Item No. 1 of 1

INVESTIGATOR: Webster, T.; Pomper, K.; Thomas, D.; Sedlacek, J.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY 40601

DEVELOPMENT OF AN APICULTURE COURSE DESIGNED TO BROADEN THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Honey bees are fundamental to agriculture, as key pollinators of approximately one third of products that directly or indirectly find their way to the diets of Americans. Fruits, vegetables, and forage for beef and dairy cattle are included. Clearly, a course on applied honey bee biology, or apiculture, is necessary for the newly created College of Agriculture at Kentucky State University. No 1890 institution currently offers an on-line course in apiculture. Also, no public institution in Kentucky includes apiculture in its curriculum. At this time honey bees face a variety of threats, and wintertime colony mortality for hives in the U.S. has been as high as 36% in recent years. This is due to a variety of pests, pathogens and pesticides. A comprehensive course in apiculture would serve the needs of many people in Kentucky and elsewhere. As an on-line course, it would be accessible to a wide range of people who cannot come to the campus at specific times.

OBJECTIVES: The goals and objectives of the project are to (1) prepare reading material, photos and video clips which will explain and illustrate the information and concepts to be presented in the apiculture course, (2) make this information available via the internet for all students who enroll in the course, (3) announce and publicize the course to a wide range of potential students, (4) conduct the course beginning August 2013 and for the two following years, (5) evaluate students according to exams and other means of participation, (6) add to and edit the course material year by year to make it more instructive and up to date. In addition, the course will be announced and publicized in successive years to ensure that a wide cross section of the public is aware of its availability. In particular, the course will be announced to students enrolled in the newly created KSU College of Agriculture, all 1890 institutions and all colleges and universities in Kentucky. Outputs will be (1) the creation of a new on-line apiculture course as part of the curriculum of the KSU College of Agriculture, and (2) students who complete the course with a thorough understanding of apiculture and the scientific method. The first year, beginning October 2012, will be devoted to the creation of text, photos and video clips for the course, and to publicizing the availability of the course. The second and third years will be used to improve and clarify the material used for the course, based on the comments of students surveyed during and after the course and on the availability of new scientific information.