Pedagogy strategies that include students in the course curriculum can increase student engagement and success. One student-based pedagogy involvement example is involving students in the assignment implementation. This method was adapted after feedback from student evaluations indicated that the topic selection method for semester-long course projects was challenging in the HORT 260 Plant Propagation course at Colorado State University. The course curriculum includes two projects that focus on students writing propagation protocols on specific plant species of their choice. The selection process became a stressor for assignment completion due to the paradox of choice. With this in mind, we revised the assignment, testing topic selection methods for the Spring 2024 and 2025 semesters. The study trialed three topic selection methods (treatments): find their plant independently, choose from a list, or be assigned a plant. Each student experienced two of the three treatments, one treatment type per assignment. We obtained student feedback through voluntary pre- and post-surveys to assess their experiences and satisfaction. The pre-survey was administered after they selected their topic plants, and the post-survey was disseminated after the submissions of the projects’ final drafts. In Spring 2024, 28 students participated in the pre- and 24 in the post-survey. Of the 18 students who participated in both surveys, the post-survey resulted in a preference for selecting a plant from a list rising 11% and preferences for methods where students independently found their topic plant or were assigned a plant both dropped 5%. When students were asked why they chose a plant as their topic, 61% chose based on familiarity, 25% on unfamiliarity and desire to learn more, 11% for “other reasons”, and 3% selected plants they thought would be the easiest to write about. In the post-survey, students noted in the open response that they felt that plants selected from a list were easier to find information needed to complete the assignment and 39% of respondents suggested that picking from a list should be the method in the future. The other most reoccurring comment was that 32% of respondents said interest in the topic plant made the project easier to complete. Based on our observations for Spring 2024 and initial data from 2025, providing a list to select from is the most fruitful way to give students the opportunity for choice while minimizing the possibility of topic choice paralysis.
