Teaching a Laboratory-Intensive Course Using Distance Education.

Distance education (DE) programs at the graduate-level have increased over the last few decades.  Programs offer students the ability to pursue graduate school without leaving their jobs or uprooting their family.  However, laboratory-intensive courses in agricultural sciences present a challenge to deliver via DE.  Converting lab components of campus-based courses into DE courses with equivalent learning outcomes is difficult and often seemingly impossible.   The Agronomy and Soils Department at Auburn University has been working to overcome these challenges by using a variety of approaches including virtual labs, do-at-home activities, videos, and multi-day on-campus laboratory sessions.  This presentation will discuss the challenges, pitfalls, and successes of these approaches regarding the development and delivery of laboratory-intensive courses in Soil Chemistry, Soil Resources and Conservation, Turfgrass Management, Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement, and Soil Microbiology.