Program Evaluation and Assessment
Are you required to evaluate programs as a part of your management policy? Do you want your education programs and materials to improve? Do you need to know how effective your programs are?
Environmental education program evaluation uses the same principles and approaches of traditional program evaluation methods, but which are customized to the specific challenges of environmental education. Hands on the Land is now providing links and tools to help program providers evaluate and analyze the quality of their education programs and teaching materials.
Display Member Resources.
On-line Resources Evaluation and Assessment Resources:
- My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant (MEERA) provides evaluation resources for formal and non-formal environmental educators. Current offerings include professionally selected and reviewed "how-to" guides and other resources for evaluating environmental education programs as well as a discussion forum. Future offerings will include searchable examples of evaluations of environmental education programs.
- The National Marine Sanctuaries Education Evaluation Guide is designed to familiarize you with the evaluation process, with California B-WET evaluation requirements, and with planning and managing a project evaluation whether you conduct it yourself or work with an outside evaluator.
- The EPA's Evaluation of Environmental Programs web site links to environmental program evaluation information within EPA and to external information.
- The Digital Library for Earth System Education provides evaluation and assessment tools and evaluation services resources.
- EE-link provides assessment and evaluation tools for program providers.
- The Council for Environmental Education has produced evaluation guidelines for integrating evaluation into the planning and delivery of learning resources.
- University of Wisconsin Stevens Point offers on-line evaluation courses designed to help environmental educators and natural resource professionals evaluate their education programs.
- The Journal of Interpretation Research published an article on The Effects of a National Wildlife Refuge’s EE Programs on Elementary School Classes’ Knowledge and Attitudes.
- Australia's Department of Environment and Conservation published Does your Project Make a Difference? This booklet demonstrates how to build an evaluation framework based on the logic of your education program or teaching material, through the development and use of an outcome hierarchy model.
- Planning an Effective Program Evaluation - a Resource for Project Directors.
- Taking Stock - A Practical Guide to Evaluating Your Own Programs.
- What is Evaluation? - Document compiled from Dr. Barbara McDonald's PowerPoint presentation on evaluation.
Hands on the Land's Evaluation and Assessment Tools:
- E-Learning - Registered members may create a variety of assessment and evaluation tools, quizzes and questionnaires, and discussion forums through Hands on the Land's learning management system.
Take a look at what federal agencies and their partners are doing to connect children and nature.
