Course Development to Address Horticulture Gaps in an Agricultural Education Undergraduate Program

Education teacher licensure programs face a growing list of coursework needed to meet requirements with a shrinking number of credit hours available. A new course – ‘Greenhouse and Landscape Fundamentals for Educators’ was developed at Purdue University with an Agricultural Education Teacher Licensure B.S. degree program. Data utilized in creating the course included: 1) an evaluation of current Agricultural Education coursework; 2) a review of state and national Agricultural Education content and academic standards; and 3) a survey of current Indiana Agriculture teachers. Responses from the survey (n=72) of high school teachers of horticulture and/or landscape management show 61% of respondents had teaching greenhouses at their schools, and 62% reporting they were not confident with operating and maintaining a greenhouse based on bachelor level coursework they took. Respondents indicate needing more coursework in several topics: greenhouse management, landscape design, landscape installation and maintenance, and plant identification. Results pointed to gaps in existing required coursework. The new course was specifically tailored to meet the needs of the Agricultural Education undergraduate students, and equip them with information and resources to call upon when they begin their teaching careers.