The Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources at Kansas State University offers a horticulture course for non-horticulture majors introducing students to an overview of the subject matter. This in-person, 16-week course provides hands-on learning and may be a tool to increase awareness of the horticulture industry while recruiting students to enroll in additional horticulture courses. Enrolled students were surveyed at the beginning of the semester and again at the end to evaluate changes in their self-efficacy and interest in horticulture as a future career and/or hobby after participation in the course. Twenty-nine students participated in both surveys over the two semesters data was collected. Survey responses required participants to indicate on a scale of one through five how strongly they agreed (5) to disagreed (1) with each statement in relation to the course. The data from the two semesters was compiled to create one dataset. Responses for each question were averaged and the differences between pre and post surveys were calculated to evaluate change. Results indicate positive change from pre- to post-survey in each area, though the differences were most notable in three categories. Student interest in pursuing horticulture as a hobby and as a career increased by one and two scale values respectively shifting from neutral or disagree to agree in both areas. Another area that showed this level of change was the prompt “I plan to recommend this course to others”. The difference from pre to post was one scale value shifting from neutral to agree. These results, along with the other positive results suggest the course may provide opportunities to increase student interest in horticulture and recruitment of new students to the program. Future students will be surveyed as the course is offered to add to the dataset informing the efficacy of this course as a recruitment tool.
