instructional plan | horticulture 201 aet/515 instructional plan: horticulture 201 john gafford...

Instructional Plan | Horticulture 201

AET/515Instructional Plan: Horticulture 201

John GaffordJanuary 2, 2014


– Needs Assessment– Instructional Goal– Performance-Based Objectives– Summative Assessment and Learning Outcomes– Learner Characteristics– Learning Context

PART IAnalysis and Design of Instruction


Needs Assessment1. What is the learning problem or opportunity?

• The City of Kelsey is a community rooted in agriculture however the local community college, Northwest Valley Community College (NVCC), does not offer any horticulture courses or programs.

• The city does not offer any government sponsored community programs to develop agriculture research or related support activities.

• The city does not offer any professional development programs or training for their professional public servants who develop agricultural policies.

2. What is currently available?• NVCC offers introductory courses in Science (Environmental Science, and

People, Science and the Environment). These courses have no depth and only provide a cursory overview of ecosystems and environmental issues.

• The City of Kelsey does not offer any government run instruction or training programs related to agriculture or environment management.

• Unknown if the county has an Extension Office to support the agricultural area.

• No other higher education institutions are available in the area.


Needs Assessment3. What should be available?

• Horticulture courses and degree programs• Horticulture Science and Practices• Horticulture Techniques• Component Analysis of Horticultural Systems• Vegetable Crop Production• Plant Propagation• Greenhouse Management• Nursery Management and Production• Horticulture Internship Programs• Plant Associated Microorganisms• Plant Nutrition

• Other science courses or programs related to agriculture such as Biology (Plant Biotechnology, Biological Activity, and Bioactive Molecules), Physiology (Applied Physiology of Horticulture Crops, Physiological and Molecular Basis)

• A Community Horticulture Learning Program; a public/private joint venture program to provide novice and professional development to improve agricultural research and plant problem solving skills.


Needs Assessment4. Explain the gap analysis between what is available and

what should be available.

• There is an educational gap in agricultural knowledge, skills, research and development. The educational gap exists because the only higher education institution in the area does not offer horticultural and related science courses or programs.

• The gap is further exasperated by the lack of any public or private sponsored community or professional training or education programs in agriculture.

5. What is your recommended solution for filling the gap?• NVCC needs to develop a Horticulture or Agricultural degree program• The City of Kelsey needs to offer a professional development programs• The private sector needs to develop a community learning program• Capitalize on the county Extension Office experts and resources if it

exists.


Instructional Goal

•What should the learners be able to do after successfully completing this instructional plan?

The learner will be able to implement research-based knowledge about horticulture to improve efficient and profitable horticultural production and also support community based educational programs concerning agriculture.

To accomplish this goal the learner will progress through a series of courses to include plant anatomy, physiology, morphology, genetics, biotechnology of horticultural plants, environmental effects on plant growth and development, basic principles of propagation, nutrition, and pest control.


Performance-Based Objectives

Given 5 different plant species the entry level college student will be able to name all 15 plant anatomical structures (internal and external) and explain the 6 functions of the Root System and the 5 functions of the Shoot System without any errors.

Given 3 infected plants (diseased or pest infestation) the advanced level college student will evaluate the correct diagnosis 100% of the time and create a solution to each plants problem using the principles of plant nutrition or pest control.


Summative Assessment and Learning Outcomes

For general knowledge and understanding written and practical exams will be used to determine if the learning outcomes have been accomplished. Three written tests with fifty multiple questions each will be administered and they will be accumulative in nature. Ten practical exams will be administered using five different plant species for each test.

Performance Assessment: To measure the understanding of horticulture production and pest control a laboratory or field test will be administered. Each student will be presented with a healthy, diseased, and pest infested plant at mid-course. The student will research, develop, and implement strategies to improve the production of the healthy plant and improve the health of diseased and infested plants by the end of the course.


Learner Characteristics

The majority of the target audience is rural males with a background in the mid-size farming cultural. Their ages range between 18 and 60 years old with practical working experience in agriculture (some will have above average education in farming). This audience desires formal education to prepare for an agricultural career or improve their skills to advance their farming production.

