I took the class in late winter of 2000 so this is a little out of date, but the instructors we had were almost all outstanding. Our agent had been with the extension service for many years and really knew his stuff. He also had a degree in communication so he presented it very well, too. The only class I really struggled with was plant pathology, but that was partly because I didn't know anything about plant diseases and was a little overwhelmed. Now the pathologist who taught that class is our agent and we pick his brain constantly! The pruning class was hands-on at our local arboretum and really taught us a lot. And the class on trees was taught by a certified arborist who really brought home the ways to (and NOT to) kill a tree! All in all, the instructors were of the very best caliber in knowledge and presentation and the whole experience was great!

Since that time I've monitored a few classes and I can honestly say I've seen a couple of pretty poor presentations. One instructor gave a 15 minute lecture and then opened it up for questions. This was a 3 hour class and it seemed like 3 years! Of course, the students didn't have many questions to ask, so a couple of us more experienced MGs (we were there to facilitate & tape the class) ended up asking questions just to keep the ball rolling.

I hope all of your classes are fun and informative. This is a great program and MGs never stop learning. Maybe one day you will teach a class of new volunteers. If so, try to remember the good presentations you've seen while a student yourself.

While the ability to communicate may vary, the information offered is always worth while. Try to judge the class on the basis of what you learn and not on the style of the instruction. Because the students have such a variety of gardening backgrounds it is impossible to teach the class at the correct level for all the students. Al

Our class is a multi-county function (5 counties) with about 40 students. We may be unusual, but it appears that probably every one of them is already an accomplished gardener. In fact, there are at least 6 that are self-employed in the green industry. One is a garden center manager for a big-box store.

When I took the class last winter the county agent taught all the classes. She used slides and videos as well as hands on demonstrations and some fun activities. We had a tour to an arboretum one afternoon. She tried to keep it as interesting as possible because she knew not everyone would like the same things. I agree with you Sandy, those plant diseases just overwhelmed me,too.

Most of the instructors in the program I participated in were faculty at UConn as far as I know, with one exception. Very well organized lecture with good visuals and handouts for the most part.

Excellent instructors here in NH. Almost all UNH professors of hort, botany, entymology, etc. Some ext agents, some green industry professionals. We can sign up for some of the courses for continuing ed if we saty in the program over the years.

I am about half way through the course I guess. The first teacher on Botany was excellent, also lively and interesting was the Entemology class. The others were also good, but those were the best. However I was disappointed in the soil/fertilizer class. The teacher had a hard time staying on subject and kept trailing off on long winded side discussions. Well, not discussions, just talking.
He also didn't seem to be able to simply answer straight forward questions. While I learned a few things that I didn't know overall I wish that it had been better.

Most of us have had a similar experience to epiphany's. As each class receives a written evaluation by each student, such a instructor is usually not asked the next year. Al

In Oklahoma County our instructors rock!

Most of them are professors from Oklahoma State University; they also teach classes in other counties around the state.

I'v also been very impressed with our counselors and all the MG volunteers who keep our large class running smoothly. What a great group of people!

sara

URI class '04 was 160 interns. - Our faculty, very generous. Our coordinator, funny and smart.

Several are URI professors - 90% are outstanding and inspirational. They report the latest research findings and break it down for easy comprehension, whether you have a GED or PhD. A very small minority werent as effective in teaching a diverse learner audience.

Other speakers are industry professionals, others veteran MGs with credentials or deep experience in an area. About 75% of these non-faculty are outstanding - of the 25% less effective speakers it was due to either delivery itself (monotone or speed talking/while slides wizzed by) or disorganization.

Agenda/ speaker list is distributed on day 1. And many many handouts and references distributed on class night. Common use of multi-media during lecture.

Benefits: URI's faculty are very involved with research so it's beneficial to know the professors by both face and name, as you run across them on campus - makes them easy targets for our grabbing them for a quick consult as we volunteer and they pass by. I cant say enough how generous these people are. God bless them, the faculty inspire me to volunteer more.

And lastly, on class nights, there are at least 8 veteran MGs who volunteer to help register people, hand back exams, answer our questions so the MG Program Coordinator isnt besieged.

Appreciated their efforts and look forward to continue volunteering in some of the 79 volunteer projects this program has. Great program.

It is very important that the MG Classes Offered be "managed" by a team or group/committee (Trainning Staff) to insure that the instructor's material "fits" the course outline/day to day or session to session topics. I have had the experience of setting in a class where the material how ever interesting it was; was not on the topic of class discussion or outline material in the manual chapter. One speaker had no outline to follow and "shot from the hip" the entire time addressing hundreds of topics yet concentrating on none! Answered lots of questions, yet did not focus on the chapter topic.>>>>>>>The trainning committee should insist on a speaker providing an outline of material information to be covered before being given a forum. The committee should have seen this speaker in the past and should relie on recommendations from prior class attendees. A good practice is to evaluate every instructor, speaker, presentor etc. with a form and students should have no fear of expressing themselves on this form. As in any good presentation,there should be handouts, props, example material, charts, slides, overheads, etc. to keep the class attention.

Any speaker worth having address a class will not take offense if an evaluation is not too favorable. Reading the evaluations could insure a"better presentation" and understanding of what the students are eager to see and learn.

Warning:It has happened that the Trainning Committee has taken offense if evaluations show that the classes are NOT delivering what the students expect. If the student making the observation can be singled out If the general public is the focus of the MG Class, their backgrounds and education vary a great deal and the older the crowd the harder the presentor has in expressing the material in an exciting and pleasing manner. The crowd is not one to be talked "down" to, "lectured" or left out of question and answer sessions.

The sign of a good instructor(presentor) is first knowing your audience, and then presenting your topic in a manner that is realivant.

All these tidbits I am sharing come from my experience being in a MG Class where I became "uncomfortable"; and from my career experience of designing trainning programs.

I went through MG training in Ohio 2 years ago. Most of the presenters/instructors were affiliated with OSU, from professors through department heads. Some were not affiliated with the college per se, but with the extension system, and were considered tops in their field in the state. We had a few nursery owners do some presentations, and a couple of topics were covered by current MGs and the extension agent.

ALL OF THEM were on top of their game! Didn't necessarily follow the outline in the book page by page, but, in their own order, they did cover all the material.

Quite frankly, I was rather impressed by the caliber of instruction we received.