Universities are adapting their teaching methods to progress with changes in technology. With these shifts in teaching, researchers are interested in which methods are best for certain applications. In the agriculture/horticulture realm, there are many studies describing the effects of online vs traditional in-class learning. Most of these studies focus on plant identification and generic species knowledge of plants. This study's purpose is to determine the efficacy of online vs traditional hands-on learning with eight types of landscaping equipment. The study was completed in the fall semester of 2023 at Kansas State University during the Sustainable Landscape Maintenance class. The class was randomly divided into two groups and exposed to one of two teaching methods (hands-on and online videos). Eight commonly used landscape equipment were taught to the students: power hedge trimmer, rotary push mower, de-thatcher, over seeder, ride-on zero-turn mower, sod cutter, string trimmer, and core aerifier). Both the videos and the in-person teaching covered proper operation and safety for each piece of equipment. One group was given in-person, hands- on learning the first week, while the other group watched online videos over the same four pieces of equipment. The following week, the groups switched teaching method delivery and learned the other four pieces of equipment. The students were given a pre- and post-test to assess their comprehension of the equipment. They also participated in a survey after the experiment to show prior experience on the equipment and comfortability after the labs. Results showed that students learn landscape equipment better in person through hands- on learning, rather than relying only on videos. The survey also showed students prefer hands-on demonstrations to become more comfortable operating these pieces of equipment.
