Abstract:

One of the learning objectives of the subject Applied Botany, Master's Degree in Gardening and Landscape Architecture, School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB), Technical University of Madrid (UPM) is that students with little botanical knowledge learn to identify the main ornamental species. In the 2023-2024 academic year, a teaching innovation is incorporated into the training task, implementing the use of the iNaturalist platform with the aim of improving the learning of botany and the taxonomic identification of plant species. Two models of assessable learning tasks are compared: the iNaturalist platform with the photographic herbarium.

The results of the study indicate that the objectives set have been met. The results obtained reflect the positive assessment of how the incorporation of the iNaturalist platform has influenced the acquisition of taxonomic knowledge. Therefore, the implementation of the methodological innovation is feasible and has not had a positive impact. Although the improvement in grades may be multi-causal, the students' increased interest in the iNaturalist tool may have had an impact on the acquisition of taxonomic knowledge that is usually made dry. The students stated that they used the iNaturalist tool for the development of the assessable task and, once it was finished, as a means of learning how to identify species during the teaching period of the course. The results of the opinion surveys on the subject indicate that the methodological innovation has not had a negative effect. Despite the small number of students per year, there is a great diversity of opinions, which correlates with the varied age, previous studies, professional interests and nationalities of the student body. However, in the 2023-2024 academic year the students agreed that they had a clear preference for the use of the iNaturalist platform as a teaching tool, indicating that it enhances the learning experience both inside and outside the classroom.

Keywords:

Biology, botany, taxonomy, iNaturalist.