All course information is listed within this syllabus.

TURF 235: The Turfgrass (3 credits). Characterization of the primary plant species used for sports, lawns, and turf; includes turfgrass morphology, environmental adaptation, and cultural requirements.

Prerequisites: None

Instructor

Instructor for TURF 235.

Ben McGraw, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Turfgrass Science

Department of Plant Science
243 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building
University Park, PA 16802

Phone (Office): 814-865-1138
E-mail: Use Canvas Inbox

Areas of Expertise

  • Turfgrass Entomology
  • Biological Control
  • Insect Ecology

Education

  • Ph.D., Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 2009
  • M.S., Entomology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 2005
  • B.S., Animal Science, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 1998

Course Overview

TURF 235 provides the foundation on which the other courses (ENT 317, PPATH 412, TURF 238, TURF 425, TURF 434, TURF 435, and TURF 436) build. The focus of TURF 235 is to introduce students to the concepts, terminology, and processes involved in turfgrass management. This course provides a broad overview of turfgrass management; its coverage includes turf quality, turfgrass growth and development, turfgrass species, the turfgrass environment (including atmospheric and soil components of the environment), cultural practices (e.g., mowing, fertilization, irrigation, cultivation, topdressing, etc.), pest management (weeds, diseases, insects and other pests), and turf establishment.

TURF 235 is the logical "first course" in the certificate program in turfgrass management offered through World Campus at Penn State. It is a 15-week cohort-based course which means that your course 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 website. Like taking a course on campus, it will be important for you to keep up with the course work. For a more detailed look at what this course will entail, see the schedule below.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of TURF 235, students will have:

  • developed an understanding of concepts related to turfgrass management including:
    • how turfgrasses grow and develop
    • the nature of the physical environment in which turfgrasses occur
    • the cultural operations performed in turfgrass management, and
    • turfgrass species characteristics, including identification, environmental adaptation, cultural requirements and uses
  • applied concepts to solve simple problems in turfgrass management
  • communicated and worked together with other students through the course materials

Course Schedule

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

Course Materials

Required

ISBN: 978-1-7332881-0-1 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-7332881-1-8 (Digital PDF)
Turgeon, A. J., & Kaminski, J. E. (2019). Turfgrass Management Edition 1.0. Turfpath, LLC.

Either format can be purchased. Students purchase from the Turfpath website. Although ebook versions are available for purchase, make sure to choose either the hardcover or digital pdf version of the book.

Assignments/Exams

The four practicum exercises are 40% of your grade. They are worth 50 points each, totaling 200 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 "Initial Answer Post" are due on Sunday by 11:59 p.m. EST to your team's discussion.
    Criteria: timeliness and completeness. Practicum answers will be submitted via the course tools provided in the course pages.
  • 10 points for "Questions on Teammates Post" are due Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. EST by posing 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.
  • 10 points for "Response to Teammates Questions" due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST by adequately responding to the questions posed by your teammates (and, in some cases, the instructor.)
    Criteria: quality, comprehensiveness, and accuracy.
  • 20 points for "Final Practicum Assignment" are due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST. Submit your Practicum Assignment. Criteria: timeliness and completeness, quality, comprehensiveness, and accuracy. Practicum answers will be submitted as an assignment.

There are sample practicum questions available for your review within your course.

Quizzes

There are 24 quizzes within the course - one for each module for a total of 100 points. The first 4 quizzes are each worth 5 points. The remaining quizzes are each worth 4 points. You have 30 minutes to complete each quiz. You have up to 5 attempts to complete the quiz with the highest score will be recorded. The questions are just like those you will find on the exams.

Practice!

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 50 points each and the final exam is worth 100 points. All exams are online and multiple choice.

The turnaround time for graded assignments is generally one week or less.

Grading Policy

The following table is the grading criteria for the course.

Grading Criteria
Requirement Cumulative Point Value
Team Discussions 120
Practicum Reports 80
Quizzes 100
Exams 200
TOTAL: 500

The following table is the grading scheme for the course.

Grading Scheme
Letter Grade Percentage Points
A 100% – 94% 470–500
A- < 94% – 90% 450–469
B+ < 90% – 87% 435–449
B < 87% – 83% 415–434
B- < 83% – 80% 400–414
C+ < 80% – 75% 375–399
C < 75% – 70% 350–374
D < 70% – 60% 300–349
F < 60% < 300

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate 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

As Penn State World Campus students, you have access to many of the materials that the library offers to students. The library website has a lot to offer, but can be overwhelming. A guide has been created to serve as your introduction to important library resources, services, and important pages within the library. The Online Student Library Guide is updated regularly by the online librarian and is intended to provide a level of comfort through an introduction to help you feel comfortable navigating the library website to find valuable information for your coursework.

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.

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Penn State Policies

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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.

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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.

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