction and management have always been combined into one very busy Floriculture Crops course. Now, with support, resources, and enthusiasm at both the departmental and college for distance education courses, an online course is dedicated to an in-depth look at greenhouse management, according to Holly Scoggins, associate professor of horticulture.
The Center for Innovation in Learning (CIL) provided funds for Scoggins to develop basic PowerPoint lectures, which are a combination of key points and images. Elaine Oliver, Web designer in Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resources Information Technology added voice-overs recorded by Joyce Latimer, state Extension specialist for greenhouse crops, to the slides. The result is a well-paced, visually pleasing learning experience.
"I was a bit self-conscious of my rather nasal twang and lingering Georgia accent," said Scoggins. "Joyce agreed to lend her pleasantly soothing voice to many of the lectures. She also contributed course content related to her areas of specialty."
The course is divided into seven modules of three to four lectures each. Topics range from greenhouse design and construction to controlling pests and pathogens. The "off-line" project for the course requires the student to visit and interview a commercial greenhouse owner or manager. There's no better way to get a feel for the business than to discuss with an active participant the joys, trials, and tribulations inherent in the industry.
The opportunity to take a course completely independent of campus has attracted a diverse group of students over the past three years. Campus-based undergraduates comprise the majority, but non-traditional, off-campus students, including the manager of the research and development greenhouses of Philip Morris USA in Richmond, a horticulture teacher for Portsmouth Public Schools, an ornamentals nursery owner, and a graduate student in the Hampton Roads AREC Horticulture master's program have also taken the class. Obviously, not all courses are suitable for distance education. And not all students are suited to this type of learning - it takes a good deal of self-discipline to keep up. But, education is about opportunity, and distance education simply opens another door; and in this case, it's a glass door.