| Session Title: Toolkit for Evaluating Impacts of Public Participation in Scientific Research |
| Demonstration Session 347 to be held in BONHAM E on Thursday, Nov 11, 3:35 PM to 4:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Environmental Program Evaluation TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Tina Phillips, Cornell Univeristy, cbp6@cornell.edu |
| Richard Bonney, Cornell Univeristy, reb5@cornell.edu |
| Abstract: The Toolkit for Evaluating Impacts of Public Participation in Scientific Research has been developed to meet a major need in the field of informal science education: To provide project developers and other professionals, especially those with limited knowledge or understanding of evaluation techniques, with a systematic method for assessing project impact that facilitates longitudinal and cross-project comparisons. This demonstration provides an overview of how to use the toolkit to evaluate the educational impacts of public participation in scientific research. The online tool provides customizable instruments and techniques for qualitative and quantitative research focused on understanding educational impacts within the NSF evaluation framework categories of knowledge, engagement, skill, attitudes, and behavior (Friedman, 2008). This demonstration will be designed to introduce the toolkit, show how it is intended to be used, and encourage participants to provide feedback to improve the toolkit before it is widely released. |