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Computer
Skills Development in Agriculture
Robert
E. Harrison, Safdar Muhammad, and Stephen H. Kolison, Jr.
Cooperative
Agricultural Research Program
Seminar Series
Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
August 28, 2002
The
increased availability, reduced costs, and improved reliability of
computer hardware and software has made them universally essential in
today’s research, academic, and extension environments.
Many, if not most, academic institutions have done an adequate
job of providing computer hardware and software for their researchers,
faculty, and staff, but have failed miserably in providing effective
computer skills training for their employees.
This project seeks to correct this situation by offering
research, academic, and extension staff members the opportunity to
develop and improve their computer skills.
The
objectives of this project are: (1) to train researchers, faculty, and
staff in the effective use of computer hardware and software; (2) to
assist researchers, faculty, and staff in incorporating computer
technologies into the design, delivery, and reinforcement of research,
academic, and extension activities; (3) to train computer skills
trainers from other 1890 Institutions and to assist those institutions
in establishing training programs.
The overall plan of operation for the project includes: (1)
developing contact, web-based, and CD-ROM-based training courses that
focus on agriculture and that teach users not only “when, why, and how
to use” hardware and software, but also “how to integrate” them
into research, teaching, and extension; (2) implementing a reward system
for successful completion of training courses; (3) assisting research,
academic, and extension staff in the effective utilization of computer
technologies in research, teaching, and extension activities; and (4)
providing training, assistance, and instructional materials to other
institutions and agencies desiring to adopt our training system.
The
anticipated outcomes of this project include: (1) an agricultural
research, teaching, and extension staff skilled in the use of computer
hardware and software and who are in tune with an advanced approach to
research, teaching, and information dissemination; (2) more competitive
and workforce-ready agricultural graduates; (3) an institution with an
enhanced capability of taking advantage of many technological advances
of the digital era in teaching agriculture and conducting agricultural
research; (4) enhanced ability of the School of Agriculture and Consumer
Sciences to attract and retain more students through the strengthening
of its curriculum and research capabilities; and (5) positive visibility
of Tennessee State University as a leader among the 1890 Institutions in
employee development and training.
Outcomes 1 through 4, above, are also attainable for other
institutions or agencies choosing to take advantage of our computer
skills training program.
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