ACS Distance Education offers a wide range of agricultural courses to study and help you learn the skills you need.

The courses range from husbandry to anatomy, from farm management to courses on specific species. All these courses are offered through distance learning study with ACS Distance Education. More than just studying the theoretical aspects of the course, these are unique opportunities to learn though practical tasks and research skills.

So, how can there be a practical side to a distance learning course? Our courses are designed to offer you flexible learning. Yes, you read through lesson materials and answer assignment questions and act upon the feedback that your tutor provides you, but our courses are more unique than this. Within our courses, you are encouraged to use all possible research resources and to carry out more practical work and research. Rather than reading the theory, memorising it regurgitating it in an assignment and later forgetting it, we design the practical and research tasks that will help you cement the essentials in your mind. You can get to know the industry that you want to work in, network with other people in the industry and go out an get your hands dirty (so to speak), you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the industry. With this type of study, your learning is really enhanced and it will help you place your learning into practice.

Here are some examples of what you may learn or the practical tasks you may complete:

Our Animal Husbandry III (Feed and Nutrition) course requires you to visit an animal feed store, or stockist, which deals with agricultural feeds. You will be required to complete a number of tasks which include researching; nutritional analysis, costs, types of feed, etc. Another task requires you to visit a farm which raises their livestock on pastures and interview/discuss feeding requirements with the farmer. This encourages you to use additional research which really encourages your theoretical learning. 

Our Dairy Cattle course encourages researching outside the computer by asking you to contact governing bodies regarding the lessons aims. One lesson requires you to visit a supermarket to find out what dairy products are on sale. Another requests you to visit two dairy farms and discuss with the farmers how they manage their systems and animals. 

The Organic Farming course encourages you to organize a visit to an organic farm and discuss the operations with the appropriate staff/manager/owner. Another task requires you to visit a natural, undisturbed environment and research the abundance and diversity of organisms. Another task requests you to visit a farm produce store and research any organic products available. 

Some of these practical tasks may seem a little out of the “normal” distance learning comfort zone, however it is all completed to your own ability and your localities availability of required locations/establishments. Completing each and every aspect of our courses will deliver you the highest and most enhanced learning possible. 

Some of our courses, for example Soil Management (Agriculture), include a Problem Based Learning (PBL) project as the final lesson. This involves contributing a number of research skills, including practical, to create a small project or report. This is not as daunting as it sounds, and is all completed with our expert tutors on hand to support you.

If you have any questions on any of our courses, or need helping in deciding which course may best suit your needs, please get in touch with our tutors today - use our FREE COURSE COUNSELLING SERVICE