Using Technology to Teach Floral Design

Floral Design/Event Planning is one of five specializations of the horticulture curriculum in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University. The department is also home to the Benz Endowed Chair of Floral Design. Sixty six percent of the undergraduate students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts degree and 28% of the total students enrolled in the department declare Floral Design as their major. Horticulture 203, Floral Design, taught in the department, is one of the most-sought after courses on the Texas A&M campus. The enrollment in HORT 203 is limited currently to four lab sections (approximately 72 students) per semester, while demand from students reaches into the hundreds. Clearly, enrollment could be doubled or tripled if additional sections could be offered. A way to increase the enrollment in HORT 203 is by converting the course to a Web-hybrid model, wherein the lectures and lab instruction are delivered in a Web-based mode, with the students coming to the physical lab to construct designs and receive critical feedback. Being a visual field, synchronous computer technology such as learning management systems and web conferencing are conducive to delivering course content. This technology permits students and instructors to have creative exchanges, brainstorm, and interact with the floral industry. Video chat softwares such as ooVoo, Google +, Skype, and others, are multi-user, synchronous software for video collaboration. They can be used for such things as collaboration on themes for special events and allowing visual selection of floral products from wholesalers by students. Another helpful technology for teaching floral design utilizes a web cam mounted on glasses to record short descriptive video segments of floral designs being created. This methodology can be used to demonstrate floral design techniques to the student from the designer’s perspective in a spontaneous rather than staged manner. After recording, the video is exported via USB to a computer for storage and reference. Other technologies are being incorporated into teaching floral design to assist students with identification of types of floral products and styles of designs as well as to create e-portfolios for marketing the student’s creative and business skills.