ISHS Acta Horticulturae 350: I International Symposium on Education and Training in Horticulture
OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATION IN HORTICULTURE THROUGH COURSE ARTICULATION AND STUDENT PROGRESSION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM |
| Author: | G.R. Dixon |
| Abstract:
Education in horticulture in the UK is reviewed and analysed in historical, scientific, economic and social contexts. The history of education is traced through ecclesiastical foundations, trade guilds, private estates, to the current national provision supported by public funding. Changing forms of qualification are identified which have culminated in the certificate-diploma-degree system which is in present use. Recognition is given to the vocational nature of horticulture and the necessity to establish comparability with other disciplines which are regulated by professional bodies. Course structure has changed radically in the past fifty years from the provision of local and regional syllabuses to those which are now nationally accepted and validated. Division of courses into modules, units and credits permits greater flexibility for course delivery and student study. A combination of assessment at the end of courses and continuous evaluation exploits the virtues of both North American and European educational philosophies. Entry requirements are becoming less rigid and increasingly will reflect the demands for individuals to change the direction of their careers perhaps several times, in order to cope with the effects of a science-based economy. From its earliest inception horticulture has displayed sectors concerned with production, environmental and social activities. Following a recent period which over emphasised the demands of the production industry, the discipline is now firmly involved in provision for environmental management and conservation with a resurgence of the appreciation of its social impact. Any consideration of horticulture must identify the enormous expansion of the knowledge base in breadth, depth and scope over which horticulturists are essentially integrators of information. It is a disservice to the subject, however, to attempt to cover all aspects of each constituent part in a single course. Basic core components must be identified for specific study, many of which will provide a training in mental agility and cognitive analysis rather than specific horticultural knowledge. The student is then able to undertake electives which cover special interest areas and which by virtue of flexible entry may be taken at different points in individual careers. In these considerations horticulturists | |
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