14 pages., via online journal, With shifting demographics of agricultural professionals, online educational resources present opportunities for Extension and other natural resources faculty and personnel to use various tools for supporting agricultural producers in the 21st century using more modern technology. Traditionally, Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) Extension programming has used a variety of hands-on methods for teaching new, more sustainable farming practices, such as on-farm field days, workshops, farm visits, and demonstrations. While these traditional teaching methods are preferred among farmers, online support tools play a critical role in the overall decision-making process for farmers who are considering making changes to their current farming practices. Online educational resources, with mobile-friendly versions, can be used to assist Extension and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) agents meet the needs of their clients using more modern forms of technology, whether from the office or on-farm. This study employed two focus group discussions with Extension and NRCS agents and university faculty members to evaluate the usability of a cover crop website that could be used as a support tool for a variety of agricultural professionals. Four themes emerged from this study with reference to a simple, clean appearance; efficient browsing; process-thinking design; and mobile- friendly. This research will be used to inform the continued development of website tools to benefit farmers, producers, agents, and other stakeholders.
4 pages., Via online journal., Interactive web-based questions were developed for students to review
subject matter learned in an online plant propagation course. Articulate Storyline
software was used to build nearly 250 review questions with five different testing
styles to ascertain proficiency in subject areas, including the biology of propagation,
the propagation environment, seed propagation, vegetative propagation, micropropagation, and cell culture. Questions were arranged to correspond to the
supporting textbook chapters in Hartmann and Kester’s Plant propagation: Principles and practices, ninth edition. These are open access and available to instructors
and students worldwide. Users received immediate feedback for each question
answered correctly or incorrectly. The system remembers where one leaves off,
which enables starting and stopping multiple times within a chapter. Means of preand posttest responses to nine content knowledge items showed that students
perceived a significant content knowledge gain in the course. These online interactive reviews can be adapted easily to other courses in a variety of fields,
including horticulture, botany, systematics, and biology. They can also be expanded
to overlay multiple objects and trigger events based on user response. Since inception,
the website hosting these online reviews averaged 156 unique visitors per month.
Students have reported this to be a useful tool to prepare them for course exams.
The aim of this paper is to present the concept of sustainable consumption, its aspects, awareness and implications for choices concerning food products. Particular attention was paid to consumer choices based on the perception of foodstuff packaging and the perception of the importance of labelling information. Empirical studies have shown that Polish consumers are increasingly more aware of the need for action on sustainable consumption, although it is not always re- fl ected in tangible activities in this area. Still for the majority of Poles it is synonymous with ecoconsumption, and engaging consumers in the concepts of sustainability is manifested e.g. in waste sorting, waste reduction, selection of organic, local products, in ecological packaging, for which they are ready to pay higher prices or search for information on sustainable products. Unfortunately, at present the scale of these activities and attitudes is still limited, thus the primary objective of the environmental, social and economic policies is to provide systematic and intensive consumer education and promote sustainable development.
