Project Summary:

Authorized Organizational Representative:

Principal Investigator/Project Director #1:

Principal Investigator/Project Director #2:

Principal Investigator/Project Director #3:

Principal Investigator/Project Director #4:

Principal Investigator/Project Director #5:

Description of the Agricultural Communication Network Project:

1. Project Objectives:


• Make optimal use of available resources for agricultural extension, resident education, and research by sharing resources between participating institutions.
  
  
• Enhance the ability of United States agriculture to respond to environmental and food safety concerns.
  
  
  
  Explain how the project relates to the Program Objective(s) and how the Project will contribute to achieving these.
  
  PAT is the front line training program in the nation mitigating potential environmental and safety effects of pesticide use. PAT addresses pesticide use in agriculture as well as in wide and growing rural, suburban, and urban contexts. PAT learners include farmers, ranchers, and other private applicators who produce agricultural commodities; applicators in commercial pesticide services for building and other structural pest management, turf and landscape, agriculture, and many other areas; and additional pesticide applicators involved in forestry, public health, aquatic pests, food processing, stored grain, and other areas of pest management.

  A majority of PAT program content addresses environmental and health concerns including waste management, water quality, occupational and environment health, sustainable agricultural, natural resource protection, and food safety. Specific environmental and safety PAT program topics include safe handling of pesticides, applicator safety, pesticide toxicity and long term health effects, poisoning and first aid, personal protective equipment, pesticide waste management and container recycling, protection of ground and surface waters, protection of non-target organisms and endangered species, minimizing pesticide drift, farm and other worker protection, protection of food from pesticide residues, and compliance to federal and state pesticide and environmental laws and regulations. In most states PAT programs are also heavily involved in closely related extension programs in water quality, food safety, migrant and other farm worker protection, environmental public issue education, home and yard pest and pesticide management, and integrated pest management.
  

  
  
  


2. Description of Agricultural Communication Network to be Developed or Utilized.

This project is proposing to use the internet, the ADEC Program Database System, the Minnesota Virtual University program database system, and similar internet server infrastructure of the partnering institutions to deliver the common components of national pesticide training and education programs. This system will use a mixed mode of delivery, but will rely on the web format for anytime, any place learning by producers, agricultural professionals and Extension Educators. WebCT learning environment software will be used to integrate communications, collaboration, course management, learning modules, and testing utilities in a highly interactive learning environment.

http://paulos.agforbes.arizona.edu/pesticide2/
Arizona development version of their planned CD-ROM safety module.

http://www.aapse.ext.vt.edu
Virginias AAPSE website.

http://aapse.ext.vt.edu/ctag/index.html
Virginias Certification and Training Advisory Group (CTAG) website.

http://www.vtpp.ext.vt.edu
Virginias current working version of the Extension Pesticide Safety Education program.

http://psei.ext.vt.edu
New interface for Virginias Pesticide Safety Education Institute (PSEI).

http://www.ext.vt.edu/vlc/projects/pesticide_safety/index.html
Examples of Virginias PSEI modules.

http://www.vtpp.ext.vt.edu/htmldocs/at0554hm.html
Virginias Chemical Application Course in pesticide safety, application technology, and handling.

http://pep.wsu.edu
Washington States main website.

http://pep.wsu.edu/scripts/webmain.asp
Washington States website for recertification courses (place X in every box , to get credit you must complete the course; ID: AAPSE, Password: 4dognite).

The University of Minnesota Extension Service(UMES) is proposing the use of the internet, the A*DEC Program Database System, the Minnesota Virtual University program database system, and the internet server infrastructure of both the University of Minnesota and Virginia Polytechnic Institute to deliver two nationally recognized management and training programs. FINPACK and the Pesticide Applicator Training Program will be delivered in a web format for anytime, any place learning by producers, ag professionals and Extension Educators. WebCT learning environment software will be used to integrate communications, collaboration, course management, learning modules, and testing utilities in a highly interactive learning environment.





Describe the Cost/Benefit Analysis for purchasing (or leasing) different types of facilities, equipment, components, hardware and software, or other items. (complete only if applicable to your project).