The secondary target audience is male and female who are government workers or private professional large scale mass production company employees. This audience desires exert level education to improve policy making skills or advance plant production while being environmentally friendly.

The minority target audience incorporates the general populace who seeks personal growth through horticulture and need a working knowledge in plant health and pest control.

Specific characteristics: learner attitudes are enthusiastic and their aptitude is generally above average due to their cultural background.

Learning styles: all target audience process information verbally, through kinesthetic learning, and through online instructional videos (verbal and visual).


GENERAL knowledge instructional setting; classroom, web-based, online, greenhouse laboratory

ADVANCED knowledge instructional setting; field experience, laboratory greenhouse, online research

Resources; agricultural products and equipment (includes pest control chemicals, contamination control mechanisms, and safety equipment)

Constraints; field work experience is limited to the growing season, weather, and plant availability due to crop rotation schedules

Intended application setting; small to large scale individual farms, mass production farming companies, government offices, and individual gardens (no known constraints)

Due to the natural setting of horticultural this instructional plan includes learning at various farming locations and uses multiple greenhouses

Learning Context


– Delivery Modality– Instructional Strategies– Plan for Implementation– Instructional Resources– Formative Assessment

PART IIDevelopment and Implementation


Delivery Modality – GENERAL LEVEL

Synchronous – for degree seeking students (primary audience) Lecture – classroom setting and web-based videos Laboratory – group greenhouse hands-on practical

experience Field Work (introduction) – farming, associated

equipment, techniques, and environmental conditions (not in-depth but rather exposure to what happens at the advanced instructional level)


Delivery Modality – GENERAL LEVEL

Asynchronous – for audit only students, government workers, and general populace or community horticulture learning programs (secondary and minor audiences) Lecture – web-based videos on-demand by subject Laboratory – individual greenhouse practical experience Field Work (introduction) – farming and associated equipment,

techniques, and environmental conditions (not in-depth but rather a field trip periodically offered for general learners to take at their leisure)

Online videos and web-based tutorials – for home garners, those seeking cursory knowledge, and general to specific research information or material


Delivery Modality – ADVANCED LEVEL

Synchronous – for degree seeking students (primary audience) Lecture – classroom setting and web-based videos Laboratory – group greenhouse hands-on practical

experience Field Work (applied group farming) – team oriented learning

to acquire skills in equipment usage, implementing techniques, executing modifications to changing environmental conditions (in-depth exposure to real time growing conditions to improve production methods and counter agricultural diseases and infestations)

Field Work – team internships with the county Extension Office, small-midsize farms, and large mass production farming enterprises



Asynchronous – for degree seeking students (primary audience) Lecture – web-based videos on-demand by subject for primary

instruction, refresher information, and research tasks Laboratory – individual greenhouse applied experience and

experimentations (applying learned skills and techniques to improve plant production and counter agricultural diseases and infestations)

Field Work (applied farming) – executing individual equipment usage, implementing techniques, executing modifications to changing environmental conditions (in-depth exposure to real time growing conditions to improve production methods and counter agricultural diseases and infestations).

Field Work – individual internships with the county Extension Office, small-midsize farms, and large mass production farming enterprises



Asynchronous – for audit only students, government workers, and general populace or community horticulture learning programs (secondary and minor audiences) Lecture – web-based videos on-demand by subject Laboratory – specific greenhouse experimentation to develop

solutions to plant problems Field Work (applied farming) – exposure to farming during real

time production to develop specific solutions to policy-making decisions and improve community programs

On-demand online videos and web-based tutorials – for all secondary and minor audiences to develop a more in-depth working knowledge and for general to specific research information or material


Instructional Strategies – Overall Plan

The instructional strategy is a building block approach starting with fundamental knowledge (plant structure and functions) to mastery of plant production and how to counter plant diseases and pest infestations.Students will start with synchronous lecture and video learning. The second step is hands-on learning in the greenhouse laboratory. The third step is field experience applying learned skills on a working farm. The last step is individual asynchronous learning as an intern on a working farm, at the county extension office, or at an agricultural research facilityFor secondary and minor audiences the strategy is to provide them with general to specific knowledge using online material and opportunities to attend kinetic events.


