Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Secondary science educators Anglers, boat captains, and fisheries managers in Florida Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Through the Wood to Energy Outreach Program, we trained 75 Biomass Ambassadors who report using our materials as a reference guide when writing press releases, as a source of handouts when conducting workshops, and as a template for magazine articles. In Missouri, Kentucky, and Florida our program materials were used to inform discussions and contribute to decisions about resource utilization. Gainesville Florida decision makers, where we conducted community forums to educate citizens about woody biomass, approved a 100 MG woody biomass facility. North Carolina utilities are moving toward woody biomass to reduce carbon emissions (Monroe and Oxarart 2010). Participants in our Community Forums reported that 1) credible speakers, 2) an opportunity to ask questions of experts, and 3) an opportunity to learn about issues were the most important features of the forum. These components enable interested citizens to learn more and make a difference (Monroe, Oxarart, McDonell, and Plate 2009). Workshops and symposia with teachers on forest health and climate suggest that our materials are new and needed. Teachers were pleased with the engaging, hands-on activities and planned to use these materials. Workshops were provided at several stateteacher association conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? A variety of conference presentations and workshops have distributed this information to extension agents, educators, and colleagues. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Education for Sustainability research activities achieved a variety of outcomes from the many activities that were conducted during the six year period. Perceptions of issues and systems: Our assessment of the ethics course and text from weekly evaluations, an observer, a course survey, and two in-depth interviews is that students did indeed gain a new perspective on the tools that ethics can provide as well as familiarity with strategies that can help them make decisions about sustainability. For a majority of students, this was the first time they have been exposed to this content or these skills (Biedenweg et al. 2013). Understanding Extension professionals’ perceptions about climate change has generated discussions within several states and across the region. The results of our survey have been presented at 2 national and 3 regional conferences where administrators and specialists have begun to talk about what resources, professional development opportunities, and motivators can be used to engage a variety of specialists and agents in working on climate programs and projects. It is clear from our data that offering climate change programs only to those who are interested and voluntarily participate will likely reduce the range of participants to only those who are alarmed and concerned about the issue. Unfortunately, these perceptions are not uniformly distributed across all Extension program areas; this strategy will miss large numbers of agriculture and horticulture agents—the very population who should be at the front line of climate education. A secondary teacher survey and student experiments have greatly assisted in the development of a curriculum module on climate change and southern forests. The module has 13 activities that can be used in biology, environmental science, and agriculture classes. The activities engage students in simulations, data collection, data analysis, web searches, role plays, and synthesis activities to better understand the impact of climate change on southern forests, the role that forest play in climate change mitigation, and the strategies that forest managers and consumers can undertake to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Teachers specifically asked for activities that use data, convey systems, and engage students in making a difference (Monroe, Oxarart, Plate 2013). Focus groups with forest landowners suggest that economic issues are more important for those who intend to harvest timber for profit than any long-term interest in climate change, in large part because of a perceived sense of helplessness. They recognize that the climate is less predictable, however, and are interested in information or experiences that can help them improve their chance of success (Krantz honors thesis, 2013). Providing programs that affect perceptions and motivation: Community-based workshops and leadership groups were engaged in social learning as measured by the change in mental models before and after the workshops in Pando, Bolivia. How the community leadership was selected and the level of trust between leaders and community members were elements that affected the degree to which social learning occurred (Biedenweg and Monroe, 2012, 2013). In the Springs Working Groups, information sharing helped empower individuals and led some to attribute successful changes to the Group, whether or not the group actually did the effort ascribed (Monroe, Plate Oxarart 2013). Visitors to Brevard Zoo who participated in the exhibit evaluation are already strongly supportive of conservation efforts in the Indian River Lagoon. Nevertheless, they gained new knowledge at the zoo exhibit and identified additional ways they could engaged in conservation activities. They perceive that the zoo is a local source of conservation information and serves an important function as reinforcing the conservation messages about the Indian River Lagoon (Oxarart, Monroe Plate 2013). 4-H leaders increased their efficacy to use Project Learning Tree after an on-line training program that took from 6-10 hours to complete. Those who did not finish the program are interested in completing at another time (McConnell and Monroe 2012). The results of our systems thinking study indicate that a short, well-conceived systems thinking lecture can relay concepts of indirect and delayed causality and feedback mechanisms. After receiving a 50-minute lecture on systems thinking, posttest scores were significantly greater than pretest scores (p<. 001). Two groups of students received an additional systems presentation/discussion, one using a computer model to relay concepts, the other using static graphs to convey the same information. These students’ posttests were also significantly increased over pretest scores (p< 0.001), but were not significantly different from each other. The results indicate that computer models are not necessary to teach systems thinking concepts in short interventions. Engaging presentations using multiple examples that stress relationships between components are useful strategies to teach these systems thinking concepts. Designing training programs to embody the concepts of efficacy and outcome expectancy can also empower people to act on the information they receive. In a test of an online training program to use environmental education curriculum materials, we found that perceptions of efficacy increased even though learners were not interacting with each other or the trainer. Video segments, examples from peers, demonstrations of activities, and step by step procedures helped to make the information understandable and relevant to learners (McConnell and Monroe 2012).
