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Assessing the Effectiveness of a Place-based Conservation Education Program by Applying Utilization-focused Evaluation
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| Presenter(s):
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| Lisa Flowers,
University of Montana,
flowers@boone-crockett.org
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| Abstract:
This study assessed the effectiveness of a place-based conservation education program called Hooked on Fishing, modeled after the national Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs program. Using a quasi-experimental nonequivalent group design, students received a pre-survey, post-survey, and an extended post-survey. Teachers voluntarily participated in an Internet survey, and program instructors voluntarily participated in a structured open-ended telephone interview. The research question was, does the frequency of outdoor experiences have significant affects on students' knowledge, skills, attitudes, and intended stewardship behaviors?
A key component of this study was the decision to conduct the evaluation process using the utilization-focused evaluation approach developed by Michael Q. Patton.
The motive to use this approach was to promote the usability and accuracy of the evaluation results. The results are considered to have a better chance to be applied by the program stakeholders to not only gauge program effectiveness, but to be used to improve the program.
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The Challenges of Evaluating Campus-Community Partnerships for an Environmental Service-learning Program
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| Presenter(s):
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| Christa Smith,
Kansas State University,
christas@ksu.edu
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| Christopher Lavergne,
WaterLINK,
lavergne@ksu.edu
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| Abstract:
Evaluators frequently perform formative evaluations more intensively during the beginning stages of a project, although it is also common to conduct formative aspects of evaluation throughout the life of the project (Frechtling, et.al., 2002). Process evaluation, a form of formative evaluation, focuses on the impact the program has on the participants at various stages of implementation. The current study focuses on the unexpected changes that arise during the course of a “real-world” evaluation project and how evaluators adapt their formative evaluation to assist clients in meeting their short-term and long-term goals and objectives.
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Second Year Evaluation of an Outdoor Recreation Program for At-risk 5th Graders in an Urban School District: Adding Teacher and Parent Assessment Measures
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| Presenter(s):
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| Gregory Schraw,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas,
gschraw@nevada.edu
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| Lori Olafson,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas,
lori.olafson@unlv.edu
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| Michelle Weibel,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas,
michelle.weibel@unlv.edu
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| Daphne Sewing,
University of Nevada,
daphne.sewing@univ.edu
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| Abstract:
Discover Mojave Outdoor World (DMOW) is a hands-on outdoor recreation program for urban, economically disadvantaged youth. In Year One of the program, knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed to document the effectiveness of program events over the duration of the program. Year One findings revealed that knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased substantially as a result of participating in the outdoor recreation events. The assessment plan was modified in Year Two by creating assessments for teachers and parents. Findings from Year Two's assessment plan again demonstrated the effectiveness of Discover Mojave Outdoor World in that participants' knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased over the course of program events. Additionally, results demonstrated that teachers and parents had very favorable attitudes towards the program.
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Lessons Learned From a Mixed-methods Evaluation of an Online Environmental Education Program
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| Presenter(s):
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| Annelise Carleton-Hug,
Trillium Associates,
annelise@trilliumassociates.com
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| J William Hug,
Trillium Associates,
billhug@trilliumassociates.com
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| Abstract:
In 2001, the interpretation staff of Yellowstone National Park launched a new interpretive program, “Windows into Wonderland” (WIW) providing online electronic “field trips” (eTrips) to teach web visitors about various aspects of Park ecology, geology and cultural history. This presentation reports on the first formal evaluation of the WIW program. Multiple methods of qualitative and quantitative data collection were used, including an online survey sent to over 4000 registered visitors to the WIW site, semi-structured interviews with classroom teachers who had used the field trips, and observations of middle school students using WIW e-trips. The presentation will provide an overview of the evaluation methods used as well as lessons learned from this mixed-method approach. Implications for other distance-delivered program evaluation designs will be discussed.
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