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Materials and methods

Students enrolled in the spring semester HORT 375 Landscape Plants II course at Kansas State University were assigned a plant project at the beginning of the semester that comprised a written portion and a presentation portion. The project required each student to pick a plant genus, typically one not covered by any of the identification courses in the degree program, at the beginning of the semester. Students researched their genus and prepared an ∼10-page paper focused on the genus (reasoning for choice, cultural conditions, landscape importance, important species). In addition to the written report, near the end of the semester, students prepared and delivered a 15-min oral presentation to the class. This work focuses on the presentation part of that project.

Beginning in the Spring 2014 semester, the oral presentation part of the assignment of the Landscape Plants II course was modified. The typical orally presented electronic slide presentation (PowerPoint; Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) was changed to a trade show format for the presentation of their plant species. During the trade show, students were expected to share information about their genus using various techniques such as poster boards, plant specimens, digital displays, and brochures at a trade show booth (Figs. 1–3). The presenters, identified as trade show exhibitors in a real trade show, shared their information with their classmates, or trade show attendees, who were not presenting.

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Examples of trade show booths at the student plant genus trade show for the HORT 375 Landscape Plants II course at Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS). (A) Example of the trade show floor (classroom). Students created their own trade show booth based on their genus selection and creative interests. “Trade show exhibitors” (selected presenting students) shared information about different plant genera as a part of a class activity, whereas “trade show attendees” (fellow classmates) listened, learned, and peer-reviewed the exhibitor. (B) The trade show exhibitor (the presenting student, right) is discussing the blueberry genus (Vaccinium) with trade show attendees.

Citation: HortTechnology 33, 1;10.21273/HORTTECH05148-22

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Four examples of “trade show booths” at the student plant genus trade show for the HORT 375 Landscape Plants II course at Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS). Booths (A) and (B) were given higher scores for creativity and effort. Exhibitor (A) incorporated live plant materials. Exhibitor (B) incorporated an interactive game. Booths (C) and (D) were given lower scores for creativity and effort. The instructor is engaging with and evaluating the “trade show exhibitor” (C).

Citation: HortTechnology 33, 1;10.21273/HORTTECH05148-22

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Examples of student creativity displayed in the trade show booths or exhibits. The student presenter prepared a food product to assist with the marketing of their plant genus. The red circled items are cake-pops resembling flowering alliums (Allium). These were very popular with the trade show attendees.

Citation: HortTechnology 33, 1;10.21273/HORTTECH05148-22

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Each semester, students were randomly divided into three groups; therefore, during each trade show (class period), one-third of the students (∼8–10 students) were trade show exhibitors, and the other two-thirds of the students were trade show attendees. The trade show attendees visited the various booths on their own and learned about the different plant genera (Fig. 1). Attendees were not given specific time intervals or allocations for each booth. They were instructed to visit all the trade booths; therefore, they had to manage their time accordingly. The trade show attendees conducted peer grading and provided feedback for the trade show exhibitors. The instructor compiled peer reviews, and anonymous reviews were given to each presenter after the trade show. Peer review scores were not calculated into the scores of the presenters. The goal of the peer review was to assist students with developing critiquing skills. The instructor also visited each of the booths (Fig. 2C) and graded the students using a grading rubric based on the student’s genus description and reasoning for selection (10%), accuracy and clarity of information presented (25%), presentation skills (25%), creativity (30%), and peer evaluation (10%). The peer evaluation score was used to encourage students to attend the trade show class periods. The trade show was conducted during the last 2 weeks of the semester so that students could use the information in their completed research paper to help them with their trade show displays. After the last trade show, the class discussed each of the genera with the guidance of the instructor to make sure the students received specific, relevant points related to each genus because the final examination of the course included the plant genera observed during the trade show.

Survey design and data analysis

A postactivity assessment survey was administered ∼1 week after the final trade show date to gain insight into student self-perceptions of the activity. The survey measured self-perceived learning and creativity using Likert scale questions (Likert 1932) (Table 1) and open-ended questions such as the following: “What did you like about the activity?”; “What did you dislike about the activity?”; and “What would you do different next time?”. Demographic data were also collected. Data were analyzed using statistical software (JMP version 10; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). An analysis of variance showed that year was not a significant factor. Data were pooled and summary statistics were compiled.

Table 1.

A postactivity self-assessment survey used to evaluate the trade show presentation activity performed as part of the HORT 375 Landscape Plants II plant identification course at Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS). The trade show presentation was a classroom activity implemented to provide students with the opportunity to learn more about specific plant genera not necessarily introduced during the course. The activity was also used to promote and foster creativity while exposing the students to a trade show experience and helping them to develop public speaking skills.ⁱ

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Results and discussion

Ninety-seven postactivity survey responses were completed and returned (2014,n = 21; 2015,n = 23; 2016,n = 22; 2017,n = 20; 2018,n = 11). The majority of students enrolled were horticulture majors (92%) and 8% were horticulture nonmajors; all of the horticulture nonmajors were horticulture minors. Within the horticulture major, the breakdown of the program focus was as follows: 53% landscape horticulture; 33% production horticulture; 4% horticulture science; and 1% turfgrass and sports turf management. The classes mainly comprised juniors (37%), followed by sophomores (27%) and seniors (26%).