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Biedenweg, K. and M. C. Monroe. 2013. Cognitive Methods and a Case Study for Assessing Shared Perspectives as a Result of Social Learning. Society and Natural Resources. DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2012.725455. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2012.725455
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Biedenweg, K. and M. Monroe. 2012. Teasing apart the details: How social learning can affect collective action in the Bolivian Amazon. Human Ecology. Published online in 2012. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10745-012-9535-y
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Brain, Roslynn G.; Irani, Tracy A.; Monroe, Martha C. 2013. Researching and Communicating Environmental Issues Among Farmers and Ranchers: Implications for Extension Outreach, Journal of Extension, 51 (3): 3FEA4; Http://www.joe.org/joe/2013june/a4.php
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
McConnell, L. C. and M. C. Monroe. 2012. Making Online Professional Development Work for Florida Project Learning Tree, Applied Environmental Education and Communication 11(3-4): 148-156.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Monroe, M. C., A. Oxarart, R. Plate. 2013. A role for environmental education in climate change for secondary science educators. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 12(1): 4-18.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Monroe, M. C., R. Plate and A. Oxarart. 2013. Intermediate Collaborative Adaptive Management Strategies Build Stakeholder Capacity. Ecology and Society, 18 (2): 24. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss2/art24/
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Monroe, M. C., S. Agrawal, P. J. Jakes, L. E. Kruger, K C. Nelson, V. Sturtevant. 2013. Identifying indicators of behavior change: Insights from wildfire education programs. Journal of Environmental Education. 44(3): 180-194.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Monroe, M.C., J. J. Jones, and A. Soldinger. 2012. Wildland-Urban Interface Forestry Success in Texas: A Technical Note. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, 36(2): 107-109.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Oxarart, A. L., M .C. Monroe, R. R. Plate. 2013. From Play Areas to Natural Areas: The Role of Zoos in Getting Families Outdoors. Visitor Studies, 16(1): 82-94.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Willcox, A. S., W. M Guiliano, M. C. Monroe. 2012. Predicting cattle rancher wildlife management activities: An application of the theory of planned behavior. Human Dimensions of Wildlife: An international journal, 17:3, 159-173.
