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International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education 2008

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew offer a five-week course in botanic garden education. The last course was run in 2006, the next course will be held from 15th September - 17th October 2008. More information on the course leaflet, download here.

Download Application Form: Microsoft Word document or PDF

Read testimonials from previous students

Course Rationale

The 2006 diploma course was attended by 12 participants from 11 countries

Botanic Gardens, with their amazing varieties and numbers of plants, are superb centres for environmental education. The millions of people that visit botanic gardens each year provide a unique opportunity for gardens to influence public attitudes towards plant conservation and the environment.

As concern grows for the detrimental effects that human activity is having on the environment, the need for botanic gardens to become more involved in education has never been so critical.

To run environmental education programmes and to work towards the implementation of Target 14 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), Botanic Gardens Conservation International and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) have developed an international diploma course in education for botanic garden staff. The aim of the course is to equip participants with the necessary education skills and strategies to communicate effectively to their varied audiences.

The emphasis of the course is on interactive learning and the application of skills to the participants’ working context.

The course programme includes input from guest speakers and visits to museums and gardens running educational programmes. Participants will be given plenty of opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with each other.

Endorsement

This course has been enthusiastically welcomed and endorsed by a range of international bodies.

The Diploma course emphasises practical learning and development of skills

What Can I Expect to Learn?

By the end of the course, you will have all the knowledge and insights needed to create educational strategies for your site.

To facilitate this, the course includes the following topics:

An overview of teaching and learning in botanic gardens
An exploration of the history and development of education for sustainable development, including environmental education.
Identification of target groups, including informal and formal audiences
Interpretation – principals and practice
Life long learning strategies – working with teachers, school children, adults and communities
Marketing
Intellectual and physical access to sites
Fundraising
Monitoring and evaluation
Networking, partnerships and collaboration
Strategic planning
Project management
Individual project work

What is the Course Structure?

This course consists of a four-week taught module, followed by a one-week project based module.

All participants will also be required to complete and submit a project within four months of completing the course. The project provides a practical focus for the taught element and acts as a basis for the application of skills and knowledge obtained from your studies.

How is the Course Taught?

Through a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars, practical activities and field visits, this course enables participants to develop their skills in a range of botanic garden education strategies.

Lecturers include recognised authorities in their fields, with staff from a range of disciplines at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Botanic Gardens Conservation International and other international institutions and organisations and UK universities.

Course notes will be produced to accompany the course. All course notes and lectures will be in English. Participants should therefore have a good command of English, including knowledge of the appropriate technical terms.

The course is intense and participants will be expected to undertake study and prepare pieces of work outside of course hours.

How is the Course Assessed?

Your tutors are experts in a range of fields

For the award of the International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education, participants will be assessed by:

a written project
a written examination with short answer and multiple choice questions
a written reflective journal, produced during the course.

All assessments are moderated by an external examiner.

Successful candidates will receive the International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education. Candidates who complete the course but do not achieve a pass standard will receive a certificate of attendance.

Who Should Apply?

The course is designed specifically for those staff responsible for education in a botanic gardens and allied disciplines. You may be working in, or planning to work in, the field of biodiversity, botanic garden or environmental education or education for sustainable development

Candidates must have good conversational and written English, and a knowledge of the appropriate technical terms.

Whilst aimed primarily aimed at colleagues from developing countries, participants from other countries are encouraged to apply.

What are the Course Objectives?

To explore the key issues relating to environmental education
To enhance participant skills and understanding so that they can effectively design and implement educational programmes for appropriate audiences
To facilitate the development of educational strategies related to each participant’s institutional context
To develop contacts and communication channels with other professionals working in environmental education and education for sustainable development.

Course Fee: £2,300

The course fee covers:

all tuition;
course notes;
external trips and visits.

Please note, the course fee does not include accommodation or subsistence costs.

Scholarships

Grants are available from a variety of bodies and help in locating these can be provided by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and BGCI. However, it is the responsibility of each participant to secure their own funding and to inform the course organisers. Funding is currently being sought to try to establish some bursaries for this course.

There may be a limited number of scholarships avaliable. Potential applicants must complete the international diploma course application form (see below) and also a funding application form - download here as a word document or a PDF. Applications for scholarships must be submitted by 31st January 2008.

Accommodation

Participants will be sent, on request, a list of suitable accommodation in the area. Participants are responsible for booking their own accommodation and the costs of accommodation are not included in the course fee.

Estimated cost of accommodation for 2008 is £120 per week – this is subject to change.

Subsistence

Participates will also need funding to cover subsistence costs. This is to cover all lunches and evening meals, and any additional transport.

Estimated subsistence cost for 2008 is £100 per week – this is subject to change.

Social Events

For many participants, the course is their first time in the UK, so the itinerary includes opportunities for various social outings and events, for example to the theatre, museums, or tours of London. These may be arranged by the course organisers or participants.

Applying

For an application form, please download here as a word document or a PDF. Please note, applications must include

A copy of your curriculum vitae
A letter giving your reasons for applying for this course. Please include details of how this course relates to your current or future work and which skills/knowledge you hope to gain from the course.
A recent passport-sized photo of yourself
Details of English language qualifications if appropriate and copies of certificates

Applications should be submitted as soon as possible, to ensure places are reserved. The final date for acceptance of applications is 30th June 2008. Please note that any applications for funding must be received by 31st January 2008.

Further Information

Read the testimonials from the 2006 group of students to get an idea of why they took part in the course and what they got out of it.

For further details contact:

Gail Bromley
International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education
RBG Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 3AB

Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5613
Fax +44 (0)20 8332 5640
Email G.Bromley@kew.org
Website: www.rbgkew.org.uk

or:
Education Department
BGCI
Descanso House
199 Kew Road
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 3BW
U.K.

Tel: +44 (0) 208332 5954
Fax: +44 (0) 208332 5956
Email: education@bgci.org

The mission of Botanic Gardens Conservation International is: To mobilise botanic gardens and engage partners to secure plant diversity for the well-being of people and the planet.

The mission of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is: To enable better management of the Earth’s environment by increasing knowledge and understanding of the plant and fungal kingdoms – the basis of life on earth

International Partnerships

Testimonials from Previous Students on the International Diploma for Botanic Garden Education

The 2006 International Diploma course was very successful, with 12 participants from 11 countries around the world; from Ireland to Papua New Guinea, Colombia to Cameroon, Bhutan to Germany. Some of them shared their thoughts with us on the experience.