Sabine Grunwald

U.S. India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative: Information and Communication Technologies for Capacity Building in Water Management: U.S. India Collaborative Extension/Outreach and Distance Education

Team
Time
Funding Source
Summary
Objectives
Project Documentation

Project web page: http://akicb.ifas.ufl.edu

Team

PI:

K. Ramesh Reddy, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida

Co-PIs:

Sabine Grunwald, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida

Lisette Staal, International Programs IFAS. University of Florida

Collaborators:

Venkataraman Balaji, Head of Knowledge Management and Sharing, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, India.

B. Bhaskar Reddy, Director International Programs, Administrative office, Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.

B.S. Dhillon, Director of Research, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.

Rao Mylavarapu, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida

Craig Stanley, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida

Samira Daroub, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida

Dorota Haman, Agricultural and Bioengineering Department, University of Florida

Jasmeet Judge, Agricultural and Bioengineering Department, University of Florida

Time

9/2006 - 9/2008

Funding Source

National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). U.S. India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative

Summary

New technologies, both in the technical and educational arenas, can contribute significantly to building long-term capacity helping to solve problems of increasing population, limited water resources, land and water degradation and food security in India. Modern information technologies in water management, including geographical information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and internet-based education tools, provide new efficient and cost-effective approaches for the assessment of water resources and quality. The proposed project addresses two key components of the US- India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative (AKI), Capacity Building and Water Management. The partners will develop skills and collaborative digital learning resources to strengthen education and technical training for extension and outreach to maximize the use of innovative tools focused on sustainable management of water resources.

The proposed project between the University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, Florida, International Crops Research Institute for the Semiarid Tropics (ICRISAT), Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) will build on the established consortium among Indian agricultural universities and partners with its mission to form a long-term sustainable digital educational learning grid. This project will contribute to creation of critical human and material resources needed for the application of new methods and tools to address pressing issues in water management in India. The individual and institutional capacity building will occur at US and Indian academic institutions providing a platform for sustainable education, extension and outreach that will foster globalization, knowledge sharing and awareness building. We anticipate the following outcomes: (1) an Indian-US grid of agricultural and environmental educators contributing to and using interdisciplinary learning objects that will increase accessible educational resources, (2) the RLOs will enhance student’s scientific training and stimulate critical thinking skills to address complex problems at the agricultural-environmental interface, (3) a partnership of academic and research institutions that is linked by shared online instructional resources will provide the seed to grow into a global network that fosters agricultural and environmental education, and (4) the experiences shared in this project will leverage future large-scale joint grant activity.

Objectives

The specific objectives are: (1) identify needs in the use of GIS and remote sensing tools in water management, explore best practices in the use of innovative e-technologies to support extension, outreach, certificate and in-service training programs, (2) build individual and institutional capacity through faculty/scientists/extension specialists exchange and training programs among partner institutions and create development teams based on specific needs, and (3) provide local/regional relevant interdisciplinary reusable learning objects (RLOs) streamlined into a shared online library that is sustainable beyond the time-frame of this project to establish a long-term partnership. These objectives will be accomplished through specific tasks: (1) a workshop on innovative e-technologies and water management to be held in India, (2) dynamic team building, collaborative planning and communication, (3) joint reciprocal training in RLO development, and (4) integration of RLOs into various modes of learning activities in the US and India.

Project Documentation

Grunwald S., K.R. Reddy, and V. Balaji. 2007. Reusable Learning Materials for Water Management: Indo-U.S. Partnership under the Agricultural Knowledge Initiative. Sloan-C International Meeting on Online Learning, Orlando, FL, Nov. 8-9, 2007. (pdf)

Report IFAS/UF - India Collaborative Activities, trip to Hyderabad, India (2006) (pdf)

Grunwald S. and B. Hoover. 2006. A digital repository of Reusable Learning Objects - EcoLearnIT. Soil and Water Science Research Forum, Gainesville, FL Sept. 15, 2006. (pdf - poster).

Grunwald S. 2007. Reusable Learning Objects. Indo-U.S. Workshop on Innovative E-technologies for Distance Education and Extension/Outreach for Efficient Water Management. March 5-9, 2007, ICRISAT Patancheru/Hyderabad, India (pdf)

Grunwald S. 2007. E-delivery methods of learning materials. Indo-U.S. Workshop on Innovative E-technologies for Distance Education and Extension/Outreach for Efficient Water Mangagement. March 5-9, 2007, ICRISAT Patancheru/Hyderabad, India (pdf)

Grunwald S. and S. Daroub. 2007. E-delivery tools and distance education. Indo-U.S. Workshop on Innovative E-technologies for Distance Education and Extension/Outreach for Efficient Water Mangagement. March 5-9, 2007, ICRISAT Patancheru/Hyderabad, India (pdf)

Grunwald S. 2007. Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Indo-U.S. Workshop on Innovative E-technologies for Distance Education and Extension/Outreach for Efficient Water Mangagement. March 5-9, 2007, ICRISAT Patancheru/Hyderabad, India (pdf)

Access the digital repository of RLOs - EcoLearnIT: http://ecolearnit.ifas.ufl.edu

Learn more about this project: http://akicb.ifas.ufl.edu/