This project will build on the initial four courses offered by Colorado State University to seed science students through distance learning. The new courses that will be developed and adapted to the distance learner include:

These courses will be available for college credit or for Continuing Education Units (CEU's) to meet the educational needs of traditional on-campus students as well as industry professionals and remote learners interested in seed science. These courses will provide the framework for understanding seed science in the expanded biotechnology based seed industry.

A meeting of interested scientists at the American Society of Agronomy meeting was held in Baltimore, MD, in October of 1998 to discuss the development of a National Seed Science and Technology distance education program. Collaboration began among universities to address the growing needs of seed science and technology education through distance learning. A national committee was organized to develop a symposium for the 1999 meetings. The purpose of the symposium was to discuss the need for an integrated national seed science and technology distance education program. Since the symposium, two organizational meetings have been held of conjunction with the Cooperative Regional Research Project W-168, that has adopted the National Seed Science Distance Education Program as an associated project. At these meetings, a proposed curriculum of specific modular courses was developed. A National Seed Science Distance Education Steering Committee was established to receive and evaluate requests from instructors of courses to be offered through the National Distance Education program. To decrease duplication of effort in developing the courses, faculty agreed to specific subject matter areas. The Steering Committee will review the course content and develop a standard format for each course before the six courses are developed. The committee is composed of five members who are interested in seed science education and were selected from Universities, Seed Industry, Commercial, State, and Federal Seed Laboratory personnel. These members will represent: University Seed Science programs, one member represent the seed industry, one member represent seed testing laboratories, and one Ex Officio member represent University Distance Education. This project will fund the development of each course and create the opportunity to coordinate this program at the national level. Once these modules have been developed and made available to the public, other modules will be developed involving the other universities who have expertise in different areas of seed science. Funds generated through the student registration of existing modules will be available to help in the development of new courses. Another grant proposal may need to be submitted if other universities want to begin developing new modules before revenue has been generated from the existing modules. Our over all mission in developing a National Seed Science Distance Education program is to be able to present a course of study that will cover all aspects of seed science and technology. This would involve having specific modules that would be taken to provide a complete education in such areas as seed biology and physiology, seed quality testing, seed pathology, and seed molecular technology.

Online instruction allows students to study and to review material at their individual pace and knowledge level, permitting individualized learning. Asynchronous access to course materials allows employed professionals to access and study course materials at times and places most convenient to them; this creates a new level of access to education that doesn't currently exist for many students. Converting education materials and graphics for online delivery requires careful instructional design, faculty time, and media production to assure that all materials are technically correct, visually complete, and organized in an instructionally effective manner.

To increase the awareness of seed science opportunities and these courses to under-represented groups, U.R. Bishnoi at Alabama A & M wants to strengthen the current course offerings in crop production, seed production, and plant breeding related to seed science. The proposed course offerings delivered by web-based learning would not only strengthen that program, but would open additional career opportunities for these students in this specialized but ever expanding seed industry. Students from Alabama A & M will assist in pilot testing this project as well as being a partner in the continuation of this Seed Science program.

Through the interaction of students taking these courses with the faculty and electronic communication links between the students, an increased sense of community and belonging to a national seed science and technology program will be established. This electronic communication between the participating partners will enhance the delivery of career and job information to the entire network of students.