Required online learning portion consists of four two-hour modules, for 8 hours in total to complete. An additional 4 hours of in-person hands-on learning is recommended through our workshops and the module gardening projects.
Step 1: Sign up through this form to indicate your interest in registering for this program, and select a 30-minute zoom orientation with the program facilitators.
Step 2: Join the “jane b semel HCI Community garden” Slack Channel to join a community of gardeners and receive important information about the certificate program and learning opportunities including in-person workshops.
Step 3: Set up* or log into Bruinlearn to access our course materials, and attend a 30-minute orientation with the program facilitators for an introduction to the program modules. Everyone who registers through the sign-up form will be enrolled in the class using the email they provided. You should have access to the course by January 31, 2022, but please email hcigardens@ucla.edu if you cannot access the course materials on BruinLearn by that date.
*Those who are new to using BruinLearn (Canvas Online Learning Platform) can watch this video tutorial.
Step 4: Start the certificate’s required online modules any time, and attend optional workshops offered between Week 5 to Week 10. Each of the 4 modules consists of 2 hours of short readings, videos (with transcripts available), quizzes that help you focus on key gardening and health takeaways, and 3 mini-assignments that complement the workshops and hands-on learning you’ll have with food and gardening.
**Quizzes and assignments are not graded, only counted for completion to earn the certificate. This course is designed to give you applicable gardening and nutrition knowledge, as well as tangible takeaways to share with friends and community!**
Module topics:
- How does soil biology help us grow nutritious food?
- How to maximize nutrient density in crops?
- What are the most nutritious vegetables you can grow?
- How does growing your own food support Gut Microbiome and Planetary Health?
*Online learning comes with short hands-on learning assignments you can complete at home
Step 5: After completing your last module, our garden oversight committee will contact you by end of finals week to issue you the Healthy Gardener Certificate of Recognition
(Optional) Hands-on hybrid learning opportunities:
While not mandatory, we highly recommend you participate in the hands-on learning along with the online modules. We encourage those in the UCLA community to join us at the jane b semel UCLA Community Garden or use gardening space accessible to them to complete the following:
- Grow nutrient dense vegetables and plants that are beneficial for gut health using the provided class resources (starting in module 1).
- Photograph EACH of these plants as they grow in your garden (1. planting stage, 2. growing stage, 3. harvesting stage). This program ends week 10, so there is no expectation for everyone to get past the growing stage.
- Submit your work from the previous steps. (Note: If you ‘brix’ test your harvest, include the results with your work.)