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Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Understanding educators' perceptions of climate change was a focus of our activity this year, with analysis of the 2700 responses from a survey of Extension faculty in the Southeast and a needs assessment of secondary science educators in the Southeast. Results suggest that Extension professionals, despite employment by land grant universities to convey science-based issues to the public, mirror the public in their perceptions of climate change. Open-ended comments reveal that those who are disengaged, doubtful, and dismissive believe they have very good reasons for their skepticism of climate change. They provide a number of reasons for their lack of concern about global warming: it doesn't affect us; there is nothing we can do anyway; this is a data collection problem (from urban heat islands); climate has been changing for a long time and humans have not had an impact; and God has a perfect plan. The high number of responses and lack of nonresponse bias suggest these results can be generalized to the participating eight southern states' Extension faculty. This information has been shared with Extension Administrators across the region and is forming the basis of in-service training activities. The results of the secondary science teacher survey were likely biased by responses primarily from those who teach about climate change and believe it to be an important topic for their curriculum. Summarizing from these respondents, we learned that life science and environmental science teachers are most likely to use lesson plans for a week's worth of activities, are interested in demonstrating the nature of science by interpreting data and manipulating models, and want information that is locally relevant and engaging. Since consumer choices are one area in which students can play a role in mitigating climate change, teachers were interested in teaching about life cycle analysis. This information is being used to shape the development of a module for secondary science teachers on climate change and southern pine forests. We surveyed residents of two springsheds in Florida and learned that proximity to the spring was positively and significantly correlated to increased concern, knowledge, intention, and environmentally responsible behavior regarding water quality protection. In an experiment with high school students, learning about carbon sequestration increased significantly over pre-test scores only if the lesson was introduced as one of the factors associated with climate change. For these students, information that helped them understand and address climate change was interesting and motivating, even if they didn't think the issue would affect them. PARTICIPANTS: A number of graduate students, colleagues, and staff were instrumental to this project. Damian Adams, UF, Richard Plate (post doc) and Deb Wojcik (post doc) worked closely with me on the analysis of the Extension survey and development of products. Annie Oxarart (staff) and graduate students Stephanie Hall, intern Paul Decker, and PhD student Jie Li helped to conduct the student research, teacher needs assessment, and write activities for the teaching module. All of this work is possible through the NIFA-funded PINEMAP project, in which we work with 50 co-PIs across the South. John Seiler and John Kidd at Virginia Tech were instrumental in providing the intern, Paul Decker through the PINEMAP project. Staff from the Center for Precollegiate Education and Training were instrumental in allowing us to pilot test our activities with their science campers. TARGET AUDIENCES: The only relevant portions were: 1. The pilot test of high school activities with students. We found a significant increase in knowledge about carbon when the lesson was embedded in the context of climate change. We worked with 47 Science Quest students, at the University of Florida for a one week program with the Center for Precollegiate Education and Training. 2. Presentations to County Extension Directors and State Extension Administrators about faculty perceptions about climate change has generated an intention to address professional development and perceptions within several states. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Understanding Extension professionals' perceptions about climate change has generated discussions within several states and across the region. The results of our survey have been presented at 2 national and 3 regional conferences where administrators and specialists have begun to talk about what resources, professional development opportunities, and motivators can be used to engage a variety of specialists and agents in working on climate programs and projects. It is clear from our data that offering climate change programs only to those who are interested and voluntarily participate will likely reduce the range of participants to only those who are alarmed and concerned about the issue. Unfortunately, these perceptions are not uniformly distributed across all Extension program areas; this strategy will miss large numbers of agriculture and horticulture agents, the very population who should be at the front line of climate education. Creating professional development opportunities that engage all Extension faculty from a variety of perceptions is the goal of a new grant proposal to NIFA as well as a component of the activity underway with CSI through ANREP. The secondary teacher survey and student experiments have greatly assisted in the development of a curriculum module on climate change and southern forests. The module will have 13 activities that can be used in biology, environmental science, and agriculture classes. The activities engage students in simulations, data collection, data analysis, web searches, role plays, and synthesis activities to better understand the impact of climate change on southern forests, the role that forest play in climate change mitigation, and the strategies that forest managers and consumers can undertake to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The module will be pilot tested with southern teachers in fall 2013.
Publications
- Monroe, M. C. and D. C. Adams. 2012. Increasing response rates to web-based surveys. Journal of Extension. Tool of the trade. December issue.
- Monroe, M. 2012. Enhancing Both Cooperative Extension and National Environmental Education Resources, Tools of the Trade, Journal of Extension (2011-0139) December Issue.
- Monroe, M. C. and L. McDonell. 2012. Flexible Training Program Builds Capacity for Diverse Challenges. Journal of Extension. 50(5): 5FEA4, http://www.joe.org/joe/2012october/a4.php
- Jacobson, S. K., Carlson, S. and M. C. Monroe. 2012. Motivation and Retention of Park and Recreation Volunteers: Lessons from a Florida Agency, Journal of Park and Recreation Administration. 30(1): 51-67.
- Monroe, M.C. 2012. The co-evolution of ESD and EE. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. 6(1): 43-47.