Instructional Strategies - Concepts

Main Concepts Terminology and relationships of plant tissue and organ

system Plant structure, growth, biology, physiology,

reproduction, genetics, and how the environment affects these functions

Chemical and mechanical manipulation Plant diseases; diagnosis, solutions, and research Pest control; identification, solutions, and research

Lectures – faculty and student lead discussions Faculty lead presentations followed by questions and

answer sessions Student lead presentations of assigned topic Student lead presentations of research projects


Instructional Strategies - Concepts

Laboratory – faculty and student lead practical experience Faculty lead demonstrations and explanation of experimental

results from case studies and research activities Student lead demonstrations and explanations fundamental plant

structures and functions Student lead demonstrations and explanations of results from

team and individual projects

Field Work – faculty and student lead applied knowledge Faculty lead demonstrations of farming equipment and methods Student lead demonstrations of farming equipment Student lead explanations of results from applying production

improvement methods, disease control, and pest control methods Student demonstrations of learned skills during internships


Plan for Implementation – Timelines

Lecture – meet twice a week for 4 weeks (2 hour classes)Laboratory – 12 weeks over 2 semesters

Semester One Week 1-2, Lab demonstrations (meet twice a week - 2 hours per lab) Week 3-6, Lab project one (plant production)

Semester Two Week 7-10, Lab project two (plant diseases and counter measures) Week 11-12, Lab project three (pest control and counter measures)

Students may attend lab off schedule as many times as necessary to meet project goals

Field Work (farming) – 12 weeks over 2 semesters Semester One – Week 1-6, Improving plant production Semester Two – Week 7-12, Applying disease & pest control counter

measures

Field Work (internship) – 12 weeks


Plan for Implementation – Materials

Individual involved Faculty Students Facilitators (grad students or associate professors Agriculture Research members Farmers Extension Office mentors

Materials needed Lecture material; room, computer, text book, syllabus, case studies Laboratory; greenhouses and associated equipment, plants (healthy,

diseased, and pest infested) Field Work; multiple farms, mentors, equipment, production crops at

varying stages of growth


Plan for Implementation – Resources

This plan will be implemented using a team concept. Five teams will be assigned the following tasks; syllabus development, personnel scheduling, laboratory development, field work coordination, and communications.Team One will be lead by NVCC to oversee syllabus development in conjunction with local farmers, the county Extension Office, and community organizers for public/private ventures.Team Two will cultivate the required resources; farms, identify available crops, coordinate instructor/facilitator/mentor scheduling.Team Three will coordinate and construct laboratories.Team Four will coordinate field work implementation.Team Five will coordinate the communication plan.


Plan for Implementation – Resources

Team Five Communication Plan ActivitiesContact local farmers, the county Extension Office, government offices, and local community growers to recruit team membersDevelop advertisements to promote Horticulture 201

Develop Public Service Announcements (PSAs) Contract billboard, radio, internet, and television advertisements

Advertise the educational benefits of the program to build interest and commitment;

Students; skills and training to acquire agriculture occupations Farmers; increased crop production and reduced diseased or infested

plants Government; improved policy-making skills Community; improved garnering skills, safe food, healthy economy


Instructional Resources

Materials needed Lecture material; classroom, computer, text book,

syllabus, case studies, software, plants, online index of major resources

Laboratory; greenhouses and associated equipment (hoses, water, soil, nutrients, prunes, etc.), plants (healthy, diseased, and pest infested), supplements of instruction to improve plant production, disease cures materials, and pest control chemicals

Field Work; multiple farms of varying sizes, mentors, farm equipment, production crops at varying stages of growth


Formative Assessment

5 formative assessment strategies that could be used:

1. Questioning – Asking better questions affords students an opportunity for deeper thinking and provides teachers with significant insight into the degree and depth of student understanding. Questions of this nature engage students in classroom dialogue that expands student learning.

