AGRON 114 – Principles of Agronomy

3 credits - Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University

Course Content: A foundation course in agronomy emphasizing principles of plant, soil, and climate relationships in crop production. Topics include crop biology and management, soils and soil water management, tillage and seeding, plant breeding, seed and grain quality, pest management, and agricultural sustainability. Audience: Typically freshmen and sophomores in most majors with an interest in science, food production, and the environment.

General Learning Goals (see extended list of learner objectives for the course for more detail):

1. To develop an understanding science and principles of crop production systems in agriculture and the importance of crops to our society.

2. To develop a basic foundation for continued learning in agronomy courses and for agricultural related careers.

3. To develop an appreciation and knowledge of agro-ecology, environmental risks, and sustainability practices for crop agriculture.

Class Requirements:

· one hour of discussion/week

· 2–4 hours of computer integrated multi-media instruction/week

· 1 hour of ethical/environmental/entrepreneurial issues/activities per week

· No homework assignments

· Examinations: Chapter/unit weekly quizzes (13 total), 2 exams, and a final.

· Grading: Letter grade (plus-minus)

· Tutoring: An instructor is available 33 hours/week in the student learning center associated with the course.

· Prerequisites: None

· Estimated Expenses: Books (new) $80

General Comments: The course is designed to give students a significant degree of flexibility in structuring their learning and quizzing schedule, utilizing a variety of learning tools (video, practice learning and quizzing activities, hands-on demonstrations, etc.) and 30+ hour/week access to instructors in the crops learning center utilized for the course.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE AGRONOMY 114 INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF:

Name or Place	Agron. Hall Rm. #	Office Phone	Home/cell Phone	Email
PLANTS CTR	G525	294-4528		114staff@iastate.edu
Dr. Russ Mullen	1126	294-3271	232-2826	remullen@iastate.edu
Dr. Gina McAndrews	G510	294-7832	292-2993	gina@iastate.edu
Kerry Taylor	G525	294-4528	964-5005	kltaylor@istate.edu
Brock Blaser	1021	294-2230	292-2760	blaserb@iastate.edu
Brent Brekke	1525	294-8641	NA	bhbrekke@iastate.edu
Stefan Gailans	1021	294-2230	NA	gailans@iastate.edu
Heather Hall	1019	294-32235	294-9629	hsueh@iastate.edu
Ignacio (Nacho) Carranza Cerda	1019	294-2235	NA	carranza@iastate.edu
Todd Cogdill	1492	294-8665	NA	cogdillt@iastate.edu
Wade Kent	1541	294-9429	NA	wkent@iastate.edu
Mark Newell	1203	294-6868	NA	newell@iastate.edu
You can make an appointment to see us by visiting or calling our secretaries (phone: 294-3846) in the Agronomy Student Services Center (Rm. 1126 Agronomy).

AGRONOMY 114 - Principles of Agronomy

General Information Sheet and Syllabus

TO: Students enrolled in Agronomy 114

Agronomy 114 is a course designed to give you the opportunity to learn in different ways. Our emphasis is placed on individual learning in the PLANTS (Personalized Learning and Novel Tutorial System) Learning Center (Room G525 Agronomy) rather than on large-group instruction in a large lecture hall. We hope this course will provide a basic understanding of the principles underlying crop production, management, and for continued learning in Agronomy. We encourage you to ask questions and interact with us because our reason for being in the PLANTS Learning Center and for being a part of your discussion section is to help you learn. Sometimes we ask questions that are left unanswered in the text, demonstration area and greenhouse. Hopefully, you will be stimulated to find the answer(s) and interact with the instructor in the PLANTS Learning Center. Of course, the amount of time spent to find these answers and to study each unit will vary from student to student. Time spent in the course depends, among other things, upon past experiences and upon your familiarity with the subject matter. We sincerely hope that you will enjoy learning the many exciting principles underlying the various aspects of crop and soil management.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY DISCUSSION SESSIONS: Besides the individualized study that you do in the PLANTS Learning Center, all of you are assigned to a discussion section that is taught by the faculty instructor. Information given in discussions sessions will be included in the exams. You are required to attend your Thursday or Friday discussion sessions according to your schedule. If one week you cannot attend your required discussion session, you may attend another discussion session to avoid grade penalty. These sessions will give you an opportunity to discuss problems and interesting aspects of the subject matter with other students and your instructor.

TUTORING SESSIONS: Each of you will sign up for a 30-minute/week tutoring session held during the week but your attendance at the tutoring session is optional.

