Scientist-Educator Collaborative Workshop Workshop Evaluation

Held at the University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus, Groton, CT Thursday, October 8, 2009 through Saturday, October 10, 2009

The quantitative and qualitative information we receive through the workshop applications and evaluations is extremely important to our work here at COSEE-OS. Each successive workshop evolves in response to the feedback we receive from the participants.

Before the workshop, we collected a wide array of information about the participants, including background information. Following the workshop, participants completed evaluations that asked them to rate a number of areas such as the effectiveness of the multimedia tools, their learning of the science content, and the effectiveness of concept mapping.

A key goal is to foster high-quality interactions between scientists and educators. Rather than let participants self select their teams, we "match make" educators using Ocean & Climate Literacy principles as our framework. At the UConn workshop, everyone felt the tenor of the interactions was extremely positive and collegial. A few wished they'd been able to spend more time learning more from the scientists about the content, or wished there had been more guidance about establishing collaborative relationships with the scientists. A number of participants said they would like do a repeat of the same workshop to follow-up with these same colleagues and scientists and to learn more about the online tools as they develop.

Here is a summary of how participants felt about the overall organization of the workshop.

At least 80% of participants, often 90% or more, responded positively to questions about:

• How well their expectations were met by the workshop
• The length and pacing of the workshop
• Their workshop experiences overall (new learning and content, enjoyment, interactions with colleagues, scientists and COSEE-OS staff)

Watch a video of Jim Backus commenting on the experience of working in a group with scientists and both formal and informal educators during the workshop.

Quotes from Workshop Participants

"The workshop was organized like a business meeting, which I really appreciated. Being treated like a professional validates what I do as an educator and makes for a productive and pleasant experience."

"The workshop showed me how to utilize concept mapping within my classroom and allowed me to interact with the experts in the scientific fields, as well as other educators. This was fantastic!"

"It was extremely worthwhile; [I] learned a lot and walked away with some great ideas on how to involve these tools to better get eco concepts across to community regulators...."

"I came here with a desire to learn about the ocean; I am leaving with ... access to information about the ocean AND how to present information more effectively to my audience...."