All course information is listed within this syllabus.

TURF 852: Turfgrass Health Management (3 credits). Lectures and exercises designed to develop student competency in solving turfgrass pest problems, as well as disease resistance in turfgrass.

Prerequisites: None

Instructor

Instructor for TURF 852

Joseph M. Vargas, Jr.
Professor of Plant Pathology

102 CIPS
East Lansing, MI 48824

E-mail: Use Canvas Inbox

Education

  • B.S., Plant Science, University of Rhode Island, 1963
  • M.S., Plant Pathology, Oklahoma State University, 1965
  • Ph.D., Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, 1968

Professional Background

  • 1982–present, Michigan State University, Professor of Plant Pathology
  • 1974–1982, Michigan State University, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology
  • 1968–1974, Michigan State University, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology
  • 1965–1968, University of Minnesota, Graduate Research Assistant
  • 1963–1965, Oklahoma State University, Graduate Research Assistant

Course Overview

TURF 852 is a Core Course in the Master of Professional Studies in Turfgrass Management graduate program. Its focus is on turfgrass plant health as influenced by diseases and other pests. It is a 15-week cohort-based course which means that it has an established start and end date and that you will interact with other students throughout the course. The units of study are all located within our password-protected course Web site. Like taking a course on campus, it will be important for you to keep up with the course work.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of TURF 852, students will have developed an understanding of concepts related to turfgrass plant health, including disease management, fungicide mode of action, fungicide resistance, and environmental stress, as well as other pest problems.

Course Schedule

For due dates, refer to the Course Summary on the Syllabus page in Canvas.

Course Materials

There is no required textbook for this course. 

Assignments/Exams

The five practicum exercises are 40% of your grade. They are worth 80 points each, totaling 400 points.

  • Practicums consist of essay questions that focus on situations or problems relevant to materials that are being studied.
  • While each individual will be assigned questions to complete, the teams share responsibility for satisfactory completion of the entire set of practicum questions.
  • Individual grades for each practicum exercise are determined as follows:
    • 10 points for your initial posting of answers to your team's message board.
      Criteria: Timeliness and completeness. Practicum answers will be submitted via the course tools provided in the course pages.
    • 20 points for posting at least two original questions to each of your teammates, based on the answers they provided to their assigned questions. (Questions may be of several types: challenge questions, in which you take issue with something contained in an answer; clarification questions, in which you request a clearer statement in an answer; and elaboration questions, in which you request additional information in an answer.)
      Criteria: Insight, responsiveness, and constructive criticism.
    • 20 points for adequately responding to the questions posed by your teammates (and, in some cases, the instructor).
      Criteria: Quality, comprehensiveness, and accuracy.
    • 30 points for your final posting of answers to your team's message board.
      Criteria: Timeliness and completeness, quality, comprehensiveness, and accuracy. Practicum answers will be submitted via the course tools provided in the course pages.

Quizzes

There are 13 quizzes within the course worth a total of 200 points. You have the opportunity to take each quiz 5 times. Practice! In computing your final grade for the course, the quizzes are worth 20% of the grade that you can earn for this course. The questions are just like those you will find on the exams.

Exams

There are two one-hour exams and a comprehensive two-hour final exam. Together, all three of these exams make up 40% of your grade. Each one-hour exam is worth 100 points each and the final exam is worth 200 points. All exams are online and multiple choice.

VoiceThread

A webcam or a headset with a microphone is required for this course.

Accessibility Information

Grading Policy

The following table is the grading criteria for the course.

Grading Criteria
Requirement Cumulative Point Value Weight
Practicums 400 40%
Quizzes 200 20%
Exams 400 40%
TOTAL: 1000 100%

The following table is the grading scheme for the course.

Grading Scheme
Letter Grade Percentage Points
A 100% – 94% 940–1000
A- < 94% – 90% 900–939
B+ < 90% – 87% 870–899
B < 87% – 83% 830–869
B- < 83% – 80% 800–829
C+ < 80% – 75% 750–799
C < 75% – 70% 700–749
D < 70% – 60% 600–699
F < 60% < 600

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information.

NOTE: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please see "Graduation" under World Campus Student Resources.

Online Students Use of the Library

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Technical Requirements

This course is offered online and it is assumed you possess the minimum system requirements and computing skills to participate effectively. A list of technical requirements is listed on World Campus' Penn State Technical Requirements page.

Minimum Skills

  • You should have an understanding of basic computer usage (creating folders/directories, switching between programs, formatting and backing up media, accessing the internet).
  • You must be able to conduct word processing tasks such as creating, editing, saving, and retrieving documents.
  • You must be able to use a web browser to open web pages, download files, and search the internet.
  • You must be able to use an e-mail program to send and receive messages and to attach and download documents/files.
  • You must be able to download and install programs or plug-ins from the internet.

Getting Help With Canvas Courses

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Support Services

As a student, you have access to a variety of services and resources, including advising, tutoring, library services, career services, and more. Please visit the following resources for more information:

Accessibility Information

Netiquette

The term "Netiquette" refers to the etiquette guidelines for electronic communications, such as e-mail and discussion postings. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in discussions but also special guidelines unique to the electronic nature of messages. Please review Virginia Shea's "The Core Rules of Netiquette" for general guidelines that should be followed when communicating in this course.

Penn State Policies

Login Policy

Students are expected to log in regularly to keep up to date with announcements, discussions, etc. The class will progress at a regular pace throughout the semester and there are specific due dates and times for assignments, etc.

Course Availability

Your course will be available to you beginning the first day of class and will remain open for one year. After one year the course will close.

Academic Integrity

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Please read the academic integrity guidelines for the College of Agricultural Sciences.

A lack of knowledge or understanding of the University's academic integrity policy and the types of actions it prohibits and/or requires does not excuse one from complying with the policy. Penn State and the College of Agricultural Sciences take violations of academic integrity very seriously. Faculty, alumni, staff, and fellow students expect each student to uphold the University's standards of academic integrity both inside and outside of the classroom.

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Copyright Notice

All course materials students receive or to which students have online access are protected by copyright laws. Students may use course materials and make copies for their own use as needed, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor's express permission is strictly prohibited. University Policy AD40, Recording of Classroom Activities and Note-Taking Services, addresses this issue. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University's Code of Conduct, and/or liable under federal and state laws.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

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In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus' disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.

Accommodations for Military Personnel

Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.

Use of Trade Names

Where trade names are used, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by World Campus, Outreach and Cooperative Extension, the College of Agricultural Sciences, or The Pennsylvania State University is implied.

Subject to Change Statement

Please note that this Course Syllabus is subject to change. Students are responsible for abiding by such changes.

Course Availability

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