From grade school classrooms to college campuses and everywhere in between, education has been turned upside as a new school year begins.
Some schools are wide open, some are offering classes only online, some are somewhere in between. And that's just for kindergarteners who only show up at school for finger painting, recess and an afternoon nap.
Education for working professionals also is compromised in the Covid-19 era as university turf programs revamp the field day experience. Formats for delivery of information are as varied as the content. Some have canceled field day events outright and others have developed a virtual replacement, some are a combination of live and recorded and at least one has been, for now, replaced by an ongoing series of discussions presented once a month.
One thing many researchers presenting data in a virtual format agree upon is that despite the need to go online at least in the short term, there is no substitute for a live field day, because you can't touch, smell or feel through a cell phone or computer.
"No, you can't," said Todd Hicks, program specialist in the turfgrass pathology department at Ohio State University.
"We still have a lot of good material to present," said Jay McCurdy, Ph.D., associate professor at Mississippi State University. "It's up to our stakeholders to make sure it is energetic and informative."
Despite the best of intentions, that can be easier said than done.
"I think we're all a little 'webinared out,' " said Jim Brosnan, Ph.D., of the University of Tennessee.
Based on some of the feedback I received, some people found it easier to follow along, and hopefully they were able to get more out of it. We were able to use photos, drone imagery and graphs that help people understand the science, and there is something to be said for that.
Two hybrid field days this week took different paths in hopes of achieving the same end - to provide professional turf managers in their respective communities with updates on current research trials and what presenters hope is timely information on current conditions. And more are on the way.
Every other year, the University of Connecticut attracts as many as 80 superintendents to the campus in Storrs for a golf-specific field day, said John Inguagiato, Ph.D., assistant professor of turfgrass pathology.
This year, about 100 people logged in for a virtual event that included a combination of pre-recorded videos and live presentations from university researchers.
Inguagiato was not sure how that would go over with viewers, but said the virtual experience allows for use of some visual aides. And because the virtual field day can potentially expand reach in-person field days in the future might also include some sort of virtual experience.
"Based on some of the feedback I received, some people found it easier to follow along, and hopefully they were able to get more out of it," Inguagiato said. "We were able to use photos, drone imagery and graphs that help people understand the science, and there is something to be said for that."
I think we're all a little 'webinared out'.
The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation field day at Ohio State also was an online event this week.
This year's event included a series of eight pre-recorded videos on topics like weed control, disease management, billbug research, tips for sports turf managers and PGR use in bluegrass fairways. Attendees who registered in advance were given online access to the videos and had the opportunity to submit questions by email that OSU's research team responded to in a live Q&A session with Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., Dave Gardner, Ph.D., Dave Shetlar, Ph.D., Pam Sherratt, Hicks and Joe Rimelspach from the main campus in Columbus and Ed Nangle, Ph.D., and Zane Raudenbush, Ph.D., from OSU-ATI in Wooster.
Attendees also could submit questions on other real-world problems not covered in the videos.
Among the challenges for Rimelspach and Hicks from OSU's turf pathology department was to record information in July and hope it remained relevant several weeks later in a summer dominated by mild weather early, hot and humid conditions in July and hot, dry weather into August.
Two months ago, superintendents throughout Ohio were reporting prolonged periods of brown patch. But lately, dollar spot, not brown patch, has been the biggest problem throughout much of the state.
"We stood out on the plots and talked about what we were seeing at the time," Hicks said. "Here's what we're seeing, and here's what's working. Dollar spot was not a problem then.
"That didn't start until probably a week after we recorded."
When the University of Tennessee decided in the spring to cancel its annual field day held each September at the East Tennessee Research and Education Center, it was replaced with Turfgrass Tuesdays, a live webinar series held the first week of each month.
Subjects to date have included Poa control, sports field management, Blue Muda and zoysiagrass for golf turf and sports field applications. Topics still on tap are disease control and herbicide programs.
"When we decided not to have a field day, we decided to do this instead," said UT's Brosnan, professor of weed science.
"Our sole focus has been on a new digital learning series."
We still have a lot of good material to present. It's up to our stakeholders to make sure it is energetic and informative.
After considering several options, Tennessee settled on a live webinar platform. The format has been a hit with turf managers, with an average of about 130 logging in for each session, Brosnan said.
"At a field day, you get to see plots, interact with people doing research and ask questions," Brosnan said. "If we did pre-recorded videos, we'd lose that interaction. That's why we went the webinar route. I don't know if it is a long-term solution, but it was the best solution in April."
When Mississippi State University conducts its virtual version of a turfgrass field day on Sept. 17, it will include a mix of pre-recorded videos and live presentations in a webinar-type format.
"I can say from an extension perspective that we are very good at in-person events," said MSU's McCurdy.
"We're not like some other schools, we have not been charged with delivering material in other ways. We are trying to catch up."
Although field days might have lost some of the personal touch in a virtual format, it is only temporary. Or is it? Like everything else during the past several months, field day education (at some, not all universities) likely will look a little different in a post-Covid era - whenever that is. An online component that can attract viewers from far away, is relatively cheap to produce and can allow for on-demand viewing, undoubtedly will be part of future curriculum, just like it is becoming in the classroom.
Don't worry, for those who miss the in-person experience, you'll be able to get back out there on those plots soon enough.
"I think there is webinar fatigue out there, and it's going to get worse when all the shows are out there online," Brosnan said. "So, what do you do in 2021? I think there is some digital growth area out there for programming, but what that grows into, I'm not sure yet."
