ID Brief for Interactive eLearning Module

Designer: Michael Johnson

Title
Creating Climate-Appropriate Landscape Irrigation Schedules

Problem Analysis
Learners in HORT 58 Irrigation Systems Design & Management (HORT 58) at Cabrillo College
enter the course with little or no prior knowledge, skills, or experience with landscape irrigation
scheduling and irrigation controller programming. In previous semesters students have struggled
to master the step-by-step process provided for creating an efficient, climate-appropriate
landscape irrigation schedule. The content has been delivered with an in-class PowerPoint
presentation, lecture, and a paper worksheet that the students fill out during the lecture. Students
often perform poorly on an assignment and a test given after the lesson.
An interactive, multimedia e-learning product will improve instruction by allowing learners to
access content asynchronously so that materials can be reviewed multiple times as needed for
comprehension. Automating the required mathematical calculations with Excel spreadsheets will
increase learner confidence and performance by minimizing both extraneous processing and
cognitive overload. The narrated video will guide learners through a systematic procedure that
incorporates active processing of relevant material and integrating it with prior knowledge.
Target audience
The learning module will be presented to students in HORT 58 Irrigation Systems Design &
Management (HORT 58) at Cabrillo College who are either 1) required to take the course for a
Skills Certificate or AS degree or 2) who want to enhance their knowledge, skills, and
experience with aspects of irrigation systems. Learners will access materials synchronously in
class and asynchronously through the Canvas learning management system (LMS). The lesson
will be further shared with colleagues in the Horticulture Department at Cabrillo College and
with local industry professionals.
Learning objectives
The following objectives describe learner performance capabilities after interacting with the
lesson.
• Given an interactive PowerPoint lesson and an Excel spreadsheet, HORT 58 students will
be able to create a climate-appropriate landscape irrigation schedule for the North Central
Coast region of California with 100% accuracy.
• Given a Hunter Pro-C irrigation controller and a step job aid, HORT 58 students will be
able to program the controller with 100% accuracy.
• From memory, HORT 58 students will be able to recall the four main water use
classifications (very low, low, moderate, high) of landscape species in California and
identify the most appropriate classifications for use in the North Central Coast region of
California with 100% accuracy.
 • From memory, HORT 58 students will be able to recall the minimum application-
efficiency standards for drip and sprinkler irrigation systems required by the California
Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance with 100% accuracy.
• Given a table titled General Soil Water Properties from the NRCS Engineering
Handbook 652, HORT 58 students will be able to identify the water holding capacities
and infiltration rates of the three basic soil types with 100% accuracy.

Assessments
Mastery of the topic will be exhibited by the learner’s ability to create an efficient irrigation
schedule given specific information about soil types, irrigation delivery method, and plant
materials along with programming the schedule information into a given irrigation controller.
The level of mastery will be determined by evaluation of performance on a homework
assignment and a test along with the instructor’s observations.

After viewing the learning module students should be able to accurately create climate-
appropriate landscape irrigation schedules. Upon creating an irrigation schedule the students
should then be able to program an irrigation controller with the information derived from the
scheduling exercise within 5 minutes. The students will have access to a step job aid for
reference to demonstrate mastery of the controller programming exercise.

Learners should be able to talk or write about the sequential steps required for creating an
efficient irrigation schedule for landscapes, including estimating the infiltration rate of a given
soil type, finding the application rate of an irrigation system, and determining the water
requirements of given plant materials. The instructor will review the results of the assignment on
the Canvas LMS and confirm that feedback supported learner comprehension with a test.
Instructional Strategies
Video and audio instruction will guide the learners through the irrigation scheduling process. The
Multimedia Principle will be applied to construct knowledge with functional graphics
accompanied by narration to enhance learner engagement and to avoid extraneous cognitive
overload. Text will be limited to key terms and visual cueing will direct the learner’s attention to
integral actions.

The learners will use scenario-based practice exercises to experience the decision-making
process involved with a work-realistic landscape irrigation scheduling challenge. The learners
will be able to reflect on their choices and learn from mistakes with immediate feedback and
model answers provided in a conversational style.

Resources
Existing materials, including a PowerPoint slideshow, will be revised and new content, like an
instructional video and a step job aid, will be added to the existing lesson. The course materials
will be easily accessible to learners via the Canvas LMS. Major deliverables for the course
consist of the following materials:
• A narrated PowerPoint slideshow screencast that reviews important technical terms and
concepts and demonstrates a systematic 10-step irrigation scheduling procedure
 • An “efficient climate-appropriate landscape irrigation scheduling” Excel worksheet that
learners will use to follow along with the irrigation scheduling procedure described
during the screencast
• An “efficient climate-appropriate landscape irrigation scheduling” Excel worksheet
homework assignment
• An instructional video (Hunter Pro-C Basis Programming) by Hunter Industries
• A step job aid created with PowerPoint and Camtasia will guide learners through the
irrigation controller programming process
• A learning module accessible on the Canvas LMS that will include all materials
previously listed available for viewing and downloading along with instructions for
utilizing the materials and completing the homework assignment
This online learning module will be one of multiple modules accessible with the Canvas LMS
containing information and materials for each week of the 17-week, semester-long course.
Important concepts and terminology will be introduced earlier in the semester and reinforced
during the lectures and with the deliverables. This will include information about soil-plant-
water relationships, irrigation system components, climate-appropriate plant materials for the
California Central Coast region, and irrigation system efficiency.