Licensed pest control advisors (PCAs) play an increasingly central role in pest management decision-making, but relatively few public resources are directed toward PCA training. To address this gap, UC SAREP developed the University of California's first fully web-based PCA training course. This pilot course is an asynchronous tutorial, designed to accommodate PCAs in remote areas who do not have fast internet connections. All quizzes and exams are taken on the internet and automatically graded, and continuing education credits are accrued electronically. The course makes extensive use of interactive elements, and incorporates constructivist educational theories. It features an embedded training video on leafhopper sampling techniques, and an experimental, inquiry-based unit that simulates a realistic pest management problem. Here we present the first-year evaluation of the course. Users were surveyed to assess the course's practicality, educational value relative to other training options, and technical problems. Implications for the future of similar on-line courses will be discussed.
Species 1: Rhamnales Vitaceae Vitus vinifera (grapes)
Species 2: Homoptera Cicadellidae Erythroneura elegantula (western grape leafhopper)
Species 3: Homoptera Pseudococcidae Pseudococcus maritimus (grape mealybug)
Keywords: internet, education
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