Effect of interactivity and learning style on developing hands-on horticultural skills via distance learning.

摘要

One of the significant challenges facing horticultural distance education is developing effective strategies for teaching hands-on skills. An asynchronous web/CD-based course, "The How, When and Why of Grafting", was used as a vehicle to evaluate 2 pedagogical variables related to teaching the hands-on horticultural skill of grafting to non-traditional students. In collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension, we worked with Extension Educators in 5 counties to enlist an audience of amateur gardeners. The 10-week course was delivered on 2 separate occasions to a total of 67 students. The 2 pedagogical variables evaluated in this experiment were type of student/instructor interaction and student learning style. Interaction involved either entirely asynchronous, non-facilitated instruction (text, pictures, video, and discussion board) or the asynchronous components in addition to a 3 hour face-to-face (facilitated), hands-on grafting session with the instructor. Learning styles were evaluated and students were classified as either active or reflective learners. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Design with 4 treatments in a 2x2 complete factorial arrangement of the 2 types of interaction (+/- facilitation) and the 2 learning styles. Hibiscus plants, grafting knives, and other grafting supplies were provided to the students for the grafting lab exercises. Students and instructors independently evaluated student grafts after 4 weeks based on pre-defined criteria of grafting success. Analysis of student self-evaluation was there were no significant effects of facilitation or of learning style, indicating that students could effectively learn to graft at a distance regardless of learning style or the absence of face-to-face instructor interaction.