Online Landscaping Design

Fees

Fees: $695.00

Fees include:

• Comprehensive on-line educational materials
• Unlimited access to our on-line course resources, community center, including libraries, discussion forums and much more.

Payment Options

By Mail: Cheque drawn on a Canadian bank; Money order in Canadian funds

On-line: Visa, Mastercard

Prerequisites

The following courses are pre-requisites for the online Ecological Landscape Design course:

(Seneca College students: 'Fundamentals of Organic Land Care' AND 'Sketchup Pro for Landscape Design'; Humber College students: 'Organic Horticulture Specialist' AND 'Landscape Graphics with SketchUp Pro')

Additionally it is highly recommended that students have previously completed the Plant Knowledge for Organic Gardeners course (or the Plant Knowlege 1 - Natives Online course), or intend to take it concurrently, or otherwise have extensive plant knowledge in their area of interest.

Student Comment

Thanks for putting together such a great program, and you have awesome teachers!
Liz Nienaber, Victoria

Evaluations

There are no formal exams in this course, as the emphasis is on developing practical skills and the ability to synthesize information.

To receive a Certificate of Completion students must contribute to all on-line discussions and satisfactorily complete all assignments.

I am very grateful for the Gaia College courses because I can actually answer the questions that my clients have and sell them on things they didn't even know existed!
Elly Cruickshank, Organic Landscaper

Required Text

Reid, Grant W., Landscape Graphics, 2002 Edition, Whitney Library of Design, New York. Easily available through Amazon.ca.

Access to our extensive online resource library is included in the tuition.

CECs

While a number of professional societies and institutions provide continuing education credits for the classroom version of this course, we have not yet secured their commitment to extend those credits to the on-line course. In the meantime we will work with you on a case by case basis to support your application for continuing education credits.

Studying Online

Studying on-line is very different from learning in a face-to-face classroom setting. It may be more convenient – or for some it may be the only way they can take our courses - but it is definitely not easier.

The University of Illinois has provided some excellent pre-assessment information for potential on-line students. Please complete the online Self Evaluation:

And please read the article entitled 'What Makes A Successful Online Student?'
.

If you have any doubts about your ability to dedicate 10-14 hours per week to this course then it is probably not for you. Those who are able to commit themselves to this experience rest assured that our instructors are not only experts in organic horticulture, but are also experienced on-line facilitators. We will do our absolute best to ensure you have an interesting and fulfilling learning experience.

Online classroom versus self-paced studies

The question may arise why we are offering this course over a specific time frame, rather than letting each student study at their own speed. Our experience is that without firm deadlines most students do not finish the longer online courses - and we really want you to succeed!

So, for optimum student success, this course is being offered in an interactive online classroom format. The “virtual classroom” includes group interaction in structured activities such as discussions, experiments, and demonstrations, yet still maintains flexibility for the individual.

Our vast learning resources and networking facilities are always available to students, even after completion of the course. So if for some reason you are not able to complete the course on time you will still retain access to the information to review it at your own pace. However, to earn the Certificate of Completion all course work must be completed by the end of the course term.

How do we handle hands-on activities in an on-line course?

That is indeed a challenge, but frankly, allowing "enough" hands-on experience is always difficult even in a classroom course. So the hands-on portion of the course has been incorporated into the assignments, where students get to put their newly acquired knowledge to practice. This is even more fun if you can get a friend to take the course with you!

Depending on the course, some of these activities may require access to soil and composting materials. Students living in climates where the ground may be covered in 2 feet of snow for the duration of the course have the option to choose an alternative assignment, or take the course at another time of the year.