4 pages., Via online journal., Interactive web-based questions were developed for students to review
subject matter learned in an online plant propagation course. Articulate Storyline
software was used to build nearly 250 review questions with five different testing
styles to ascertain proficiency in subject areas, including the biology of propagation,
the propagation environment, seed propagation, vegetative propagation, micropropagation, and cell culture. Questions were arranged to correspond to the
supporting textbook chapters in Hartmann and Kester’s Plant propagation: Principles and practices, ninth edition. These are open access and available to instructors
and students worldwide. Users received immediate feedback for each question
answered correctly or incorrectly. The system remembers where one leaves off,
which enables starting and stopping multiple times within a chapter. Means of preand posttest responses to nine content knowledge items showed that students
perceived a significant content knowledge gain in the course. These online interactive reviews can be adapted easily to other courses in a variety of fields,
including horticulture, botany, systematics, and biology. They can also be expanded
to overlay multiple objects and trigger events based on user response. Since inception,
the website hosting these online reviews averaged 156 unique visitors per month.
Students have reported this to be a useful tool to prepare them for course exams.
10 pages., Via online journal., Pollinating insects are integral to the health of all terrestrial ecosystems and agriculture worldwide. Urbanization can greatly reduce nutritional resources and habitat for pollinators. However, these losses can be mitigated through targeted landscape practices, such as planting nectar- and pollen-rich plants and managing pollinator habitat in urban areas, especially home landscapes. As homeowners attempt to conserve pollinators through horticultural practices, they often seek the advice and guidance of horticulture retail employees. The knowledge horticulture employees have about pollinators and the recommendations they provide to customers is largely unknown. A nationwide survey was developed and distributed with the objectives to 1) assess employee knowledge about pollinators and pollination biology, 2) discover what plant and management recommendations employees were giving customers pertaining to pollinator conservation, and 3) determine where to focus possible education and outreach, as well as which topics to focus educational programs on. Our findings suggest, among our respondents, that overall knowledge was adequate, with a mean score (±sd) being 8.37 (±3.23) of a possible range of 0–14 points. Uncertified and part-time employees were identified as having significantly lower scores. The subject of plant selection was found to have the largest gap in knowledge, with a mean score of 1.82 (±0.62) of a possible three points. We identified several opportunities for educational outreach, aimed at improving employee and customer knowledge on this important subject.