Professional Development and Seed Technology Training for Seed Analysts/Technologists at Land-Grant Universities Gregory E. Welbaum ABSTRACT Most seed technologists and other seed industry professionals have little spare time to devote to professional development. A leave of absence to take college courses is not an option for most technologists or their employers. Yet new developments in seed biology make continuing education more important than ever. To help working seed industry professionals maintain proficiency and develop new skills, several seed technology programs/courses have been created at land-grant universities that are offered on the worldwide web. ese web-based distance-learning programs can be completed at home as time permits without on campus residence. ree such programs are the Iowa State University MS and Certificate Programs in Seed Business and Technology (http://www.seedgrad.iastate.edu/sb), the Consortium for International Seed Technology Training (CISTT, http://www.seedconsortium.org/index.html) coordinated by e Ohio State University and partner universities in Brazil and Chile, and the National Seed Science and Technology Certificate program and the Seed Technology Education Certificate program, both offered through Colorado State University (CSU), http://step .colostate.edu. Oregon State University, Virginia Tech, and University of Kentucky also web-based distance-learning courses. INTRODUCTION
Professional training for current seed technicians and seed analysts is challenging because most seed analysts have tight work schedules, lack funding to participate in continuing educational programs, and have limited access to seed training classes. To complicate matters, courses of interest to seed industry professionals are scattered across the country at a few land-grant universities and are not available at most community colleges. e number of seed educational programs has been declining across the country as universities change research and teaching priorities, so many land-grant universities no longer offer seed science and technology courses. To satisfy demand for seed educational programs, both nationally and internationally, several distance-learning seed biology and technology courses, degree programs, and certificate programs have been developed and are now offered through US universities using electronic technologies, including the world wide web. Some of these programs are collaborations among universities who have pooled resources to offer a diversity of seed courses and programs. Many of the courses and programs are the result of collective and individual efforts of seed scientists at public universities collaborating through American Gregory E. Welbaum, Professor, Department of Horticulture, 306-B Saunders Hall, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, 540-231-5801. (E-mail:
[email protected]). Received: 5 March 2010.
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Seed Research Alliance (ASRA, www.SeedResearchers.org) and Division C-4 (Seed Physiology, Production, and Technology) of the Crops Science Society of America (www.crops.org). e ASRA is a new organization comprised primarily of members of USDA Collaborative Research Project W-2168 members who work collaboratively on seed industry problems. Innovative distance-learning courses and programs developed by land-grant universities to satisfy the growing demand for seed-industry training and professional development are summarized in this article. Additional educational programs may be available from private groups in the US and other countries. Colorado State University Seed Technology Education Certificate e Seed Technology Education Certificate program at Colorado State University (CSU, http://step.colostate.edu) trains students to pursue laboratoryoriented careers as seed analysts. Certified seed technologists work in private and at government seed-testing laboratories to ensure compliance with federal and state seed laws, and to ensure the quality of commercial seed used for crop propagation. Students are comprehensively trained in seed analysis, a technical skill requiring patience, attention to detail, and a scientific understanding of seed biology. Students who receive the Seed Technology Education Certificate are prepared to complete the qualifying examinations required to work in private and commercial seed laboratories as Registered Seed Technologists, certified by the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists (SCST), or to work in state and federal laboratories as Certified Seed Analysts (CSA) certified by the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). Admission to Colorado State University (CSU) is not required to register for the courses in this program including: SOCR 200 – Seed Anatomy and Identification (1 credit), SOCR 201 – Seed Development and Metabolism (1 cr.), SOCR 300 – Seed Purity Analysis (2 cr.)— Under revision, SOCR 301 – Seed Germination and Viability (2 cr.), SOCR 410 – Seed Processes: Storage and Deterioration (1 cr.), SOCR 411 – Large Seeded Legume Seed Production (1 cr.), and SOCR 412 – Seed Processes: Separation and Conditioning (1 cr.). Colorado State Seed Technology courses are available online through Continuing Education or as regular courses at CSU and through correspondence. Classes designated as online are delivered via the Internet, and require that students have access to an adequately equipped computer. Colorado State uses a system called RamCT (a Blackboard platform) as its online learning platform for most courses. RamCT provides user-friendly access to course materials, discussion groups, assignments, exams, email, and other learner services. e online version of these courses can be taken through Continuing Education for students not enrolled at CSU or as regular classes for CSU students. Some of the Colorado State Seed Technology courses can be taken by correspondence using printed materials sent by US mail. Students use study guides, textbooks, and other materials in place of classroom instruction. Using these resources as a guide, students complete assignments at home and return them to Continuing Education or department offices for evaluation and grading.