3. Agricultural Communication Network Programming:


• Agricultural Communications and Education
  
• Agricultural Engineering/Bioresource Engineering
  
• Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability
  
• Agronomy
  
• Entomological Science
  
• Environmental and Natural Resources
  
• Technology and Safety
  
• Plant Pathology
  
• Plant Science
  
  
  Describe the Programming and how it will contribute to achieving the Objective(s):
  
  

  PAT is one of the single largest extension programs in the nation. In addition to environmental, safety, and health topics, PAT training and educational programming also addresses management of insects, weeds, plant diseases, and other pests in all settings, maintaining and using pesticide application equipment, and pest management as part of agricultural economic and environmental sustainability. In many state extension PAT programs there is a rich history of innovation and early adoption of a wide variety of educational technology and instructional designs.

  State extension PAT programs are directly connected with external partners. PAT is one aspect of the larger pesticide applicator training, certification, and licensing programs (PT&C). US-EPA is the federal lead for PT&C and USDA extension is the federal lead for PAT. Tribal and state government pesticide regulatory agencies are the state lead agencies of PT&C programs, with state extension services providing leadership for the PAT. The tribal and state government PT&C lead agencies have the authority to approve training efforts for PT&C/PAT. State PAT programs maintain a close network of state and national industry, advocacy, and educational organizations as well as government agencies. There is extensive diversity across the nation in the structure, requirements, and management of state PT&C/PAT programs due, in part, to significant variations in state regulations, diverse partners and stakeholders, and evolution of state programs.

  The structural, technological, governmental and global changes occurring in agriculture are escalating the skills and knowledge required of farm managers. They have 1) greater management challenges; 2) more demands on their time; and 3) greater needs to manage and use information. It is harder than ever to pull together farm managers for on-site training programs, yet they have increasing needs to learn from and interact with Extension specialists, other producers and agribusinesses.

  Pesticide applicator training and education programs in Minnesota, Virginia, Arizona, and Washington are partnering to plan a curriculum development system that gains the acceptance of other state programs and national stakeholders of the PT&C/PAT. The curriculum development system will be used to 1) identify needed national pesticide training and education modules, 2) facilitate the creation of the national modules by state PAT programs, and 3) facilitate the acceptance and use of the national modules by other state PAT programs. The proposed project will use the largest segment of the PAT program, Private PAT for farmers, ranchers, and other producers of agricultural commodities, as the vehicle to create the national system.

  This effort is supported by and reflects the goals of a broad-base of PT&C/PAT national stakeholders. In 1996 the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators (AAPSE), an association of extension faculty working in PAT programs, initiated an assessment and strategic planning process for PT&C/PAT. The Environmental Protection Association (EPA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) co-chair what is now called the Certification and Training Assessment Group (CTAG). The mission of CTAG is to develop and implement proposals that will enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of pesticide users necessary for safe and effective pest management. CTAG represents a wide array of PT&C/PAT national stakeholders including extension, AAPSE, the American Association of Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO-state PT&C lead agencies), the Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials, tribal regulatory agencies, industry, EPA, other federal agencies, the Armed Forces, and other stakeholders. Many of the cooperators in this proposal from the partnering states are active members in CTAG.

  CTAG conducted national surveys of extension PAT programs and state PT&C lead agencies, held a series of extensive negotiation and planning sessions, and produced the January 1999 report "Pesticide Safety for the 21st Century: The Findings and Proposals of the Certification & Training Assessment Group." The report is the blueprint for future direction of PT&C/PAT and is the negotiated strategic planning of PT&C/PAT stakeholders through CTAG to best meet the needs of public, pesticide applicators, and United States agriculture. This proposal is directly based on three of CTAGs five strategic directions for PT&C/PAT:

  CTAG Goal 1: Reduce the risks to the public from pesticide use. Provide for the safe and effective use of pesticides by ensuring that all pesticide users, including homeowners, have access to appropriate pesticide safety education materials and/or pesticide safety training. Ensure that all pesticide applicators who apply pesticides as part of their occupational responsibilities or activities [that could result in pesticide exposures to the public through direct exposure/contact, residues on food or plant materials, or from drift] have received adequate pesticide education and safety training corresponding to their category/level of pesticide use.

