Perception of Mobile Information and Communication Technologies by An Herbaceous Ornamentals Class

Mobile information and communication technologies (ICTs) are useful for augmenting the teaching of horticulture related materials. A class of 26 students studying herbaceous ornamentals was asked to complete a survey regarding their use and interest in applications for mobile ICTs.  Sixty-one percent of students in the course (31% of each sophomore, junior, and seniors in horticulture) completed the survey. Sixty-eight percent owned a mobile ICT (smartphone, PDA, etc.) and 73.3 % of these had used at least one application on the device.  Only 25% of owners had ever purchased an application for the device.  All of the respondents thought a mobile application had the potential to assist them in learning herbaceous ornamentals and 50% also thought an application could be useful in their future careers.  However, 43.8% did not want an application to replace the printed information already available for the course.  When asked to rate the importance of possible features of an application the highest percentage of respondents said that identification characteristics (100%), colorful pictures (100%), common name (81%), scientific name (75%), and cultural information (75%) were very important.  Other features like GPS location capability, maps of native range, and historical information were considered less important. Students also suggested that quick searching capability, thoughtful design, and an intuitive interface were also important.