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Correspondence courses require supervised examinations using a proctor. Successful completion of a course is based on meeting all course requirements, including assignments and exams. Earning the Seed Technology Education Certificate requires additional courses, study, and internship beyond those offered by CSU. e Colorado State Seed Technology program is affiliated with three other universities: Iowa State University (ISU, http://www.agde.iastate.edu/Fall2009/Agron33x.htm), Virginia Tech (VT, degree credit, http://www.vto.vt.edu/), and the University of Kentucky (UK, http://www.uky.edu/distancelearning) who teach courses for the program. ese courses include: Seed Dormancy (ISU), Vegetable Seed Production (VT, http://www.cpe.vt.edu/reg/hort484/) and Seed Vigor (UK). Most of the seed courses offered by CSU and their partners can also be taken individually if course-specific training without certification is desired. Virginia Tech Vegetable Seed Production Courses e Vegetable Seed Production class at Virginia Tech (Hort. 484) is an upper-division undergraduate course taught asynchronously online during a 14 week semester and includes a module on vegetable seed technology that is mailed to students to do as an “at-home” project as time permits. A graduate level course Advanced Vegetable Seed Production (Hort. 584) is also offered online for graduate credit. Hort. 484 and 584 are open to non-Virginia Tech students through the Virginia Tech Office of Continuing Education (http:// www.cpe.vt.edu/) as one or two credit Certificates at a cost of $300 per credit. A related class, Vegetable Crops (Hort. 464) is offered online as a stand-alone course. ese classes are part of the Masters Online Program at Virginia Tech (http://www.online.cals.vt.edu/masters/). University of Kentucky Seed Vigor Course e Seed Vigor course (PLS 55) is taught at the University of Kentucky during a 14 week spring semester and is open to undergraduate (including nonUK) and graduate students through the UK Teaching and Academic Support Center (http://www.uky.edu/distancelearning). e primary goal of the course is to provide a basic understanding of the concept of seed vigor, methods of seed vigor testing, and the relationship of seed vigor to crop performance. is two credit course is available for on and off campus students and provides three continuing education credits for non-degree students. Graduate students are required to complete a term paper in addition to the other course requirements. CSU National Seed Science and Technology Distance Education Certificate Colorado State University in cooperation with ISU, Virginia Tech and UK, offers the same set of courses in a National Seed Science and Technology Distance Education Certificate program. e student must successfully pass any eight of the ten courses available to complete this certificate program. is broad-based educational program in seed science and technology prepares students to meet the needs of the seed industry in production, conditioning, storage and additional areas needed by seed professionals.
