2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Many traditional horticulture and plant-science programs are experiencing a decline in undergraduate student numbers and students occasionally transfer out of the major. We have put effort into creating a more nurturing environment for first year students and, as a result, transfers out of the major have declined, applications and internal transfers have increased, and our first year experience is now held up as a model across the college and university. Rather than simply present students with a list of plant-related courses and distribution requirements when they arrive, we now offer first-year students a cohort-building classroom experience that includes self-assessment and awareness, career exploration, resume-building and critique, support services, service projects, practice interviews, opportunities to meet faculty within the classroom, visits to core facilities, study abroad opportunities, dinners with faculty outside the classroom, and field trips to local natural areas. Students also have an opportunity to help select their permanent advisor rather than having one randomly assigned. Various leadership roles are assigned to each student so they are required to interact with faculty, speak in front of the group or help organize an event. As part of the classroom experience, students begin to develop an electronic portfolio that will not be evaluated until their senior year. The ePortfolio is organized into various components, one of which is the learning outcomes for the major. When students do something that contributes to a major learning outcome, they enter it into their ePortfolio. To assess learning in the major, we can now draw on actual examples of student work deposited in the ePortfolio. The first semester ends with an ePortfolio showcase to which all plant science faculty are invited to sit one-on-one with students and review their ePortfolio. We also have implemented peer mentoring where an upperclassman is paired with a first year student to help with the transition to college life. Students now report much more satisfaction with their first year experience and we expect a continued increase in freshman admissions, as well as increases in external and internal transfers.