A Tale of Three Cities: Student perspectives on a hybrid live-distance IPM class

Using a combined format of classroom and distance education technology, students at the University of Kentucky, South Dakota State University, and the University of Arkansas were jointly enrolled in “Advanced Applied IPM Entomology” for the spring of 2015. All three institutions offered an Integrated Pest Management course, but due to low intra-departmental enrollment the course had not been recently taught at any of the three locations. The objective of this course was to give students at all the universities an opportunity to analyze and discuss IPM issues and case histories. Throughout the semester, students observed and experienced several advantages and disadvantages of an online, multi-institutional class format. The experiences and feedback of the students who have taken this hybrid online entomology course will add to the breadth of online educational knowledge and can specifically help entomology instructors who are considering adapting a course for distance learning.