Sixty-one percent of students reported that they had not attended a horticulture trade show before (Table 1). This in-class trade show experience was new to most of them. It is important to note that there are elements of an authentic industry trade show that were not part of the in-class activity (e.g., general trade show size, atmosphere, numerous exhibitors, equipment) because they could not be reproduced in the classroom.Fitzpatrick and Vendrame (2005) described integrating an industry trade show into a classroom course. Ideally, students would be able to engage in an authentic industry trade show; however, this is not possible for many students for a variety of reasons (e.g., trade show timing, location, costs). During all semesters, students indicated that they felt more comfortable with the trade show style of presentation (rating of 1.5) than with a general presentation (rating of 2.3) (Table 1). When asked about their comfort level with brief presentations (e.g., public speaking) related to this activity, the average rating was 2.3, which was between very comfortable and comfortable (Table 1). Students believed the activity was moderately useful to their professional development (rating of 1.9) (Table 1). Similar results were found byJean-Pierre et al. (2021) when students completed “lightning talks.” Furthermore,Sherrer (2020) reported that student professional development increased with chemistry and biochemistry course poster presentation sessions. Providing opportunities to engage in different styles of public speaking or soft skills (e.g., accurate and effective communication, working well under pressure) is beneficial to professional development and securing employment (Crawford et al. 2011;Easterly et al. 2017).

The trade show format can lean toward being more informal and feel more like a conversation, as opposed to a typical speech or presentation. Student responses supported this idea through their open-ended responses of what they liked about the activity. Some example responses included the following: “The low-threat presentations”; “I liked being able to be creative with the board and presenting to smaller groups instead of the whole class at once”; “It was 10× more fun than sitting and watching these presentations and less intimidating”; and “I liked learning how to give a market-style presentation.” Providing alternative opportunities in terms of oral presentations and assessments can be beneficial (Grieve et al. 2021). This type of activity can bring realism to the classroom (Taylor 1998) and an experiential learning experience, thus enabling students to demonstrate that they can integrate different types of materials and apply the course concepts in creative ways (Taylor 1998).

Many students used poster boards for their trade show booth. Considering the limitations (e.g., space, money, familiarity), many gravitated toward the poster-style booth, and the trade show activity ended up being very similar to poster presentations that are implemented for student research projects (Al-Jaroodi 2018;Lynch 2018). However, the major difference between the two is that many students incorporated the use of props and other items for their trade show display. Nonetheless, poster presentations and similar formats have been proven to be a preferred method of displaying information at conferences, and they are increasingly being used as a teaching method (Altintas et al. 2014). They can promote active learning, critical thinking, and the development of professional presentation skills (Hunter 1997).Hughes (2005) found that asking students to construct a poster about a special topic is a successful alternative to conventional class assignments. Furthermore,Lynch (2018) reported that students found poster presentations helpful to their learning.

Poster presentations can be creative ways to assist students with developing public speaking skills through discussing their work with others (Sherrer 2020). They are great opportunities for students to convey technical information using an active process. Depending on the audience members or trade show attendees they are talking with, background knowledge may differ (Sherrer 2020). Therefore, the students need to be able to communicate both technical and general information to multiple rounds of visitors.

Many students welcomed the activity and opportunity to be creative. Examples of creativity observed during the trade shows include cooking food products that incorporated some aspect of the plant genus, creating interactive games, creating large replicas of the plant genus, displaying multiple plant samples (Fig. 2A and B). Students agreed that the trade show activity allowed them to be creative (average rating of 4.2) (Table 1). In response to “What did you like about this activity?”, 27 of 97 (28%) students during the five semesters directly indicated their appreciation of the creativity opportunity. Student feedback examples related to creativity included the following: “Freedom to be creative” and “That we can be creative. You gave us room to do what we want. My board was better than my talking abilities.” Similar sentiments about the opportunity to be creative in their work were described by students who presented “lightning talks” (Jean-Pierre et al. 2021). Although many students embraced the creative opportunity, many did not (Fig. 2C and D), or they acknowledged that they could be more creative. When asked by the assessment survey “What would you do different next time?”, seven students (7%) over the course of the five semesters directly indicated that they could be more creative.

