Gardening, horticulture and agriculture
courses are offered by many online schools. Soil preparation, plant
propagation, weed control, pest control, composting and planting are
just a few of the numerous class topics available online under these
headings. Many schools see the advantages of offering these classes
through online delivery systems, as they work out the issues of lab
access and group participation.
Several schools have now added horticulture classes online both for
personal enrichment and for certification purposes. Traditionally, when a
student enrolls in a horticulture course, there are several classes
required within each specific course. These would include the classroom
lecture, the lab or hands-on participation and interaction with a group
of students taking the same course. Because of technical advancements in
computer software, schools can now offer these classes in an online
setting.
Lectures can now be uploaded to the Internet in several formats.
Students can log online to read, listen, watch or any combination of the
three. Assignments can be given, which provide instruction for hands-on
participation at home or in a community setting with testing or
scientific results being emailed back by the student. Group interaction
can be satisfied by a student and/or instructor blog, where they can
interact with their peers and talk about any failures and successes in
their labs. This advancement in learning without actually having to be
on campus, can only assist people in their lifelong learning.
People who want to further their knowledge in gardening for no other
reason than to grow better fruits, vegetables and flowers can take
classes online at their own pace. These kind of classes are posted for
continuous viewing at the convenience of the student. There may or may
not be questions or quizzes at the completion of the class. Examples of
these classes would include planning a garden, preparing a garden,
getting rid of pests or weeds, how much to water plants and planting
seeds.
Horticulture Distance Learning
Students interested in online horticulture courses will need to abide
by the same criteria as on-campus students, such as mandatory grade
point average and tuition charges. These online horticulture courses
usually run six to ten weeks, just like on-campus courses. Learning
takes place through online lectures, discussion, virtual field trips and
quizzes. Course examples for this type of online learning can include
organic gardening and plant propagation.
Master Gardener Core Course/Horticulture for the Home and Garden
With the advancement of the internet, community extension offices
have put together master gardening courses, which are available online,
for experienced gardeners who are interested in sharing their knowledge
with others. This type of course trains gardeners who want to volunteer
to work in their communities, teaching people about horticulture. Any
interested member of a community can become a member of their local
extension office and apply to be enrolled in a master gardener's course
These courses are usually given in the winter, with registration opening
sometime in September. Upon completion of the core course and
internship, students become Certified Master Gardeners.
Online Program for Beginning Farmers
Some agriculture schools have found it beneficial to their
communities to offer online classes to students who are or would like to
become farmers. These courses are given only in the winter when
harvesting has been completed. Students will have an opportunity to log
on to college pages to read lectures and complete questions to solidify
what they have learned. Topics change weekly, which promotes dialogue
between students on the college blog. Live seminars are frequently given
by special guests who are experts in the field being discussed. Links
are provided to students who wish to listen live. Seminars are also
posted for those who are not available for the real time lecture. Topics
being discussed include evaluating resources, selling product,
marketing product and how to get started in farming. These topics
fluctuate depending on the school.
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