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Research in Education for sustainability involves both content and process - what we teach and how we do that effectively. Systems Thinking. To create a future citizenry that is more able to think, plan, and act with sustainability in mind, learners must be able to see and understand systems. In one study that concluded this year, we tested our ability to teach undergraduate students to understand systems and apply this information in new situations. We conducted an experiment to learn whether a computer model is necessary for students to understand systems complexity and interactions. A paper is being written to share these results. We also developed and disseminated two supplemental secondary curriculum guides to help teachers convey systems concepts in the context of forest health. One is designed to accompany the Project Learning Tree Guide, the other is an independent unit. Materials have been distributed in workshops, through the mail, and are now on-line for free download. Ethics of Sustainability. Another content area that will enhance our ability to use sustainability to make decisions is ethics. We developed a graduate student course for science, technology, math, and engineering majors and the reading materials to accompany it. After a pilot offering in 2010, we compiled the reading materials into a book. The book and accompanying Instructor's Guide were recently published by Wiley and available for sale through Amazon. Conferences and listservs are used to advertise the book. Enhancing Communication. Information is essential for people to build understanding and take appropriate actions. Social network analysis in four villages in Botswana is helping to improve information flows that will help empower people to participate in local governance and community-based natural resource management. A report of findings has been sent to Botswana. We also used the concept of self-efficacy to design an on-line training program and then tested users to determine if efficacy was enhanced from the training. A paper is being written. Perceptions and Prior Knowledge. What people already believe can greatly affect their readiness to learn. In two studies we are working to better understand prior knowledge, misconceptions, and beliefs. We have conducted interviews with pre-service teachers and focus groups with forest landowners to better understand initial perceptions. These results were used in the development of curriculum (above). In the area of climate change we have collected data from 2500 extension agents across the South to better understand their attitudes about climate change and the likelihood of using climate materials in their extension programs. By comparing their responses to the Six Americas study, we'll be able to understand if they reflect the attitudes of the general public. We have explored participants of springs working groups to understand how their participation affects information flow and action taking, and are expanding that study to look at attitudes and practices of citizens who live in the springsheds. Papers from these studies are being written. PARTICIPANTS: A number of graduate students, colleagues, and staff were instrumental to this project. Matt Cohen, UF provided essential information on systems thinking and led the instructional module that we tested. Jason Smith, UF, provided information about forest health that was used in the curriculum. Damian Adams, UF is working closely with me on the design and implementation of the extension survey. National Project Learning Tree cooperation was essential for the online training program for 4H volunteers. Funding for these projects comes, in part, from the Water Institute at UF (springs working group study), the Ford Foundation (student conducting springs survey), NIFA (Climate and Southern Pine project), National Project Learning Tree, and NSF (Ethics course and book. TARGET AUDIENCES: Our target audiences vary with the projects. A needs assessment with teachers helped us develop the forest health materials to meet their needs regarding content and teaching strategies (yes on engaging activities, no on samples, yes on slides and flashcards). Workshops with teachers have been useful to helping them adopt and use the materials. A pilot test of our instructional module and assessment tool helped us revise it for testing systems thinking. Prior knowledge may create barriers to understanding new information about springs, nutrients, and algae, and one lecture is not sufficient to overcome this knowledge. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Systems Thinking. The results of our systems thinking study indicate that a short, well-conceived systems thinking lecture can relay concepts of indirect and delayed causality and feedback mechanisms. After receiving a 50-minute lecture on systems thinking, posttest scores were significantly greater than pretest scores (p<. 