The students overwhelmingly liked the trade show style of presentation (87%), whereas the others (13%) were indifferent about the format; 97% of the students recommended continuing the format in subsequent semesters (Table 1). Students provided a rating of 1.4, which was between excellent and above average (Table 1), when comparing the trade show style of presentation to the traditional speech in a class. Thirty-six students (37%) indicated in written comments that they appreciated the tradeshow style of the classroom environment through this activity: “It was 10× more fun than sitting and watching these presentations and less intimidating”; “I like the multiple people or trade show because it seems more relaxed than an individual presentation”; “I liked getting to be creative in how I presented rather than just making a powerpoint [sic]. I also liked having a conversation with my peers rather than just talking at them”; “It was very laid-back presenting to friends and classmates in a casual manner”; and “It was different from standing in front of the class giving a speech. Everybody’s board was different making it more interesting.”

Students were also asked the following: “What did you dislike about this activity?”. The instructor encouraged students to provide constructive criticism to identify opportunities or aspects of the activity that could potentially be improved. A common dislike among students was related to the time allotment for the trade show. Examples of student comments regarding this were as follows: “The note taking of everyone [sic] genus made it hard to get to everyone”; “5–6 presentations per day or present during lab”; and “I felt cut short because not everyone stayed to listen to my complete presentation.” Finding the right balance of the number of trade show exhibitors and trade show attendees is important; therefore, class size can create some challenges. Larger classes would require more trade show dates to maintain the allocated time period and allow trade show attendees to realistically visit all of the trade show exhibitors for a sufficient amount of time that would allow for meaningful learning about the plant genera. If there are too many trade show periods, then the uniqueness and change of pace for the activity may be lost among the students. The trade shows were implemented during the 50-min lecture periods; however, it would be worth considering conducting the activity during laboratory sections. This would provide more time and more opportunity for trade show attendees to further engage at each trade booth.

Noting the time challenge each semester, the instructor incorporated a plant genus summary lecture period after the last trade show. The goal was to help alleviate concerns related to trade show attendees not being able to visit all the booths. During the summary class, each student provided a brief overview of the most interesting points or takeaway points regarding their genus; most specifically, they provided points related to the use of the genus in the landscape. The instructor assisted with highlighting those points.

Another challenge that surfaced in the comments was that trade show exhibitors who presented during the earlier trade shows felt they were at a disadvantage regarding how to conduct or assemble the trade booth. A demonstration of how the activity can be implemented is beneficial and provides students with an idea of the trade show format. Furthermore, sharing photographs and examples of prior trade show exhibits is useful and appreciated by the students. However, despite the instructor providing examples and ideas for students to consider at the beginning of the semester, some students still believed that the expectations were not clear. These student concerns may have been attributable to procrastination or the lack of previous creative opportunities. When answering the open-ended questions, 25% of the students indicated that they could have been more creative, and several iterated that they did not manage their time well, could have planned better, and could have focused more time on completing the project. However, some students demonstrated their creative abilities during the first trade show period of the semester. Students who were creative during the first trade show often set a bar for the creativity level and prompted other students to increase or enhance their creativity. For example, some students brought food products that incorporated or represented their genus; this practice was often well-received by the fellow students (Fig. 3). However, higher creativity scores were not based on developing or incorporating food products because not all students have the ability to cook or are interested in cooking.

Another major theme that emerged was that students did not like the requirement of a research paper, with 33% of the open-ended responses including negative comments related to that part of the project. Although several students noted their dislike of the written component, some students recognized the importance of completing the research paper. One student specifically noted the following: “I’m not much of a writer, so I didn’t like the paper, but I realize it is necessary to help actually learn the genus.” The author hypothesized that the negative opinion regarding the research paper may have been related to poor time management and procrastination until the end of the semester before preparing the paper and tradeshow display. In fact, 26% of the students mentioned “time” and “time management” among what they would do differently given the opportunity. Throughout the semester, the instructor prompted and inquired about the genus project progress. Although most of the students were juniors and seniors, it is reasonable to consider that they still needed guided deadlines. Continued reminders and concrete progress deadlines could be helpful in the future (Ariely and Wertenbroch 2002) and reduce student stress and procrastination (Brown 1992). Nevertheless, it is important for the instructor to stress the purpose of the activity and elucidate how the research paper can inform the trade show materials and presentation.

Conclusions

The trade show activity is an alternative assignment that can be used to evaluate and assess the communication skills of students instead of a traditional presentation in front of the class. This activity provided students with the opportunity to practice and enhance their public speaking skills using a different format. Nearly all the students over the course of the five semesters provided positive and supportive feedback regarding the activity. Many indicated it was less stressful and believed it was helpful to their professional development.

This activity also provided students with an opportunity to be creative, which is not often purposefully integrated into course curriculum. The participants enjoyed the different levels of creativity, including elaborate personal art and handiwork, interactive games, and food items. Moreover, many of the genera that students picked had some significance to them, and many had very personal connections with the genera that were related to their early introductions to horticulture and horticulture endeavors, vacations they experienced, or the landscapes of their childhood.

It is possible to further expand this type of activity that can help students develop and enhance their interdisciplinary skills. Future implementations could include guest evaluators, such as faculty members from agriculture communications and agriculture economics departments, who could provide valuable feedback from the standpoints of communication and marketing.