agLe@rn

APRTC knows that Asia's agricultural educators and professionals can play a pivotal role in promoting sustainable agriculture and improving farmers' livelihoods. We also know that these individuals are busy people. They have demanding jobs, travel extensively and also need time for their families. Without access to new knowledge and information they are in danger of losing their competitive advantage and their effectiveness is compromised. This is why the APRTC has made its online agLe@rn programme for agricultural educators and professionals the primary focus of its overall educational strategy in support of sustainable agriculture.

What is agLe@rn?

agLe@rn is an eLearning programme on sustainable agriculture. eLearning is the most recent evolutionary stage of distance learning - learning in a situation where instructors and learners are separated by distance, time or both. eLearning is made possible as a result of recent developments in computer networking technology and is fast becoming a powerful mechanism for trainers and educators throughout the world and a welcome resource for busy learners. eLearning is "Internet-enabled learning", or "The use of network technologies to create, foster, deliver, and facilitate learning, anytime and anywhere." Quality eLearning is characterized by speed, technological transformation, and mediated human interactions.

APRTC's agLe@rn programme currently offers a range of on-line courses and is in the process of developing more. Together these will form a comprehensive curriculum of learning opportunities related to sustainable agriculture for agricultural educators and professionals in the public, private, academic and NGO sectors. Current courses either developed and implemented or under construction include:

• Digital Literacy for Agricultural Professionals
• Introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Integrated Pest Management in Cotton
• Integrated Pest Management in Irrigated Rice
• Basics of Vegetable IPM
• Responsible Pesticide Use
• Integrated Soil Fertility Management in the Tropics

Brief descriptions of these courses can be found by clicking on [Course Descriptions] to the right. Clicking [Course Schedule] will show when they are offered. All agLe@rn courses include continuous assessment and feedback mechanisms that allow for the measurement of student performance and provide a means to improve course content, usability and delivery.

What does it cost to participate in an agLe@rn course?

We make every effort to keep our courses affordable and, as a legally registered non-profit corporation, we are governed by strict rules on how much revenue we are allowed to generate and accumulate. APRTC charges registered participants US$150 per month of facilitated class time. This means that a typical 6 week agLe@rn course will cost a participant or their employer US$225. These fees are used to compensate expert facilitators, maintain our eLearning infrastructure and to develop new courses. Interested individuals not employed by private sector companies are eligible for agLe@rn scholarships. More information on scholarships can be found by clicking on [How to apply for scholarships] to the right or the [Scholarship Fund] tab above.