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Iowa State University Seed Business and Technology Programs Iowa State University offers MS and certificate programs in Seed Business and Technology (http://www.seedgrad.iastate.edu/) to uniquely prepare students for professional management positions in the seed industry and related organizations. e curriculum satisfies the formal requirements for a Master of Science degree in Seed Business and Technology from ISU, or students can choose to pursue one of two graduate certificates. Seed technology in the program is used in a broad sense. It deals with the science and technology that is applied in the seed industry and includes biotechnology, crop improvement, and courses in seed production and conditioning. e Seed Business Management Graduate Certificate program provides students with core graduate-level management and leadership skills enabling them to better serve seed and agricultural biotechnology businesses and regulatory agencies, their customers and their stakeholders in an increasingly complex industry. e Seed Science and Technology Graduate Certificate is oriented toward students who want to understand the technical side of this industry so that they can better apply their current knowledge, skills, and experience. is program emphasizes seed production, handling, and use; seed physiology and technology; plant breeding and plant biotechnology. e MS curriculum includes 15 courses, with material delivered through a combination of CDs and internet-based instruction. Students interact with instructors and each other using a variety of on-line formats. Instructors are highly qualified faculty and staff from ISU and other institutions. e program is administered by the ISU Seed Science Center, an internationally recognized leader in seed-related research, training, and outreach. e Ohio State University Consortium for International Seed Technology Training e Consortium for International Seed Technology Training (CISTT, http:// www.seedconsortium.org/index.html) is a joint effort led by scientists at the Ohio State University and leading universities in South America. is diverse program was established to educate students, industry personnel, and agriculturalists in seed science, seed biology, and seed technology. e CISTT is an international program committed to developing a curriculum that can be taught globally, combining seed technology expertise in other countries to teach progressive courses in seed science and technology with an international perspective. Interactive courses are taught using videoconferencing and the internet with collaborating institutions in Brazil and Chile. Two examples of such courses are International Seed Production (http://seedbiology.osu.edu/hcs630.htm) and International Seed Physiology (http://seedbiology.osu.edu/hcs631.htm). ese courses are delivered to students using a blended presentation consisting of online text, downloadable PowerPoint presentations, and both live-and recorded-video broadcasts. is mixed format assists students in previewing and reviewing each lecture before and aer interactive video presentations. Should language be a problem, students can preview the class presentations prior to a lecture and make appropriate interpretations. e advantage of this approach is that the Internet is used for communication at essentially no cost
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aer appropriate hardware has been installed. e interactive lectures permit real-time interchange between faculty and students. Faculty from each institution speak with authority about seed technology issues in their own countries permitting a greater global understanding of constraints and advantages to successful seed production. e CISTT is committed to initiating and developing new methods of teaching topics related to seed technology. To date, the CISTT has professionally developed training DVDs on the following topics: coffee and tropical forage-seed production, sunflower-seed production, maize-seed production, and seed testing. Previews and purchasing information for these DVDs can be viewed at the Society of Commercial Seed Technologists website (http://www. seedtechnology.net/DVDs.htm). Oregon State University Seed Science and Technology Course e seed program at Oregon State University (OSU) has developed a new web-based distance learning seed course, Seed Science and Technology (CSS 420/520, http://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/classes/css420). e learning objectives for the course include: understanding morphological and physiological changes occurring in seeds during development, germination, maturation, dormancy, and deterioration. e course also emphasizes seed quality, by teaching students techniques for evaluating seed viability, vigor, genetic and physical purity, processing, storage, and water relations. Instruction on seed certification programs and seed marketing are also important parts of this course. e course also includes do-at-home laboratory exercises and a term paper report. CSS 420/520 is available to both on-and off-campus students at OSU as well as students in other states and countries through the OSU Extended Campus Program (http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/). e Extended Campus Program does not charge non-resident tuition and all students pay the same tuition and fees. e course is taught asynchronously and is available online when the quarter begins. Coursework must be completed within the eleven-week quarter. Students completing the course receive OSU credit, which can be counted toward degree completion. For off-campus students, tests are administered using proctors for exams and finals. Like most other professional fields, seed science and technology training is now available to students online through several universities in the US. Additional courses and programs will become available in the future as educational needs are further documented and distance-education programs continue to grow. Many of these online courses are modular, allowing customization of curricula for personal, company, or organizational needs. For more information, or to discuss a specific educational need, please contact the various programs described above. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mark Bennett, Mark Brick, Allan B. Downie, Jack Fenwick, Allen Knapp, Miller McDonald, Gary Munkvold, Linda Selkirk, and Dennis TeKrony contributed to this article.
