Comparison of Two Delivery Methods Used to Produce an Online Lecture Entitled "Worldwide Technology for Controlled Environment Plant Production"

Distance education is growing at a rate more than 10 times that of traditional higher education.  Nearly one-quarter of faculty responding to a recent nationwide survey are reportedly teaching online; over one-third have taught an online course in the past, and the majority of those responding cited the needs of students as the main reason for teaching online. A number of studies have shown learning outcomes of distance education courses to be comparable or even superior to traditional face-to-face courses.  Yet, student satisfaction and attitudes often decline if the online learning environment does not engage the students, foster interaction, and utilize technology appropriately to support the learning objectives. With the onset of novel and ever changing distance education technologies, a multitude of approaches can be used by faculty to deliver their content asynchronously.  In an effort to upgrade an existing UA-CEAC Controlled Environment Systems Course (ABE 483/583), into a hybrid format, identical content was recorded using two different delivery methods: a lecture capture system, and a narrated presentation program.  The lecture was recorded in an e-learning classroom utilizing an Accordent Capture Station that synchronizes multiple sources including audio, video and content from a computer monitor.  The narrated presentation was produced in a studio using a computer running Articulate software which records a written script and spoken words in synch with changing PowerPoint slides. For comparison, the lecture entitled "Worldwide Technology for Controlled Environment Plant Production" can be viewed at http://irrecenvhort.ifas.ufl.edu/topical_lectures.html.  This online lecture contains original photography and content of controlled environment greenhouse production in Europe, Italy, Spain, Holland, Turkey, China, and North America.  Students who are more visual learners often prefer the lecture capture format where the speaker is viewed simultaneously with the slide content, while audio learners find this distracting and prefer the narrated presentation.  Regardless of the format chosen, students like the flexibility of maneuvering through thumbnails, quick access to added resources, concurrent viewing of lecture notes, and the option of learning the material anytime and anywhere.