The College of Agriculture is offering students interested in learning about agriculture the opportunity to earn college credit without stepping into a classroom.

Susan Thompson, communication specialist for agriculture information services, said off-campus courses serve as a “way to extend ISU throughout the state of Iowa.”

Registration for classes ranging from agronomy to statistics is now underway for the spring 1999 semester.

These classes, which are offered on video cassette, CD-ROM, the Internet or on the Iowa Communications Network, allow students to learn in a course without having to actually come to campus.

Thompson said the courses are directed toward people who would like to attend classes but are too far from campus to commute.

“Probably most people who participate are farmers and agribusiness people,” Thompson said.

She said the off-campus classes are available to people who want to learn about agriculture, and the program also could benefit vocational agriculture educators who teach adult classes.

Matt Essick, senior in agricultural business, and Heather Freidhof, senior in animal ecology and environmental studies, both said they foresee a lot of interest in online classes.

Essick said producers learning through the Internet about futures markets and hedging contracts could help them better market their own commodities.

He said he has a future interest in the off-campus programs.

“I’m probably going to take the master of agronomy courses over the Internet,” he said.

Freidhof said another plus for the program is the potential for material to be updated frequently.

“This is a way [for others] to get the resources,” she said.

Thompson said she does not foresee many problems with the students using new technology.

“Most students are already Internet savvy,” she said. “Many [of the students] have already taken online classes.”

According to the College of Agriculture Distance Education Web site, students can communicate with their instructors via e-mail, telephone and fax.

The dates of the courses vary, as do the number of credits and delivery methods.

To view a list of the course offerings or to gain more information about off-campus courses, visit the College of Agriculture Distance Web site at www.agde.iastate.edu, or call the Brenton Center for Agricultural Instruction and Technology Transfer at 1(800)747-4478.