Multi-institutional Cooperation to Develop Digital Media for Interactive Greenhouse Education

R ussell (1999) compiled a large bibliography of research demonstrating that there is not a significant difference between standard and distance education learning. Yet rapid advances in the use of technology for the discipline of horticulture have been shown to improve student learning outcomes, increase student enrollment, and foster better teachers (Mason, 2005). As society moves more toward worldwide webbased education or distant learning, plant scientists are using more creative lecture delivery methods. For example, Wilson and Danielson (2005) created an interactive virtual plant identification and use instrument for a native landscaping course, in which students can walk virtually through a botanical garden and self-select plants to learn more about. Similarly, Wilson and Thetford (2003) animated the complete life cycle of an angiosperm for a webbased plant propagation course. Both of these projects were course-specific, but their applications are widespread. There are nearly 30,000 acres of horticultural crops produced under protected environments in the United States (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 2002). More than 84 greenhouse-related courses are offered by instructors at land-grant institutions to teach greenhouse production and management concepts (Tignor et al., 2005). Nationwide, greenhouse industries are significantly diverse in terms of climate, systems, and crops, creating both educational challenges and opportunities to provide learning materials that share common conceptual issues of controlled plant environments (energy conservation, environmental safety, labor efficiency, plant response manipulation). Guzmán et al. (2005) developed a virtual laboratory for teaching greenhouse climatic control in which users have access to a full greenhouse climate model with specific control options. Faust (2005) developed greenhouse crop simulation software that allows the user to grow several crops online with different growing techniques, environments, and plant growth regulators. Evans et al. (2006) developed 15 virtual field trips that demonstrate various technologies and management strategies used in greenhouse management and controlled environment agriculture. Although these educational advancements are innovative and useful, their applications can be limited by crop specificity, complexity, or electronic accessibility and were not designed to consider geographic distinctions within the simulation model. The overall objective of this project was to develop a web-based multimedia instrument for greenhouse education to facilitate student learning and comprehension of greenhouse production and environmental control among diverse geographies, climates, and business practices. Specific objectives were to 1) produce greenhouse videos in Arizona, Vermont, Ohio, and Florida that emphasize state-specific