2. Discussion – The teacher can initiate the discussion by presenting students with an open-ended question. The goal is to build knowledge and develop critical and creative thinking skills.


Formative Assessment

5 formative assessment strategies that could be used:

3. Observation – Watching students can help teachers determine what students do and do not know. There many instruments and techniques that teachers can use to record useful data about student learning.

4. Peer/Self Assessment – Create a learning community. When students are involved in criteria and goal setting, self evaluation becomes a logical step in the learning process.

5. Constructive Quizzes – By using quizzes to furnish students with immediate feedback, the teacher can quickly determine the status of each student in relation to the learning targets, and students can learn more during the discussions that immediately follow the quizzes.


PART IIIEvaluation of Instruction

– Evaluation Strategies– Outcome Review– Recommendations– References


Four criteria will be used to evaluate this instructional plan;

Syllabus Adequacy

Student Academic Achievement

Instructor/Facilitator/Mentor Performance

Community (private/public) Reviews

Evaluation Strategies


Syllabus Adequacy Instructional Goal; The learner will be able to implement

research-based knowledge about horticulture to improve efficient and profitable horticultural production and also support community based educational programs concerning agriculture.

Based on given resources were the students able to retain sufficient knowledge to apply methods and techniques to accomplish the instructional goal?

Feedback will be gathered based on student, instructor, facilitator, mentor, and community feedback through surveys, comment cards, follow-up interviews with those who employ graduates, focus groups, and student consultations.



Student Academic Achievement Using the performance-based objectives were the

students able to achieve the learning outcomes? Outcomes are determined using written tests, quizzes, laboratory

projects, and field work results

Data will also be gathered on student graduation rates using the following criteria;

Attendance Quizzes Exams Project Presentation Assignments Final Exam (cumulative)



Instructor/Facilitator/Mentor Performance Peer observation of teaching (POT) Feedback from farmer facilitators and Extension Office

mentors through surveys, interviews and consultations

Community (private/public) Reviews Conduct surveys, interviews and focus groups with

community leaders, government policy-makers, and gardening groups or organizations to gain feedback

Interview employers of students who graduated from the program to gain their evaluation of the level of competency and quality of the students they hired



Outcome Review - RUBRIC

Likert Scale - Please circle the number that represents how you feel about Horticulture 201

The design goals were metStrongly Disagree---1---2---3---4---5---Strongly Agree

The instructional goal is attainableStrongly Disagree---1---2---3---4---5---Strongly Agree

The performance-based objectives are adequateStrongly Disagree---1---2---3---4---5---Strongly Agree

The learning outcomes were achievedStrongly Disagree---1---2---3---4---5---Strongly Agree


Recommendations

Start with a pilot program to access the courses and build up to full implementation; suggest a 1-2 year phased in process.

If the outcome review result in a positive analysis than continue to program growth. The program should always be reviewed for improvement and evolve to meet changes in future conditions or requirements.

If the outcome review result in a negative analysis than change, add, delete shortfalls as required.


References

Solutions for your life. (2012). University of Florida IFAS Extension. Retrieved from http://okaloosa.ifas.ufl.edu/

Texas A&M. (2013). Department of Horticultural Sciences. Retrieved from http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/academics/undergraduate/

Texas A&M. (2013). Horticultural Sciences and Practices, Honors Section Course Syllabus. Retrieved from http://hortsciences.tamu.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/17/files/2013/04/HORT-201-Honors-Syllabus.pdf

University of Illiois at Chicago. (2013). Plant Structure and Function. Retrieved from http://www.uic.edu/classes/bios/bios100/labs/plantanatomy.htm

University of Phoenix. (2013). Northwest Valley Community College Course Catalog. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Education/NVCC/cc/catalog.asp?science


References

West Virginia Department of Education. (2013). Examples of Formative Assessment. Retrieved from http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/ExamplesofFormativeAssessment.html

Page-Bucci, H. (2003, February). The value of Likert scales measuring attitudes of online learners. Retrieved from http://www.hkadesigns.co.uk/websites/msc/reme/likert.htm

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