The Virginia Tech (VT) Turfgrass Team is offering an introductory School of Turfgrass Ecology and Management (VT – STEM), combining weekly virtual asynchronous instruction by video and training manual reading assignments with live Q&A with the VT Turf instructors. The school runs from the week of Dec 6 through March 14. Students that pass the weekly quizzes can later sit for the Virginia Tech Certified Turfgrass Professional exams. Enroll at https://tinyurl.com/VT-Turfgrass-School.
VT – STEM serves as an introductory course detailing the principles in environmentally responsible turfgrass ecology and management for all segments of the turfgrass industry, and is suitable for managers that grow either cool- or warm-season turfgrasses. The school provides an inexpensive virtual opportunity for students desiring a better understanding of the principles of turfgrass management to formally engage with the faculty and staff of the VT Turfgrass Team, and prepare to become a VT Certified Turfgrass Professional.
Beginning the week of December 6, 2020, recorded presentations (see schedule below for topics) and supplementary reading materials are available to all students for review on their own schedule. At 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday of each training week, the VT instructors host a live 2-hour Zoom Q&A session with all students (sessions recorded for future viewing).
Training manual chapters that supplement all video presentations will be available as PDFs for either online review or download through the Canvas website of each enrolled student. Other training materials will be posted on the website as needed.
A quiz covering the weekly materials will be offered each week prior to the training and after the Wednesday Q&A sessions in order for students to assess progress.
All students who complete the school will receive a certificate of completion. Those that pass all quizzes and Certified Fertilizer Applicator testing will have the opportunity to take the Virginia Tech Certified Turfgrass Professional exam. The Certification covers these additional areas: turfgrass and pest identification, general turfgrass management principles, turfgrass mathematics, and best management practices in protecting water quality. The certification exams will be scheduled the week of March 28, 2021.
Online enrollment is available at https://tinyurl.com/VT-Turfgrass-School from November 1 through December 18. The cost is $515 per student.
