Plant Breeding E-Learning in Africa – a Collaborative Effort to Train the Next Generation of Plant Breeders in Africa.

The population of Africa will quadruple in this century, yet food and nutrition insecurity plague the continent even at present. Locally adapted, farmer-preferred crop varieties that yield more, are more nutritious, and are resilient to adverse climatic conditions are needed urgently. Thus, high quality education and training of the next generation of African plant breeders is an imperative. Plant Breeding E-Learning in Africa (PBEA) is contributing to capacity building in plant breeding in Africa by delivering a suite of high-quality, open-source, post-graduate-level course materials which comprise a comprehensive Master’s e-curriculum in plant breeding and genetics. Iowa State University (ISU) faculty and staff members from several departments and centers are working with faculty and students from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), Makerere University (Uganda), and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to contribute knowledge and expertise to the PBEA project. Phase 1 of PBEA has focused largely on adapting ISU’s online plant breeding courses to match the needs of faculty and students in Africa. Pedagogical emphasis is on application of real world breeding challenges using case studies (Applied Learning Activities, ALAs). The e-learning materials allow the instructors to move away from simple transmission of information to ensuring students gain understanding and mastery. A Drupal website has been established and is used to organize and deliver e-learning modules, ALAs, and media that can be tagged with keywords. The web content is searchable and accessible through various media platforms. Complimentary activities involve instructional support to the faculty in Africa through a Professional Learning Community (PBEA-PLC) to help African faculty effectively integrate PBEA e-learning modules and improve their teaching pedagogy simultaneously. The PLC Team has established best practices for integrating the e-learning modules, identified professional development needs, and will provide professional development activities on site in Africa and through two teaching and learning symposia in the United States. Feedback from the African instructors and students indicates PBEA e-learning resources are of great value and relevant to teaching needs in Africa.