Presentation Overview• What is Metropolitan Agriculture?• What is an Open Online Course?• Who, What, When & Where• The Course Site• Course Management• Challenges• Stories of Success• Next Steps

What is Metropolitan Agriculture

Metropolitan Agriculture Concepts:• Response to global challenge created by the

evolving agriculture, food and resource needs of highly concentrated metropolitan regions throughout the world.

• Complement to other agricultures and not a substitute.

• Ensure the production and service potential of agriculture is boosted to sustainably serve the diverse demands of metropolitan consumers.

• Gives agriculture a unique, indispensable and sustainable place in metropolitan regions.Source: http://metroagcourse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/MetroAg_Concept.pdf

What is Metropolitan Agriculture

What is an Open Online Course• Open to anyone

interested in the topic• Content is openly

licensed• Connecting experts

and learners• Certificate of

completion option

Who, What, When & WhereThe Instructors:

Dr. Henk C. van LatesteijnManaging Director of Van Latesteijn Consultancy, Partner at Value Mediation Partners and former CEO of TransForum

Dr. Chris PetersonMSU Professor and Director of the MSU Product Center- Food, Ag, Bio

Sander Mager, MscManaging Director of Licence to Grow and former VP and Director of the Learning Program of TransForumDr. Christine Geith

Assistant Provost and Executive Director

• Six week online course• Openly licensed content• Course features– Weekly webcast– Weekly reading– Weekly discussion forum

Who, What, When & Where

– Resources– Innovation Project

Who, What, When & Where

Summer/Fall 2011

• Initial Planning

March 2012

• Course launched• 425 participants

April 2012

• Course ended• Wrap-up meetings• Future planning

Who, What, When & Wherewww.metroagcourse.com

Course Management• Management roles (5 people)

– Project manager• Participant communication

– International audience• Course announcements• Innovation project• Grading• Certificate process• Course web site updates

– Webcasts• Technology training/tech checks• Presentation reviewer

– Formatting– Video clips

• Clearing content (open)

– Web site • Graphic designer• Web developer

– Forum facilitator• SME

– Marketing• Social media

Challenges• Instructor time for development• Making content open• Too much information to convey in webcasts• Need more interaction in webcasts• Tracking of webcast participation• Development of credit option• Need better discussion forum tool• Better communication/email tool

Stories of Success

Yes71%

No17%

No Response12%

Q: Did this course give you a better un-derstanding of Metropolitan Agriculture?

(n=24) I liked the real world examples such as the Rondeel

and Mijn Boer. These show the practical applications discussed in the weekly

webcasts.

Q: What did you like most about the course?

Stories of Success

Attended live webcast

Viewed webcast recording

Participated in discussion forum

Participated in Innovation project

65%

60%

50%

20%

Q: Which of the following describes your partic-ipation in the course? (n=20)

The live forum - it gave you accessibility to an

instructor or professional in the field.

Q: What did you like most about the course?

Next Steps• Another course• Summer webcast series– Focus on innovation projects

• MetroAg blog

photo by: flickr/ xJasonRogersx