Comparison of Student Learning Attitudes, Knowledge, and Outcomes Towards Honey Bees in Online or In-Person Instructional Environments

Honey bee pollination of specialty crops is essential to agriculture and yet there are almost no university instructional programs to train the next generation of beekeepers. One reason for this lack of university investment in apiculture instruction is that there may not be enough students located at universities interested in the pursuit of beekeeping education. Teaching beekeeping as an online course can increase the number of students; however, two important questions emerge from the varying methods of teaching beekeeping: (a) Are online and in-person courses similar at teaching beekeeping principles, and (b) do the varying learning design methods change student perceptions in favor of honey bees and beekeeping? We investigated these questions with the use of an online survey for students in both the 100% online Beekeeping course and the blended Practical Beekeeping course at the University of Florida during the summer semesters of 2021 and 2022. The same survey, which was optional, anonymous, and not part of the students’ grade, was completed by students in both courses. The survey included a set of ten questions, evaluated on a Likert-type scale using a static group comparison design and a set of eight multiple choice questions to test potential differences in knowledge gained. Our findings suggest the relevance and value of both in-person and online beekeeping educational courses for improving knowledge and changing attitudes toward honey bees and the recruitment of future contributors to the beekeeping industry. Herein, we suggest areas of improvement, particularly for online courses.