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In this study, the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) short form was used to gain insight about learning style characteristics that might influence students' use of an online library of plant science learning objects. This study provides evidence concerning the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the Deep, Strategic and Surface scale scores when used to sort students' responses. Participants consisted of 446 resident university students (230 males, 216 females) in agricultural science courses with face-to-face instruction supplemented with web-based lessons. Cronbach's alphas for the three scales ranged from 0.65 to 0.75. The data file was submitted to a maximum likelihood factor analysis with oblimin rotation. When three factors were extracted, all 18 items loaded on the expected factors. One example of an analysis based on ASSIST scale scores is presented to show the potential of this procedure for helping with the interpretation of student comments.

Transgenic crops among the most controversial "science and society" issues of recent years. Because of the complex techniques involved in creating these crops and the polarized debate over their risks and beliefs, a critical need has arisen for accessible and balanced information on this technology. World Wide Web sites offer several advantages for disseminating information on a fast-changing technical topic, including their global accessibility; and their ability to update information frequently, incorporate multimedia formats, and link to networks of other sites. An alliance between two complementary web sites at Colorado State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln takes advantage of the web environment to help fill the need for public information on crop genetic engineering. This article describes the objectives and features of each site. Viewership data and other feedback have shown these web sites to be effective means of reaching public audiences on a complex scientific topic.

Hordeum vulgare (barley) and Triticum tauschii are related, but sexually incompatible, species. This study was conducted to determine the extent of homology between the genomes of barley and T. tauschii using a common set of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers. Results showed that >95% of low-copy sequences are shared, but 42% of the conserved sequences showed copy-number differences. Sixty-three loci were mapped in T. tauschii using RFLP markers previously mapped in barley. A comparison of RFLP marker order showed that, in general, barley and T. tauschii have conserved linkage groups, with markers in the same linear orders. However, six of the seven linkage groups of T. tauschii contained markers which mapped to unrelated (i.e., non-homoeologous) barley chromosomes. Additionally, four of the T. tauschii linkage groups contained markers that were switched in order with respect to barley. All the chromosome segments differing between T. tauschii and barley contained markers that were detected by multi-copy probes. The results suggest that the observed differences between the T. tauschii and barley genomes were brought about by duplications or deletions of segments in one or both species. The implications of these findings for genetic mapping, breeding, and plant genome evolution are discussed.

As the effectiveness of learning objects in enhancing education becomes better understood, it will be critical to more fully develop the predictive characteristics of learning object usage by diverse instructors and their long-term sustainability in learning object repositories. Additionally, the advancement of scholarship in these endeavors -a critical factor for faculty to consider -has frequently been overlooked. In this paper we explore these issues by examining the technical and human aspects of The Library of Crop Technology (http://croptechnology.unl.edu) and other repository models. While studies have been conducted to research the impacts of animations on student learning, teacher perceptions of such learning objects have not been examined. An online survey instrument was created and sent to those who had downloaded animations from the Library of Crop Technology. Data collected indicated that educational, animated, learning objects are an effective and sustainable means of meeting a wide array of educator needs. This study identified a template of science content, organization, creation of interest in the topic, visual appeal, effectiveness for teaching a topic, and ease of use as being important to the overall teacher perception of the learning object's quality. The very positive evaluation received from the users, coupled with their indication of returning to the site multiple times and recommending it to their colleagues, further suggests that the public repository is a model to continue pursuing. An important, but often overlooked, concept in the development of repositories is the dynamics of long term sustainability and scholarly contributions. A second study researched team development and institutional commitments which play a role in the long term stability of this learning object repository. A model integrating team development, institutional commitments, learning object development and scholarship recognition is proposed.