HORT 101 is a 15-week cohort course which means that the everyone in the class follows the same schedule and completes the course within the designated 15-week time frame. A computer is required for HORT 101 as all content and assignments are to be accessed online.

Specifically, the course provides a survey of a variety of areas in horticulture including the following general areas:

* Origin and Domestication of Plants
* Overview of Horticulture
* Classification of Plants and Horticultural Classification
* Science in Horticulture
* Greenhouse Management and Production
* Nursery Management and Production
* Using Floral Products
* Landscaping
* Turfgrasses
* Horticultural Crops Used for Food

So how are we going to do this?

The general format for the course will be online lectures, which will be supported by assigned readings in the required textbook, web-based projects and discussions with the instructor or other students using e-mail, and the discussion forum established for the course. Students should plan to spend 10 to 12 hours per week in order to keep up with the course material presented. Additional time will be needed in order to prepare for quizzes, exams and the web-based project; the amount of time will depend upon the individual student. It will be important for the student to log on three to four times per week to work on the course materials and address any questions which may arise by contacting the instructor or collaborating with other students in class. You will need to memorize a lot of terms in this course.

What will be expected of you, the student?

It is an introductory course requiring the ABCs, so bear with me on the memorization. However, I will make it very clear when specific material needs to be memorized. This course will provide a survey of a lot of information; therefore, I will not have much time to go into detail on any given topic. For additional information on a given topic feel free to contact me by e-mail. I would suggest to everyone not to procrastinate on assignments because I feel that it is important for you to keep up with the work or move ahead in order to maximize what you get out of the course. The main difference between taking this course via World Campus as compared to taking it on campus is that you will have my notes, but it is important to stay in contact with me in order to know what my points of emphasis are.

Horticulture 101 will provide a survey of a wide range of topics in horticulture. This course will enable students to acquire knowledge of basic concepts and facts sufficient to appreciate the complexity of horticultural science and covers such topics as the origin and domestication of plants to the utilization of molecular techniques to genetically modify plants, thereby enhancing their quality. Horticulture 101 aims not only to provide knowledge of horticultural science and technology but also provides an aesthetic appreciation of how plants affect us in our daily lives. Obviously, with the recent information explosion in horticultural science, the critical role of the instructor is to help students integrate this information in a meaningful way. This will be done by teaching students factual information together with general terms and concepts important to horticulture in the modern world.

Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can

Penn State has partnered with Kryterion to provide you with convenient online, secure tests for this course. Kryterion will be proctoring the test at a distance to ensure academic integrity.

Your tests will be securely delivered to your computer via Kryterion's Webassessor Sentinel Security Shield's software and monitored in real-time by an Online Kryterion Certified Proctor via your Hue HD webcam (please check the Online Course Catalog for more information).

You will be evaluated based on the following:

Requirement/Activity	Point Value
Online quizzes (10 quizzes @ 10 points each)	100
Proctored exams (2 exams @ 100 points each)	200
Web-based project (10 @ 10 points each)	100
Participation	50
Comprehensive proctored final	200
Total for Course	650

The quizzes will be multiple choice, true or false and/or matching. To access the quizzes, click on the Quizzes Folder underneath the Lessons Tab. During the first week of the course, you will take a "practice quiz" that will not be graded. The purpose of the practice quiz is to give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the quiz tool without the pressure of being graded.

The web-based project will utilize the Horticulture 101 Web site for exercises to evaluate the student's ability to synthesize information and make judgments as to what is good versus bad information. The exams will be list, fill in the blank, multiple choice, true or false, matching and definitions. The exams are closed-book and must be supervised by an approved proctor. See the Exam Policies below for instructions on how to secure and take an online proctored exam.

In addition to the major assignments, you will complete other activities throughout the course. Below you will find a summary of the learning activities for this course and the associated time frames. Specific details for each activity can be found in each lesson.

The final grades of A, B, C, and D will be assigned as follows:

Course Schedule