  CTAG Goal 2: Provide high quality pesticide education and safety training programs. Ensure that all pesticide education and safety training programs meet national standards with regard to the content of the programs and the quality of training materials. Ensure that training coordinators for pesticide education and safety training programs possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to deliver effective training that meets the needs of pesticide users and keeps pace with evolving technological advancements and our changing understanding of pesticide risks.

  Specific objectives under CTAGs Goal 2 on which this proposal is directly based include:
  · Update Core Training Requirements and Establish National Model Curriculum.
  · Provide Mechanisms for Coordinated Development and Review of Training Materials.
  · Provide Mechanisms to Improve the Skills of Trainers/Educators.
  · Establish a Network or Resource Pool of Subject Matter and Technology Experts/Specialists.
  · Develop Training Materials in an Electronic and Modular Format.

  Goal 5: Improve the efficiency of program organization and operations. Assure that the operation of pesticide education and safety training and applicator certification programs are coordinated through the National Program Offices (NPOs) to insure cooperation between implementing agencies and to provide for consistent evaluation, management and marketing of the program.

  The proposed project will be developed as a model and shared nationally through AAPSE with input from other national PAT stakeholders. It will provide guidance for multi-state and national Internet training resulting in greater efficiency, quality, and accessibility by all 50 states, Tribal PPAT programs, and county extension offices in the country.
  



Detailed description of methods to be used in producing and/or delivering the programing.

The project partners are proposing to develop a model for an agricultural communications network, using the Internet and the ADEC Agricultural Communications Network, and to develop a systematic process to help educators utilize new technologies to deliver programs.

The goal is to develop, document, and share nationally a process and infrastructure protocol for a sustainable system of delivering Internet-based outreach programming. The infrastructure model will utilize web-based facilitation and support wrapped around national PAT training modules, regardless of a modules format (web-based, video, CD-ROM, A/V etc.). It will be specifically developed to share as a web-based, "learning any time, any place" model for land grant universities and consortia.

The project proposal includes the development of a website that allows easy access to this model. The website will provide:

1. A repository of tools and templates for planning, design and development of PAT national training modules.

2. A procedural protocol for the development of the web-based PAT training modules, including assessment, instructional design, technology requirements, usability testing, maintenance, and learner support.

3. A model for training learners to use the national PAT training modules.




4. Population to be Served and Target Audience(s):

The target audience has several dimensions. For this planning grant, the primary audience is made up of state extension PAT coordinators across the United States, plus associated national stakeholders, including AAPSE, AAPCO, EPA, USDA, CTAG, and extension educators.

The primary audience for the prototype modules is private pesticide applicators in all states who may be geographically isolated and/or have limited time. Future development may expand the projects target audience to include other pesticide applicators, Native American tribes, other U.S. agricultural professionals, and the global agriculture community.



5. Collaborating Institutions and Other Partners:

The partners in this project are the University of Minnesota, Washington State University, the University of Arizona, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All of the partners will collaborate to develop a technology and content protocol for future module development. The partners will also develop a framework for a national system of coordinating future projects.

The University of Minnesota will facilitate and manage the production of the three prototype modules based on the protocol developed by all the partners. This centralized development process is needed to coordinate the technology and produce a standardized product.

Washington, Arizona, and Virginia will each be a primary developer of the content and instructional design for a prototype module. Minnesota will not be assigned a module at this stage, however all of the partners will participate in the piloting of the prototype modules.

All of the partners will provide a state cost-benefit analysis for the production of a content module to compare the cost of individual development versus collaborative development.

Tasks:

· All four states will provide leadership to develop both the National Pesticide Applicator Training and Education Curriculum and the National System of Coordination and Facilitation for the national PAT modules.
· WA, AZ, and VA will each work with the MN group to provide leadership for content and instructional design for one national prototype module.
· All four partnering states will pilot the three modules for formative evaluation for project objectives 2 and 3.
· MN will facilitate the proposal and grant; work directly with VA, AZ, and WA to produce the three prototype modules; capture the concerns, barriers, and issues uncovered and identified from the prototype module development and piloting; work with all partnering states and national stakeholders to establish the national system and the protocol for the creation of national PAT modules; and develop the website documents and provide protocols for states seeking to create national PAT training and education modules.






