In 2009/10, the Horticulture teaching team introduced the use of
a real-life client project into the Garden Design unit of the
College's level 3 horticulture courses in recognition of the value
that real projects offer students in terms of stretch, achievement
of higher grades and working with real customers.
The initial project group was made up of students who had
progressed from school, as well as students who had returned to
education to retrain, so a wide range of age and experience were
represented within the group. The clients for this project were The
Body Shop and the Shield Services Group who manage the grounds for
The Body Shop. The design brief was for the horticulture students
to design a landscape solution for an area of The Body Shop
headquarters which was easy to maintain and designed in sympathy
with The Body Shop ethos of sustainability. The selection process
was created in line with professional standards - a brief was given
by the client; students then visited the site to survey it and to
gain more understanding of client need; possible designs were
displayed for client staff feedback; final presentation were made
by the design students to the client. After this extensive and
searching evaluation process one winner was chosen and this design
is now being implemented with the support of the winning student
designer.
The College's aims were: to enable students to develop the skills
they need to move into work by enabling them to develop confidence
in their abilities; to gain new skills and ideas from working with
real clients; to have real work experience to quote on their CVs.
Exemplary teaching and learning was facilitated in workshop
sessions which enabled students to transform ideas into reality,
with discussions, demonstrations and critique with their tutor. At
the end of the project, all of the students commented on how
enjoyable the project had been and how they would like the
opportunity to work on other projects that involved external
clients, as it gave real meaning to their work. Student grades for
the unit reflected the quality of the work produced, with ten
students achieving distinction, compared to one in the previous
year.
The next realistic working project with The Body Shop on will be
Community Trading Plants. Students will be investigating the
growing requirements of the range of plant materials used in the
cosmetics products alongside the sustainability and Fair Trade
aspects of producing each plant.
The practice of realistic working projects has been extended across
other curriculum areas within the College. The success of this
project has convinced lecturers and curriculum managers of the
value of these symbiotic working relationships. Landbased business
studies students are working on case studies provided by local
business and creating solutions for each problem posed. Countryside
management students are undertaking a biodiversity impact
assessment on Duke of Burgundy butterflies for a local landowner
and creating a management plan to develop their habitat.
We would welcome other colleges coming to see our successful
working methods.
For more information about the subject of this case
study, contact Alison Read or Dr Stephen Millam T:01243 786321.
For PR details contact Helen Ward on 01243 786321
More information can be found on Chichester College's website www.chichester.ac.uk