Developments in online training

Our eGlasshouse online training system in partnership with Rural Skills Australia now means that we offer Nationally accredited courses via an online learning system.

Students are able to enrol in a number of subjects that can be utilised to form a complete course, leading to a Certificate 3, Certificate 4, or Diploma in Production Horticulture.

Although the courses are offered in an online format, there is also an additional need to either attend practical training at the Chisholm Glasshouse, or have your skills recognised in a formal workplace. This is to ensure that individual skills are displayed in a work based setting, and the courses are not just theory based.

A full list of the subjects that we are now offering are listed below:-

Certificate 3 Level
 AHCOHS301A - Contribute to the OH & S process
AHCPMG301A - Control Weeds
AHCPMG302A - Control plant pests, diseases and disorders
AHCWRK313A - Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices

Certificate 4 Level

AHCPCM402A  - Develop a soil health and plant nutrition program

AHCPHT402A - Develop a crop regulation program

AHCPMG405A - Implement pest management action plans

AHCWRK403A - Supervise work routines and staff performance

Diploma Level

AHCBUS501A - Manage staff

AHCPHT502A - Develop a horticultural production plan

 We will be launching more subjects in the very near future, with the main emphasis being on AHCPHT503A - Manage a controlled growing environment

For further details on how to undertake our online training programs, please contact Tony Bundock at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

Students signing up for online learning.........

Our newly introduced eGlasshouse online learning system is attracting a lot of interest from students both locally and further afield. 

As the system offers 'blended' learning, our traditional on campus students are now accessing the system so that they can undertake theoretical studies at their own pace, whilst still participating in the practical classes.

This gives the students a lot more flexibility to undertake their theoretical studies at times that suit them rather than a traditional timetable approach. 

We will keep you updated on how this system is benefiting our students as time progresses.

 

Certificate 4 students Tim Leach and Lawton Rose studying in the eGlasshouse

New eGlasshouse subjects available

Our eGlasshouse platform is now able to offer a number of Nationally Accredited subjects in an online format.

These subjects can be used towards full qualifications in Certificate 3, Certificate 4 and Diploma of Production Horticulture.

The subjects that are now on offer are:-

Certificate 3 Level
AHCOHS301A - Contribute to the OH & S process
AHCPMG301A - Control Weeds
AHCPMG302A - Control plant pests, diseases and disorders
AHCWRK313A - Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices

Certificate 4 Level

AHCPCM402A  - Develop a soil health and plant nutrition program

AHCPHT402A - Develop a crop regulation program

AHCPMG405A - Implement pest management action plans

AHCWRK403A - Supervise work routines and staff performance

Diploma Level

AHCBUS501A - Manage staff

AHCPHT502A - Develop a horticultural production plan

 We will be launching more subjects in the very near future, with the main emphasis being on AHCPHT503A - Manage a controlled growing environment

For further details on how to undertake our online training programs, please contact Tony Bundock at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

Website development

Work has now started on getting our 'live' website a reality for visitors to see first hand how things are progressing. 

Our original draft site is being upgraded to accept live feeds from the video camera in the glasshouse as well as the live data generated from the Priva Integro climate control system. This will allow you to see first hand what is happening in the glasshouse as well as being able to review the computer generated data showing what the climate is doing both inside and outside the glasshouse.

The video camera will also be used to record crop growth in conjunction with our regular crop registration process, so this will enable you to see first hand how quickly the plants are growing.

As soon as we have the system running live, we will be letting you all know!

Developments in the E Glasshouse

Firstly, a Happy New Year to everyone, and hopefully you all had a good Christmas as well.

This year we will be updating the blog on a far more regular basis to keep you across the developments at Chisholm as they occur. 

We have a range of courses and training opportunities planned for 2012 that will give both the local and wider industry some great training opportunities on an E learning platform.

This will see us further developing a web site that will refine the initial E learning project that we established in 2011. The site will include the initial features such as a live stream to the glasshouse web cam, as well as a live stream to the climate graph generated by the Priva Integro climate management system. This will allow students to observe first hand what is happening in the glasshouse in relation to our climate management. (As this will be a live site, you will be able to see both our successes and failures as well - so we will be working hard to try and get it right!)

We are also working towards allowing registered visitors to the site to be able to have remote access to the camera and to be able to pan around the glasshouse.

Other developments include the construction of a 'virtual tour' of the facility, so that you will be able to see exactly what we have on offer in the glasshouse in terms of technology. This will also allow visiting student groups to gain a firm understanding of how the glasshouse operates before they set foot in the glasshouse.

We are also developing a suite of 'online' training courses that will enable students to undertake training from anywhere in the world. These course will initially be individual competencies, but as we progress, we will be able to offer fully accredited courses in an online format, which should be a very flexible arrangement for participants.

All of these developments will be highlighted on this site in the next few weeks, so keep your eye on future posts!

From the student perspective.........................................

As we move towards the final installation of the glasshouse camera and web site, we have been seeking feedback from our students as to how they view the potential learning capabilities of the eGlasshouse system. Two of our current students have kindly agreed to have their thoughts and comments placed on the blog:-

Diploma Horticulture Student - Vanessa Caldarera

"It's really cool! Having access to the glasshouse via the webcam and the  online web site has really been a novel way for us to learn more about climate control. I can now remotely  gain access to  the glasshouse via  the web site that has been set up. This is giving us a live update every 4 hours in terms of both image and climate mapping via the Priva Integro computer system.It's really great to see a record of what is happening both inside and outside the glasshouse and then look at how the plants are behaving. I love it!"

Diploma Horticulture Student - Joe Star

"One of the great things with the system is being able to have remote access to the camera. This is something that is done in the class as otherwise we would have everyone wanting to move the camera at once! The remote access allows us to pan around the glasshouse and focus in on a specific plant or area. One of the great things about the system is that the camera can be set to take a picture of a specific plant at a pre determined time. We are going to use this feature on the new crop for our 'crop registration' process - the tracking of plant growth. This will see us installing a graduated measure against a plant so that the image will show how tall the plant is, which we can then cross reference against the previous weeks image. The other thing we are looking at doing is taking an image every day so that we can 'play back' the growth of a complete 12 month crop. For me personally I just love the level of technology that is now associated with controlled environment horticulture - it's great!

Up and running!

After what has seemed like an endless battle, we have finally being trialing the camera in the glasshouse! The camera allows us to have a 360 degree view of the growing area, as well as being able to pan in on a specific plant at a pre determined time of the day. This is especially useful to us as we track plant growth as part of our "Crop Recognition" program. 

The capture of any images can be cross referenced against the Priva Integro climate control graphs and will allow observers of the system to look at what the plants are doing, and see what the climate is providing in terms of heating, ventilation, humidity, and CO2 levels. There is also a direct link to the Priva Integro settings so that climate strategies can be examined in detail.

The initial page that we have been developing for the trials is shown above so that it can give you all an idea of what the final product is likely to look like.