Issues and Problems with Undergraduate Crop Science Distance Education Courses.

In 2008 two undergraduate courses in the Agronomy and Soils curriculum were offered as on-line, distance offerings: AGRN 1003 (Introductory Crop Science) and AGRN 3153 (Introductory Turfgrass Management). Available every semester, including those in which an on-campus version is not available, an average of 8 students per semester enroll in these distance courses. Enrolled students include both ‘true’ distance students, who live away from the Auburn campus, and others who are on-campus, but have issues with scheduling the on-campus course (athletes, students with families). This presentation will discuss the methods used to deliver distance laboratories, techniques for effective student-faculty communication, issues and problems that frequently arise and efforts used to prevent academic misconduct. Also discussed will be the processes by which these academic courses were approved, and how these courses fit within the larger plans of an undergraduate/graduate on-line degree options in Agronomy and Soils at Auburn University.