In 1997, the first offering of the pecan management course was presented to interested growers. This initial offering was the product of a survey conducted across the industry in Oklahoma in 1996. The course covers integrated pecan management throughout the season and is taught with a combination of classroom discussion, orchard exercises and orchard visits. The course has been offered every year, except 2002, with no appreciable reduction in class numbers. The yearlong course is supported by the participants (registration fee), the Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association, the Southern Region SARE/ACE program, and the Oklahoma Integrated Pest Management program at Oklahoma State University (OSU). In 2001, an effort was initiated to expand the audience base participating in the course by constructing a pecan e-learning offering on the Internet. This idea surfaced out of conversation with private industry representatives that construct such websites. In 2002, OSU entered into contract with Agri Business Group (Indianapolis, IN) to create the first pecan e-learning short course. In 2003, this dream has become reality and testing of the e-learning prototype is currently underway. This innovative Extension offering has allowed for a distance education mechanism that has reduced demands on schedule and travel by instructors. In addition, this new offering represents a multi-level approach to teaching that permits the user to determine their entry level. It is accompanied by a self analysis post test at the end of each section. In 2004, OSU will offer the first e-learning course in conjunction with our hands-on workshop.
Species 1: Fagales Juglandaceae Carya illinoinensis (pecan)
Keywords: education, teaching
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