Digital Ethnobotany Education for Preserving Plant-Based Health Knowledge: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Ethnobotanical knowledge connects plant resources with food, traditional medicine, health-related practices, and cultural heritage, yet younger generations may have limited awareness of these relationships. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined students’ perceived learning and experiences of a digital design-based learning (DBL) activity in a Malaysian university ethnobotany course. Ninety-seven students from interdisciplinary programmes participated in a synchronous online course in which groups developed digital posters on flowering plants. The posters covered botanical identity, geographical and cultural contexts, reported medicinal, health-related, beauty, and culinary uses, as well as the conservation of plant resources and associated ethnobotanical knowledge. The course generated 51 posters covering 17 flowering plant profiles. Eighty-five students submitted reflections (87.6% of the cohort). In retrospective self-assessments collected at course end, mean current ratings exceeded recalled pre-course ratings across three domains: ethnobotany definitions (mean 2.02 to 3.81), cultural heritage (2.68 to 3.89), and sustainability (2.33 to 3.80), on a four-point scale. For the DBL activity, 67 respondents (78.8%) rated it highly effective and 18 (21.2%) rated it effective. Reflections described students’ appreciation of plants in health practices, everyday life, and cultural knowledge, alongside interest in preserving ethnobotanical heritage. The findings indicate positive student perceptions and higher reported self-ratings, but do not demonstrate objective knowledge acquisition, long-term retention, or effects on public understanding or health. Future research should verify poster content, assess objective learning, and evaluate audience understanding of plant-use evidence.