The first online Master Gardener course for the state was designed for residents at the higher elevations of rural northern Arizona. This 16 week course was delivered through Community D2L and began February 4th 2020. A formative program evaluation was conducted to gain participant feedback both during and at the conclusion of the course. Weekly questionnaires were administered at the end of each module, including an end of course questionnaire. Likert-type and open-ended questions were designed to capture data on participant satisfaction with course content and online delivery, intent to remain in the program, ways to build community in the online environment, and accessibility of volunteer and continuing education opportunities. Findings concluded that participants were very satisfied with the course overall and that the majority intend to remain in the program; however, there is a need for continuing education and community building opportunities for new Master Gardeners from the online class who reside in these rural areas.
The purpose of this project was to develop, deliver, and evaluate an online Master Gardener training for northern Arizona. The central question that guided the project evaluation was: is the online Master Gardener course effective in training, creating community among participants, and retaining Master Gardener volunteers in northern Arizona? The evaluation of the project will address participant satisfaction with the online delivery of the Master Gardener training for northern Arizona and evaluate its effectiveness for building community and retaining volunteers among participants earning their Master Gardener certification online.
The target audience for the evaluation was residents of rural areas of Apache, Coconino, Gila, and Navajo Counties, including residents of northern Arizona tribal lands. All participants were enrolled in the online Master Gardener course. Of the 53 participants accepted into the program, 33 finished the course. Participant rationales for not completing the course are as follows: Medical reasons (5), work schedule (1), COVID-19 front line worker (2), too much science (1), unable to adapt to technology (1), region greatly impacted by COVID-19 (5), never logged in to course (4), unknown (1).
Master Gardener Online Course Participants by County and Town *NN=Navajo Nation, HL=Hopi Lands
Participant Age Range for Those That Completed the Course
Gender Identity of Participants Who Completed the Course
Volunteering at farmers markets, community gardens, and Hospice gardens
Volunteering at local non-profit greenhouses and for the National Park Service
Writing gardening columns for the local newspaper
Answering gardening questions from neighbors, at community events, through Master Gardener helplines, and at the local library
Conducting gardening workshops and developing demonstration gardens
Helping at local Extension offices
Working with youth in school gardens
An ideal next step is to continue to develop online programming available through the Extension System. Online classes are an effective way to deliver programming and they can benefit those in rural communities, full-time working professionals, and others who would not normally be able to participate in a face-to-face class. Because volunteerism is at the core of the Master Gardener program, finding ways to keep Master Gardeners from the online class engaged in the program should be a priority. Additionally, efforts should be made to build community among Master Gardeners from the online class by connecting them with their local Extension offices and other Master Gardeners in their regions. In the future, it may be beneficial to develop a hybrid approach to this class by offering hands on workshops that align with course material when applicable.
Gayle has been a resident of Coconino County for 24 years where she has split her time between Flagstaff and Grand Canyon National Park. A native plant horticulturist by trade, she holds a BS in Environmental Studies from NAU, a Certificate of Horticulture Production from Yavapai College, and an MS in Agricultural Education from UArizona. Gayle would like to thank all of those who made this course possible including:
All of the future Master Gardeners who completed the course!
From Cooperative Extension
Hattie Braun, Dr. Jeff Silvertooth, Chris Jones, Rick Gibson, Jennifer Weber, Gloria Blumanhourst, and Amy Nickel
From CALS
Dr. Amber Rice, Dr. Stephen Poe, Dr. Ursula Schuch, and Dr. Kathleen Walker
Coconino Master Gardeners
Jim Mast, Ellen Ryan, and Jackee Alston
Local NoAZ Experts
Justin Brereton: Yavapai College and Melissa Eckstrom: Willow Bend Environmental Education Center