MONDAY SESSIONS:

Thinker and Entrepreneurial Learning Sessions will be held Mondays at 4:10-5:00 PM) (possibly one or two Wednesdays at 4-5 pm).

THINKER SESSIONS – On some Mondays we will conduct “Thinker Sessions”. Students discuss environmental and ethical topics related to the course material. This requires a typewritten decision justification and discussion participation to obtain bonus points for each Thinker session attended. Bonus points earned from Thinker participation will be added only to the exam t-score average in the calculation of C+ to A course grades. More detailed information on this program will be given during the first week of classes and is provided on the course homepage menu. Participation in the Thinker sessions is optional.

ENTREPRENUERIAL SESSIONS – During the semester, we will suspend the Thinker sessions to conduct a 5-week program on entrepreneurship in agriculture and life sciences. The entrepreneurship program will require you to participate in a group and to formulate and present an entrepreneurial idea. More detailed information on this program will be given to students as we approach the start of the program. Participation in all Entrepreneurial sessions is required. Failure to participate in all sessions will result in a 1/3^rd course grade penalty (see Course Grade Requirements section)

SEMESTER EXAMS AND WEEKLY QUIZ SCHEDULES: You will be provided a handout of exam and quiz schedules from your instructor. The schedules will also be posted on our course Web page.

You are encouraged to ask for help from your discussion leader and the instructors in the PLANTS Learning Center. Here are a few suggestions that should help you gain the most for the time invested in the course:

1. The freedom of individual study should not be interpreted as a relaxation of standards. Since this is a three-credit course, most of you should study a minimum of 4 to 6 hours/week in the PLANTS Center and 2-3 hours/week outside of class.

2. Check with the instructor in the PLANTS Learning Center for the time when the fewest students are present. Study at these times if possible. Studying with a partner or small group may be effective for you.

3. STUDY HABITS: Although some materials are maintained for studying the previous week's unit, you should not plan to delay your study time until "the last minute". You should start your study early in the week and study in periods of 1 to 2 hours rather than attempting to spend a 3- to 5-hour period to complete a unit in one visit to the PLANTS Center. Most students find studying in the PLANTS Learning Center much more meaningful than studying notes at home because of the hands-on demonstrations and tutoring assistance available in the learning center. Effective learning requires a rested and alert mind – please schedule your study time in the PLANTS Learning Center when you are mentally and physically alert.

4. Use the Computer Interactive Multimedia Program for Learning Enhancement (CIMPLE) to help you visualize and understand course material. The CIMPLE program is in the PLANTS Learning Center computers. CIMPLE can give you learning objectives, diagnostic quizzing programs, video tutoring, learning aids, practice learning programs, problem solving exercises, and more.

5. Thoroughly study the material in the presented sequence. Observe and study the demonstration material in the PLANTS Learning Center as you study your text. The demonstrations in the demonstration area and the greenhouse have been designed to help clarify and supplement the principles in the text.

6. Plan to take a quiz during the time that the demonstration material is still available and on display.

7. Do not delay the study of, and quizzes for, any unit(s) until the end of the semester. Your success in the course will be much greater if you “stay-up” with the course as scheduled.

8. Enrich your learning with supplemental reading, observations, and discussions with fellow students and instructors.

9. Quiz yourself. Take the Self Evaluation Test (SET) that is at the end of each chapter in your text and score it (the answers are in the PLANTS Center). Use the Chapter Assessment Test and the many smaller self-check quizzing programs in CIMPLE to give you personal feedback and scores over each subunit in the chapter. When you are ready to take the regular quiz over the unit you are studying, present a properly prepared answer sheet along with an ID to the instructor in the PLANTS Learning Center.

10. ASK THE INSTRUCTOR FOR ASSISTANCE ANYTIME WHEN NEEDED. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU LEARN.

11. Please check our Agron 114 homepage for announcements, study tips, and other scheduling information. The Agron 114 homepage URL is http://www.agron.iastate.edu/courses/agron114/.

EVALUATION:

13 Unit Quizzes:

There are 13 total units of subject matter in this course corresponding to the 13 chapters in your textbook. Students must pass each of the subject matter units in order to pass the course. Students pass a unit by passing a unit quiz in the PLANTS Center. The text, demonstrations, posters, computer learning programs (CIMPLE), and the Agron 114 instructors are all available to help you learn the unit material. To evaluate your learning progress, be sure to take a Self-Evaluation Test (SET) at the end of each chapter in your text and correct it yourself with the posted answers in the PLANTS Center. You should also use the Chapter Assessment Tests and subunit “self-checks” to help you analyze your learning progress. These are located in the CIMPLE program on our PLANTS Center computers. When you are ready to take a regular quiz over the unit you are studying, present a properly prepared answer sheet and a photo ID card to the instructor. The regular unit quizzes can be taken when you are ready and at your request during the time a unit is being presented and before the absolute deadline as posted in the PLANTS room and on your handout.

