Abstract:

Aromatic and Medicinal Plants are a plant group of interest in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, perfume and food industries, and they are an alternative to traditional crops, with species in high demand in today's market worldwide.
The purpose of this course is that students learn about the economic and social importance of such plants, knowing their industrial uses, modes of production and cultivation of the raw material and chemical analysis techniques and quality control.
General objectives of the course are to provide students the theoretical and practical tools necessary to:

- Distinguish the concepts of herbs, seasoning and medicinal.
- Understand the methodology for growing these plants.
- Know the main processing techniques and raw material procurement.
- Know the different types of active ingredients of these plants.
- To acquire knowledge on the applications of these plants in the food industry, cosmetics, perfume, liquor, herbal and pharmaceutical industries.
- Acquire basic knowledge of chemical analysis and quality control
- Know the laws governing this type of plant to national, European and international levels.
- Characterize the national and international markets (U.S., Europe, Japan and Brazil) of the main species.
- Determine the profitability and the various aspects related to the marketing of these species.
- Incorporate and deepen the concepts of Quality Management and Good Agricultural Practices applied to aromatic and medicinal species.

The Moodle platform facilitates the delivery of distance learning or E-Learning mode in many Argentine universities is still virtually unknown and very novel, which will favor not only about learning content by students but the use of online teaching methodology by both teachers and students.
Some of the teachers have experience in online teaching methodology, and have their assignments posted on the Open Course Ware of the UPM.
This type of teaching is also of great interest in Argentina, allowing interconnection between universities far between, and the shortening of the sessions, with the consequent saving of money in travel costs, subsistence and infrastructure.

The development of the graduate program was funded by the AECI - PCI

Keywords:

b-learning, medicinal and aromatic plants, agronomy, Moodle, Open Course Ware.