PASSeL, the Plant and Soil Sciences e-Library website developed by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, was updated in 2019 for a cleaner, more modern, responsive and mobile-friendly experience.
With a 20-year reputation as a quality educational resource, PASSeL is comprised of free online learning resources developed by team members whose mission is to disseminate unbiased, cutting-edge plant and soil sciences research information.
Lessons and videos cover topics about soils, genetics, plant breeding, horticulture, weed science, biotechnology and more. This resource is used both inside and outside of classrooms globally by students, industry, faculty and researchers.
"My biggest motivation for developing items in PASSeL was to create resources for my students and knowing that these could also be shared with the world. PASSeL is a great way to save my students money because as a teacher I can provide the learning materials for free,” said Don Lee, professor of agronomy and horticulture.
The PASSeL knowledge base continues to grow through collaboration from subject matter experts and the use of technology.
“To see how this website has remained consistently relevant, while expanding with new content over these years is rewarding. In my current role as PASSeL manager, I'm excited to continue partnering with content experts to continue to develop additional resources,” said Leah Sandall, agronomy and horticulture distance education coordinator.
Subject matter experts are encouraged to contribute to this knowledge base.
In October 1999, the PASSeL website began as a graduate student project and has grown to include over 130 lessons with a mixture of text, video, picture and animation-based learning opportunities. The intent at its inception is the same as it is today – to provide free online educational resources to students, teachers and life-long or career-learners interested in advancing their knowledge of plant and soil sciences.
“I look forward to seeing how PASSeL will grow in the next 20 years,” Sandall said.
For more information about PASSeL, https://passel2.unl.edu/ or to collaborate on lessons, contact Leah Sandall at lsandall5@unl.edu.