Students will be allowed to review the quiz after it has been corrected. Instructors will mark only the correct answers you obtained on your answer sheet. We encourage you to find answers to "missed" quiz questions by using the text or any pertinent displays in the PLANTS Center, but be sure to restudy the deficient areas of subject matter as indicated by the missed quiz questions before taking your second chance on the quiz. Also, feel free to discuss any quiz question with the instructor on duty. Only the use of the instructor's textbook is permitted in the quiz room to review a corrected quiz. Students requesting to take a quiz will be given priority over students requesting to review a quiz already taken. To stay current, you should actually complete a quiz during the week that the unit is presented.

Students will be given TWO chances to achieve a passing score on a unit quiz during the period that the unit is being taught. If you take the weekly unit quiz by the suggested deadline, one point will automatically be added to your score for that quiz. If you fail to pass the unit quiz by the scheduled deadline, that unit will be labeled as a “makeup” unit for you. On the designated makeup weeks listed on your schedule, you will be allowed 1 attempt to pass a makeup unit. If you fail to pass the makeup attempt, you must wait until the third makeup week to pass remaining makeup units. Acceptable performance levels for each unit are posted in the PLANTS room.

The number of attempts to pass the unit quizzes is important! Do not take unit quizzes unnecessarily because “wasted” attempts can lower your course grade (see Course Grade Requirements section). Study the material thoroughly and ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE you take the weekly quiz!

COURSE GRADE REQUIREMENTS

I. Course Grades Requiring 3 Semester Exams:

A to C+ Grades: The A to C+ grades will be determined on your unit quiz performance, discussion and entrepreneurial points and the 3 semester exam scores. You must:

· Pass all 13 units of the course.

· Average A, A-, B+, B, B- or C+ on the 3 semester exams to achieve the corresponding course grades.

Bonus Points Can Be Earned for A to C+ Grades: You can earn bonus points, which will be added to your final exam t-score average in your quest for A to C+ course grades in two ways: 1) by passing unit quizzes with the fewest attempts possible according to the following scale:

Total Number of Quiz Attempts for 13 Units	Points Added to Total Semester Exam (T-score) Ave.	Approximate Grade Increase Factor
16 or less tries	20	.33
17-20 tries	15	.25
21-23 tries	10	.17

And 2) by earning up to 4 bonus points for each time you fully participate in the Monday “Thinker” sessions

II. Course Grades Achievable Based Only on Weekly Performance and NOT Requiring 3 Semester Exams:

The C to D- grades will be determined on your unit quiz performance and discussion and entrepreneurial points. You do not have to take any semester exams to achieve C to D- grades; however, you must pass all 13 units in the course.

C Grade: You must:

· Pass all 13 units in 20 or fewer quiz attempts

C- Grade: You must:

· Pass all 13 units in 21 or more quiz attempts

F Grade: You will receive an F course grade for the following circumstances:

· If you did not eventually complete any one of all 13 subject matter units in the course.

· If by noon on the Friday of the dead week you have 4 or more units not passed unless there are extenuating circumstances that are accepted by your discussion instructor. Such circumstances should be discussed with your instructor at the time of occurrence, and not at the end of the semester or after you have received the “F” grade.

· IF you still have one, two or three subject matter units not passed and have NOT filled out and signed the an “I” (incomplete) grade form by noon on the Friday of the dead week (the week before finals).

III. Course Grades Penalties:

Any final course grade calculated at the end of the term will be lowered by 1/3^rd for scoring 74% or less of the total discussion and entrepreneurial points. (for example: A to A-, C- to D+, etc.)

