Abstract
Crop growth simulation models are educational tools of great potential in distance education. A project to study the utility of models as complementary instructional material for courses in Agriculture Administration at the School of Natural and Exact Sciences of the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) in Costa Rica was initiated in 1989. Using the soybean crop growth simulation model SOYGRO, the initial study was carried out over two years in three stages: (1) testing of the model and getting acquainted with its applications and functions, (2) creation of examples and class practices based on the model, and (3) evaluation of these instructional materials with distance education groups. A modified Spanish version of the User’s Guide was printed in 1991 for UNED students using the model. SOYGRO has been used regularly in the Basic Grains course since 1992, and is currently viewed as an important training tool in distance education. It has provided an opening for other projects in the field of expert systems and computer-mediated teaching and learning processes at UNED.
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Ortiz, R.A. (1998). Crop simulation models as an educational tool. In: Tsuji, G.Y., Hoogenboom, G., Thornton, P.K. (eds) Understanding Options for Agricultural Production. Systems Approaches for Sustainable Agricultural Development, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3624-4_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3624-4_19
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