6. Additional Rationale for Project

Another aspect of the PT&C/PAT program is the development and implementation of tests and other measures of competencies for pesticide applicators. Currently underway is an extensive national effort stemming from CTAG by US-EPA, state extension PAT programs, state PT&C/PAT lead agencies, and national stakeholders to advance PT&C testing. Of special concern are face and content validity and testing reliability issues. Strong national interest exists to create a core national PT&C test based on core national PAT modules, thus freeing up state resources to focus on state-specific aspects of PT&C/PAT testing and education. This proposed project is specifically designed to align, complement, interconnect, and enhance this work on PT&C testing.

AAPSE has facilitated the attraction of private and public funding to conduct a feasibility study for the creation of national centers for pesticide safety training and education. The study will be conducted during the summer of 1999. A complimentary project to these physical national training centers is a web-based virtual pesticide training center. Work which could eventually lead to a national virtual training center is already underway by the Virginia state extension PAT program. Other related projects are also in development by state extension PAT programs in Washington, Georgia, and other states. This proposed project is an essential component to reach the national "critical mass" needed with PT&C/PAT stakeholders for development of a national virtual pesticide safety training center.






7. Significant Impacts:

A national model for technology-enhanced program development and training has great potential for replication in a variety of national/state Extension programs. This project will apply technology from the grant application process through the project design, development, implementation and evaluation stages. Part of the project is to document the process and protocols and to share that information via the world wide web.



8. Describe the plans for evaluation, dissemination and assessment:

Pilot testing will occur after the prototype modules have been developed. The partners will provide representatives from their states and regions to test the content and delivery of the training system. The project will be evaluated for intellectual merit (Is the content scientifically and technically sound? Does it meet and exceed EPA standards?), as well as program objectives (Does it adapt the available resources for national use? Does it address environmental and food safety concerns, improve the accessibility of the PAT, and provide pesticide safety training?). The pilot testing of the prototype modules also will be formative evaluation to uncover and identify barriers, concerns, and issues for the development of the national system.

Dissemination will occur via the website created as part of this planning project to state extension PAT programs and national PT&C/PAT stakeholders. The PAT national system model and outcomes will be available to extension programs seeking to develop electronically enhanced training and education programs.






9. Broader Impacts:

This project will eventually improve the quality of training for under represented groups, including producers and educators in remote areas, Native American Tribes, and will impact agricultural workers by addressing worker protection standards.

The multi-institutional collaboration between Minnesota, Virginia, Arizona, and Washington Cooperative Extension PAT, plus the active support from AAPSE, CTAG, and US-EPA will help set a collaboration standard and will bring additional state PAT programs into the planning process as well as other national PAT program stakeholders.






10. Proposed Timetable:

August 1999 Initial Planning Meeting
· all partners attending
· discuss national curriculum development process
· plan for national Pesticide Training and Certification meeting

August 1999 Attend the national Pesticide Training and Certification meeting in Portland, Maine.

August - October 1999 Identify and develop national curriculum.

September 1999 - July 2000 Various regional and national PAT-related meetings to promote the project, facilitate buy-in from national stakeholders, and negotiate structure of the national system of coordination and facilitation and the prototype module technology/design interface protocol.

September - November 1999 Prototype module content development, instructional design, and audience analysis.

November 1999 Technology/design interface protocol.

December 1999 - April 2000 Prototype module development, HTML coding, preliminary work on model project website.

April - June 2000 Prototype module pilot testing, test result analysis and assessment revised development timeline for changes.

June 2000 North Central Regional Pesticide Training and Certification Meeting.

June - July 2000 Development of final technology/design interface protocol.

June - July 2000 Completion of model project website (tools, templates, protocols, etc.) for development and utilization of national training modules.






11. Project Personnel and Time Commitment:



Larry Coyle 10
Dean Herzfeld 25
Bruce Schwartau 03
Krista Johansen 50
Mike Weaver 07
Paul Baker 07