I Course Grade: With one to three units not passed, you can receive an "I" (Incomplete) grade for the course, if you fill out and sign an Incomplete Form before finals. The "I" grade can be removed by passing the necessary units during the following two semesters. If you will not enroll at ISU the following semester(s), please inform your discussion instructor of this. The makeup quizzes that must be taken the following semester(s) should be taken during the normal time that the unit(s) is (are) taught rather than waiting until the last week (review week) of the following semester(s). If the deficient unit(s) is (are) not satisfactorily completed within the allotted time (two semesters), the "I" course grade is automatically changed to an "F" course grade by the university.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: You are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of this course and all other courses. Academic misconduct in any form is in violation of Iowa State University Student Disciplinary Regulations and will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to: copying or sharing answers on tests or assignments, plagiarism, and having someone else do your academic work. Depending on the act, a student could receive an F grade on the test/assignment, F grade for the course, and could be suspended or expelled from the University. See the Conduct Code at www.dso.iastate.edu/ja for more details and a full explanation of the Academic Misconduct policies.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Iowa State University complies with the American with Disabilities Act and Section floor of 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you have a disability that qualifies under these provisions and seek accommodations to meet your learning needs, please visit with the faculty instructor. Students who request accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) form from the Disability Resources (DR) office (phone 515-294-7220). DR is located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Each student must assume the responsibility of checking the bulletin boards in the PLANTS Center and/or their emails each week for announcements and instructions. Also, be sure to check with the PLANTS Center instructor every week or periodically for "make-up" units to make sure you have not unjustly been given an "M" for a unit.

Courtesy Requirements in the Plants Learning Center: Please silence you cell phones and talk on your cell phones outside of the learning center in the hallway. No tobacco or alcohol use allowed inside of the learning center. No drinking or eating at the computer work stations. Please take care of the equipment and materials so all students will have an opportunity for learning. Report malfunctions and irregularities to the instructor.

You will receive all the help for studying and learning that you request. Please ask your discussion leader or the instructor in the PLANTS Center for assistance when you need it. We are here to help you learn and be successful in the course. We wish you a very successful and enjoyable semester learning Agronomy 114, Principles of Agronomy.

Sincerely,

Your Agron 114 Instructors

Extended List of Learner Objectives For Agronomy 114

Technical Knowledge:

1-Understand the scope of agronomy and its relationships to other disciplines and professions.

2a-Develop a basic understanding of plant principles.

2b-Develop a basic understanding of soil principles.

2c-Develop a basic understanding of water principles.

2d-Develop a basic understanding of climate principles.

3a-Understand basic technical principles and methods related to production of important crops.

3b-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to conservation tillage methods and seedbed preparation.

3c-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to population densities and plant spacings.

3d-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to cultivar and hybrid selection in relation to soil type and climate.

3e-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to seeding times and methods.

3f-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to cropping/rotation systems.

3g-Understand basic technical principles related to cultivation practices.

3i-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to efficient and environmentally sound weed control strategies.

3j-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to crop harvesting.

3k-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to crop storage.

3l-Understand basic technical principles and methods relating to crop marketing methods and strategies.

4a-Understand basic strategies for efficient and abundant production of high-quality forage and pasture crops.

4b-Understand basic strategies for efficient and abundant harvest of high-quality forage and pasture crops.

4c-Understand basic strategies for efficient and abundant storage of high-quality forage and pasture crops.

5a-Be able to recognize common biotic stresses.

5b-Be able to recognize the potential effects of biotic stresses on plants at various stages of crop development.

5c-Be able to recognize options for amelioration of stresses with minimal disturbance to the environment.

7-Understand, in historical perspective, the basic principles important to sustained production and land use.

9-Understand the effects of the abiotic environment on crops and soils—water, atmospheric pollutants, heat and cold—and methods that ameliorate such stresses.

10a-Be able to meet the minimum competencies established by the certified soil scientist or certified crop adviser programs.

Professional Skills:

15-Be able to effectively communicate using electronic media.

18-Possess high standards of achievement.

19-Demonstrate the ability to earn high grades.

21a-Be competent in the use of electronic mail.

22c-Propose and evaluate potential solutions to a problem.

28a-Be able to perform mathematical calculations appropriate to the profession.

28b-Interpret graphical and tabular information.

29-Understand and use terminology appropriate to the field of expertise.

30-Understand the structure and processes of governments as they influence agricultural policy.

31-Be able to interpret laws and regulations as they relate to agriculture and the environment.

32-Be committed to effective time management.

Perspective:

33a-Possess an awareness of the global extent of agriculture.

33b-Possess and awareness of the crop, soil and climate diversity in the world.

Ethics:

37a-Appreciate the responsibility of the individual to society in sustainable management of soil resources.

37b-Appreciate the responsibility of the individual to society in sustainable management of plant resources.

37c-Appreciate the responsibility of the individual to society in sustainable management of water resources.