Shared Development of Labs and Web-based Lectures for Precision Agriculture Course.

Faculty from three California Universities (Cal Poly, CSU Fresno, and UC Davis) are developing web-based education in Precision Agriculture http://www.precisionag.org/. A USDA grant provides support for community college and university professors throughout the USA to develop a class in Precision Agriculture for their educational institution. In a companion effort, an Agricultural Research Initiative (ARI) grant is focused on providing support for persons in California agriculture to investigate possible applications of Precision Agriculture technologies. In a rapidly changing field such as Precision Agriculture, continuing education is important. The Precision Agriculture class provides a forum where educators, users, and service providers can find ways to work together for the benefit of all. These groups receive free support in the form of field days and on line discussion groups. This paper discusses issues related to the development and support of these materials. The Internet provides many new possibilities for teaching. Through experimentation, best practices will be identified. New technologies are being developed that will enhance the value of the Internet for education.