Abstract:
The purpose of this investigation was to synthesize the distance education research from the agricultural and extension education researchers to provide a single source of information for practitioners, administrators, and researchers. The Journal of Agricultural Education, Journal of Extension, Dissertation Abstracts International, and Proceedings from the National Agricultural Education Research Conference/Meeting were used as sources for this study. This was deemed appropriate, as they are the primary outlets for educational researchers in the context of agriculture. The research synthesized in this study was conducted by researchers in agricultural and extension education and examined a variety of agricultural distance education, ranging from technical subjects such as soils, to more social subjects such as education. Research was synthesized into three areas: planning, instruction, and evaluation. In the area of planning, research indicated faculty need training, technical support, administrative support, and incentives. Students' needs were: time to devote to coursework and a variety of delivery methods. In the area of instruction, research indicated that student/instructor and student/student interaction are concerns of both faculty and students. In the area of evaluation, off-campus courses are generally not perceived to be as effective by faculty, while students reported mixed perceptions.
Keywords:
distance education, agricultural and extension education
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