Online Course Frequently Asked Questions
What are the online courses like? What can I expect?
Will the class always be on a particular day of the week?
How long does each class last?
How many hours a week do I need to spend to keep up with the course?
If I miss a class can it be accessed at a later date?
Will there be opportunities to meet with farmers?
What are the online courses like? What can I expect?
Typically, our online courses require a high degree of self-motivation and ability to work on your own. Within each week of the course, work is conducted on your own schedule, reading materials, doing homework assignments, and posting comments in discussion forums. Courses usually incorporate about one webinar a week, which is a chance for course participants to convene online and via phone in real-time, to hear a presentation (often by a farmer) and ask questions.
Each week the instructors will "open" a new list of assignments and reading materials usually representing a new topic from the previous week.
Will the class always be on a particular day of the week?
We will always "open" the next week's unit on a particular day (usually Friday), but this simply means that the reading material and discussion forums will be available for you to read anytime after that morning. We do it this way assuming that most people will do the reading and coursework on the weekend. But there is no real start time or duration for a "class" - since it's online, the idea is that you do the coursework whenever it works best for your schedule.
What is the start time?
There is no real start time or duration for a "class" - since it's online, the idea is that you do the coursework whenever it works best for your schedule. The only exception to this are the webinars. These are the only times during the course that we aim for all students and instructors to be involved simultaneously. These are typically 90 minutes long, and are scheduled for weekday evenings at 7pm; check the schedule for your course for specific dates and times. We will make every attempt to record webinars so that if you miss them you can still watch them online.
How long does each class last?
It depends what you mean by "class." The webinars last from 60-90 min., and occur about once per week. But each unit--readings, discussions, homework assignments--lasts one week. All materials from prior weeks remain available, so if you start to fall behind you can still find the readings and discussions you missed. But you will lose the benefit of being able to participate in discussions with your peers, as they will have moved on to the next week's discussions.
How many hours a week do I need to spend to keep up with the course?
From prior student feedback, we know that students spend 3-6 hrs. a week on the course, with the average being closer to 3. Remember, the more you are able to put into reading, thinking, and applying this material to your own farm plans, the more you will get out of the course experience!
What are webinars?
A webinar is a way to "meet" in real-time without having to travel. We will use a conference call line so that everyone is joined via telephone, and at the same time we will all be looking at the same screen on our computers, watching a presentation, discussion, asking questions, etc.
We use Adobe Connect for the online (visual) portion of the meeting, which doesn't require any special software on your computer except potentially a free Adobe Connect add-in (you computer should prompt you if you need this, and download it quickly and easily). To attend a webinar, you will simply need to click on the link we give you at the appointed time, and it will take you into our temporary virtual "classroom."
If I miss a class can it be accessed at a later date?
All static course materials and discussion forums from prior weeks will be available at all times throughout the course, so anytime you want to go back and review something you will be able to. Webinars will be recorded and a link will be posted in the appropriate week of the course.
Will there be opportunities to meet with farmers?
We invite at least two farmers to present about their farm operations and start-up experience during two of the webinars, so students are exposed to two different farmer perspectives and can directly ask lots of questions. We also incorporate interviews with a dozen diverse NY farmers--posted as the Voices of Experience video series--into the course.
We are working to train a few farmers to actually teach the course and develop new offerings, and hope by 2010 to have these up and running.
