Illinois Fertilizer
Conference Proceedings
January 26-28, 2006
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Q.B. Rund
1
The primary objective of this project is to repurpose the content of the Potash & Phosphate Institute's Soil Fertility Manual into interactive self-study modules which would qualify for continuing education units (CEUs) for the certified crop adviser (CCA) program in the educational area of soil and water management.
Because Soil and Water CEUs can be some of the more difficult modules to come by, it was decided to adapt some of the materials from the Soil Fertility Manual to meet the objectives of the Soil and Water educational area. The initial task has been to review the Soil Fertility Manual chapters and decide which content would be suitable for this task.
After reviewing the Manual, it was decided to adapt the chapters on N, P, and K along with some associated material from additional chapters to create the three modules for this project. The modules will be offered to CCAs via an internet web site (http://ceu.farmresearch.com). CCAs will be able to complete the module online and take a quiz to check their understanding and qualify to receive continuing education units for completing the module.
FREC funds are being used to create these modules from the Soil Fertility Manual, a tested and respected publication which already resides on the shelves of many fertilizer dealers, researchers, and agronomists throughout the state. This project takes the content of the Soil Fertility Manual and molds it into a series of interactive training modules which provide a ready reference for CCAs and others.
While the modules will be offered for a fee, a discounted fee will be applied to Illinois CCAs taking these modules, with express credit given to FREC for underwriting a portion of the development costs.
The final report of the project will include the timeline of development of the modules, summary results of actual test takers, and evaluation forms of those who completed at least one module.
There are two main reasons this work is needed:
This project will continue to develop the concept of the online self-study module in Illinois. It will gather usage and opinion data regarding the modules which could be used in developing further modules in other areas. It will give timelines for development and a roadmap for testing and releasing later modules.
This project will be used to offset development costs anticipated for the creation of self-study modules from successful print publications. The budget reflects the anticipated cost of development for each module. This should encourage CCAs to experiment with the concept of online self-study CEUs.
The primary benefactors of this project will be Illinois CCAs and anyone interested in learning more about soil and water management in Illinois.
The purpose of the Potash & Phosphate Institute (PPI) Soil Fertility Manual is to help fertilizer dealers, crop advisers, Extension workers, consultants, teachers and agronomists give farmers sound agronomic advice. The manual provides the reader with a working knowledge of essential soil-plant relationships, principles of nutrient management and the use of aglime, and a discussion of the unique balance of agriculture and the environment. It provides answers to common questions, and studied carefully, will motivate the reader to further learning and understanding about the fundamentals of crop production.
PPI first published the Soil Fertility Manual about 27 years ago. The latest, the 5th edition, published in 2004 consists of eleven chapters, a glossary, and two appendices.
Soil Fertility Manual Chapters
1. Concepts Soil Fertility and ProductivityIn addition to the Soil Fertility Manual itself, PPI has developed slide sets and videos to go with each chapter. The Soil Fertility Manual has been used as a self-study guide and to provide the basis for short courses or soil fertility workshops. It has also been used as a supplement to university textbooks.
The goal of this project is to repurpose the content of the manual, along with the associated materials, into self-study modules for CCAs in the area of Soil and Water Management. The modules would be delivered via an Internet web site. Students (CCAs and others) could take the module online and complete an online graded quiz at the end of the module to receive continuing education credit for taking the course.
PAQ Interactive, Inc. is contracted to create the online self-study modules. FAR and PPI are involved in the review of the self-study modules to ensure technical accuracy and publication standards. PAQ has taken the content from the Soil Fertility Manual and the associated slide sets and videos and created the online self-study modules.
PAQ is working with FAR and PPI to develop learning objectives for each module and build the self-study modules to meet these objectives. The learning objectives tie in with the performance objectives outlined by the CCA program - particularly in the area of Soil and Water Management. The learning objectives then guide the development of the modules.
PAQ began with the text from the Soil Fertility Manual. PAQ divided the text into topics of information that can be digested readily over the web. In support of the text will be the slides and graphics that relate to the topic. Video was digitized, broken into segments that can be streamed over the internet, and inserted where it helps to demonstrate a concept more fully than either text or graphics.
In this manner, the modules appeal to a wide variety of learning styles. Students keen on visual learning will have graphics and video. Students who prefer to read will have the text.
Each module has a quiz that the student needs to successfully complete in order to get continuing education credit for the module. The quizzes are being developed by PAQ and PPI to demonstrate the student's grasp of the stated learning objectives for the module. The quizzes will be taken and graded online so that the CCAs could instantly see the results. PPI and PAQ are working with the American Society of Agronomy to electronically file the results of the quiz and the appropriate CEUs earned with the ICCA program.
The online quiz requires CCAs to enter their CCA number in order to receive credit for the module. Based on the CCA number, the system will determine if the CCA is from Illinois. If the CCA is from Illinois a discount will be applied to the fee for the course. The discount would reflect the support of FREC in underwriting a portion of the development costs for the module.
The plan was to have the three modules completed by June 30, 2006.
FAR has recently been the recipient of a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA to develop regional Best Management Practices for N, P, & K. In discussing module development with FAR and PPI it was decided to try to develop these modules in conjunction with the USDA project. As the BMPs are being reviewed by PPI, the module objectives are being aligned so that the regional BMPs fit together with the modules.
When the final modules are developed they will be submitted to the International CCA Program for approval as self-study CEUs. Each of the chapters will have an approved module by the end of the project, June 30, 2006. These modules will be available online through the ceu.farmresearch.com web site.
FREC support of the creation of the modules has facilitated their development. By supporting the repurposing of this content to meet a demand for quality, self-study materials, FREC provided major support of an educational program that directly affects many members of the fertilizer industry. FREC support of this project will be publicized through the indication of sponsorship of module development and will be realized by Illinois CCAs who will receive a discount on the module fee due to FREC support. In this manner, FREC will receive recognition from the whole industry as a supporter of quality nutrient management education programs. Similarly, the Illinois fertilizer industry will realize a direct benefit to their contributions to FREC through the discount offered to Illinois CCAs.
1 Quentin Rund, Senior Consultant with PAQ Interactive, Inc. is coordinating the production and testing of the Soil Fertility Manual modules. qrund@paqinteractive.com
