GEAPS > Distance Learning Program

GEAPS/K-State Distance Learning

GEAPS and Kansas State University produce top-quality distance-learning courses designed specifically for professionals in grain operations and related fields.

In the past five years, more than 800 people from 17 different nations have taken a GEAPS/K-State course, and the feedback that they’ve provided has been uniformly positive. “We have heard time and again how valuable people find this program to be,” said Mike Kiel, chairman of GEAPS’ distance-ed oversight committee.

GEAPS also recently announced plans to offer courses on demand.

More coures, more often

In response to requests from GEAPS members and others in the industry, the distance-ed program is continuing to expand. The 2010-2011 schedule won’t be made final until mid-September, but tentative plans include offering 12 different courses, including four new ones, from November through June of next year. The lineup is likely to include:

• GEAPS 520 – Grain Quality Management
• GEAPS 540 – Safety Management
• GEAPS 521 – Aeration System Design
• GEAPS 542 – Electrical Safety for Grain Facilities
• GEAPS 5XX – Basics of Electricity for Grain Facilities (new)
• GEAPS 543 – Equipment Maintenance: An Inside Look at Key Components
• GEAPS 530 – Quality Management Systems
• GEAPS 522 – Grain Drying (new)
• GEAPS 580 – How to Hire and Retain Good Employees
• GEAPS 5XX – Materials Handling (new)
• GEAPS 525 – Management of Insect Pests (new)
• GEAPS 522 – FGIS Grain Inspection Orientation

About the Distance-Learning Program

All of the courses are planned and developed jointly by GEAPS and Kansas State University, in conjunction with other partners on a course-by-course basis.

Courses usually consist of 10 hour-long lectures and typically run for five weeks.

Everything online!

Up until now, all course lectures came on CDs that were mailed to students. Starting in November, course materials will be available online only, from a new dedicated website at Kansas State University. No more CDs!

The Cost

Course tuition, which covers all materials, is $515 for GEAPS members and $740 for non-members. Online registration opens shortly before the courses begin.

Continuing Education Credit

Students who complete a GEAPS distance-education course receive one continuing education unit from Kansas State University, and a certificate of completion. (Only students who register and complete the work will receive the certificate and the CEU.)

Built for Convenience

Because the courses are available online, nobody has to travel. All students need is a computer and an internet connection. Course work must be completed within a specified time frame (typically five weeks) but students can do the work when it’s most convenient for them, 24-7.

Quality and Structure

Students progress through the courses together in a structured, supervised program developed and peer-reviewed by many of the grain industry’s top specialists. All of the class material is based on current industry practices and standards, and class participants can expect a strong dose of real-world expertise.

For Industry Pros, Internationally

Typically, students are grain-industry professionals--people working to improve their job skills--for themselves and their employers. While most of the participants are from the U.S. and Canada, the GEAPS-KSU program also draws students from many other countries.

GEAPS understands the tremendous value of being able to network with others in the same profession, and all of our distance education courses encourage and enable interaction, with faculty members and with other students. While students don’t have to interact with others, many find it to be one of the most useful components of the program.

For more information about the the GEAPS Distance Learning Program, contact Chuck House at GEAPS or Brandi Miller at Kansas State University.