UF/IFAS SAEC-DE Program Description
Office of the Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources:
International Programs
2039 McCarty Hall,
PO Box 110282,
Gainesville, FL 32611-0282
Telephone: (352) 392-1965 ,
SUNCOM: 622-1965,
Fax: (352) 392-7127
Web site: http://international.ifas.ufl.edu E-mail: ipifas@ifas.ufl.edu
Strengthening Agricultural and Environmental Capacity through Distance Education (SAEC-DE) A collaborative program of University of Florida and CIAT in partnership with local and regional institutions
Introduction
The challenge is clear. It is necessary to develop alternative and flexible approaches to long term degree training while at the same time increasing professional retention in local institutions. There is often a high cost associated with long term degree education that takes professionals out of their professional roles and away from their homes for extended periods. These costs include the tuition, travel costs, living costs (often with families), social costs, and opportunity costs. Faced by a long-term absence in their professional roles, and other factors in their countries, student that leave for training often choose not to return. This lower retention of degree recipients in local institutions adversely affects the development of institutional capacity and sustainability.
Distance education holds much promise for capacity building in agricultural development, natural resource management and environmental sustainability. UF/IFAS and CIAT are collaborating to provide high quality degree training with opportunities for relevant regional and local research and academic supervision.
Program and Partners
CIAT and UF/IFAS, building on a long-term and strong collaboration, will partner with developing country partner institutions for capacity building through distance education and related research, outreach, exchange and institutional strengthening. The overall approach is focused on developing multiple opportunities for linking international distance education and site specific research. This program will provide a model that will be effective with other CGIAR Centers and local and regional academic and research institutions.
All partners will identify a coordinating point of contact for the program. Together the institutional partners will define the criteria of selection of the candidates addressing all requirements, participate in supervision of research, and address institutional commitments, constraints and opportunities. Current partners include:
- University of Nairobi, Kenya (partially funded through USAID grant)
- Makerere University , Uganda (partially funded through USAID grant)
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Sede Palmira
Similar arrangements could be developed through other CGIAR international centers and is encouraged. UF/IFAS has had recent discussions with ICRISAT.
Program Activities
Program activities will include program development and networking, graduate education, research, faculty exchange and collaboration, student exchange, and ICT literacy and accessing enhanced IT infrastructure. Each of these areas is noted in more detail below.
Graduate Education
This program seeks to provide training for degree seeking students currently employed at CIAT as research assistants and research associates, or working at partner local universities. This opportunity is of special interest for those researchers who hold professional positions, who have family and community commitments, and therefore cannot be away for two or three years to carry out postgraduate studies. The students will work part-time to maintain their productivity at CIAT or home institution. The candidates will have clearly demonstrated potential to develop their intellectual and research capabilities The partner institutions will select candidates linked at present to the institution, that demonstrate a clear research vocation and, and will be linked to a local research project. The students must meet all the requirements for admission to the University of Florida. Students can choose from the fully developed distance education programs at the Master Degree level. UF/IFAS currently offers two Master of Science Degrees including:
- Master of Science in Soil Science with an Environmental Science track offered through the Department of Soil and Water Science.
- Master of Science in Entomology focused with a concentration in either Entomology or Pest Management.
Research
The institutional collaboration will provide on site research supervised by international scientists leading to shared ideas for research and other activities. The research may address multi-disciplinary themes and will be linked to current priority topics that are locally and internationally relevant. Collaborative research supervision including UF and local scientists/faculty will enhance sustainable international partnerships. The impacts will include better team research, locally relevant research results and strong collaborative relationships.
Faculty Exchange/Collaboration/Course Development
Team development of course content and methods and team teaching of courses between collaborators will be encouraged and opportunities explored. This will increase the relevance of courses as well as provide new courses that may not currently be available at the participating institutions. As appropriate, the designation of courtesy professor and visiting scientist status will be pursued through academic departments. The results will be curriculum enhancement, increased collaboration, new and improved courses, and stakeholder participation by faculty and departments.
ICT Literacy and IT Infrastructure
The project partners will need to ensure access to an appropriate level of computer connectivity to support student involvement by ensuring secure broadband access to the internet and computer access for students. This will require increased awareness and access to current infrastructure in the region, shared experience of different DE modalities, and identifying and linking with current regional initiatives to enhance ICT literacy.
Program Development, Networking and Sustainability
Acquisition of advanced degrees by CIAT staff, and partnering universities will have long-term benefits that will strengthen the scientific capabilities of the institute and partnering universities, advance working professionals up the career ladder, and demonstrate to other junior scientists the value of continuing education. Also, the program offers opportunity for CIAT and local university participants, further strengthening their teaching skills. These newly trained people will be equipped to teach courses locally to supplement the program and increase the likelihood of a sustainable effort.
Donor funding for scholarships, support of student research and cooperating scientists and institutions, IT technology and infrastructure will need to be sought to continue to increase participation and enrollment. Opportunities for PhD programs will also be explored which will require some time of residency at UF. Multiple ways to develop funding and support are being explored. Currently, USAID has funded a small pilot project for Africa (described below). This pilot program includes planning and proposal writing workshops to develop more sustainable funding for the effort. Other projects are interested in sponsoring individual students and we are exploring other sites for research linkages.
Approximate Program Costs
Estimated on per student basis
Educational and Research Costs per student $26,400 (+ stipend)
- UF/IFAS distance education course fees:
$300 per credit = $12,500
(30 - 36 required credits + 15% increase per year) - Stipend: $ varies by local standards
- Student educational related costs: $ 1,400
(books, research materials, medical) - Research activities and mentoring = $ 10,000
(in-country site supervision, research and mentoring costs) - Program management and coordination $ 2,500
Additional Program and Institutional Capacity Development Costs
Faculty exchange/collaboration/course development, ICT Literacy and IT infrastructure and interactive video seminars and conferences, program development, networking, monitoring and evaluation, institutional change and sustainability.
Contacts
UF Contact
Lisette M. Staal, UF/IFAS International Programs
CIAT Contact
Edith Hesse, Head, InforCap, CIAT