001). Two groups of students received an additional systems presentation/discussion, one using a computer model to relay concepts, the other using static graphs to convey the same information. These students' posttests were also significantly increased over pretest scores (p< 0.001), but were not significantly different from each other. The results indicate that computer models are not necessary to teach systems thinking concepts in short interventions. Engaging presentations using multiple examples that stress relationships between components are useful strategies to teach these systems thinking concepts. The information obtained in this study can be used to help college and non-formal educators develop interventions to help adult learners understand the complexity of the world around them. With the forest health curriculum, an in-service training with 45 teachers suggests these materials will be extremely helpful. Teachers were pleased with the engaging, hands-on activities and planned to use these materials with their students. A summative evaluation is underway with 12 teachers implementing the program with over 300 students. Ethics of Sustainability. Students reported the ethics of sustainability course and materials made a valuable contribution to their major coursework, the interaction and discussions with students from other majors contributed to their learning, and an approach to sustainability that includes an ethical dimension will be essential to their future. Enhancing Communication. Designing training programs to embody the concepts of efficacy and outcome expectancy can also empower people to act on the information they receive. In a test of an online training program to use environmental education curriculum materials, we found that perceptions of efficacy increased even though learners were not interacting with each other or the trainer. Video segments, examples from peers, demonstrations of activities, and step by step procedures helped to make the information understandable and relevant to learners. Perceptions and Prior Knowledge. Interviews with pre-service teachers about forest health suggests that forest health is strongly associated with forest ecology, that animals are good indicators of forest health, and that insects can have positive and negative roles. This information can help curriculum specialists design information for teachers and students, since teachers are more likely to use material in a way that makes sense to them. Focus groups with forest landowners suggest that economic issues are more important for those who intend to harvest timber for profit than any long-term interest in climate change. They recognize that the climate is less predictable, however, and are interested in information or experiences that can help them improve their chance of success.
Publications
- Biedenweg, K., D. Wojcik, M. C. Monroe. 2011. Instructors Guide for Moving Toward Sustainability: Ethical decision making in a technological world. NY: Wiley. 233 pages
- Hicks, S., M. C. Monroe, G. Iyer, and J. Smith. 2011. What is a Healthy Forest: A supplement for Florida Project Learning Tree. Gainesville FL: University of Florida, 74 pages.
- Iyer, G., M. C. Monroe, J. Smith. 2011. Beyond the Trees: A systems approach to understanding forest health in the Southeastern U.S. Gainesville FL: University of Florida, 65 pages.
- Oxarart, A. and M. C. Monroe. 2012. Using Interesting Text to Communicate Complex Natural Resources Issues. Journal of Extension.
- Kibert, C., M. C. Monroe, A. Peterson, R. Plate, and L. Thiele. 2011. Moving toward sustainability: Ethical decision making in a technological world. NY: Wiley. 325 pages.
- Biedenweg, K., A. Oxarart, and M.C. Monroe. 2012. The Importance of Teaching Ethics for Sustainability. International Journal for Sustainability in Higher Education.
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Education for Sustainability includes helping learners develop skills needed for addressing issues that help communities move toward sustainability. Work in 2010 proceeded in several areas in this dimension: 1. I worked with an interdisciplinary team (with Kibert in Building and Construction, Peterson in Religion, and Thiele in Political Science) to develop and pilot test a course that enables graduate students from a variety of technical and scientific disciplines to explore ethical perspectives of decisions with regard to sustainability. We developed four specific products: a. An in-person course that was taught Spring 2010 to 23 graduate students b. An on-line course that was taught in Summer 2010 through the College of Design c. A text for the course, with 11 chapters, that will be published by Wiley d. An Instructor's Guide for the course, with 36 engaging activities, discussion questions, and grading rubrics. 2. At the community level, managing natural resources collectively involves strategies to share information, trust in the information provider, communication skills, and technical knowledge that will allow them to make good decisions about their resources. Four different activities were associated with this activity: a. Student Biedenweg assessed the degree to which social learning occurred during community workshops for community forest management in Pando, Bolivia b. Student Wojcik measured information exchange as a function of the social network in four villages in the Okavango Delta which are managing wildlife through a CBNRM system in Botswana c. I was selected to co-author a chapter on Environmental Education and Community Natural Resource Management for a book on trans-disciplinary EE research d. Interviews with 36 members of six Springs Working Groups in north Florida enabled us to explore how this community activity enables agency scientists to share information with citizen advocates and help improve the ecology of the springs - a major source of drinking water, recreation, and inspiration in Florida. 3. At the individual level, moving learners toward sustainability also requires that they have a vision of where they are going and a belief in their competence to achieve that goal, also described as efficacy. Building visions and efficacy can be difficult in non-formal environments, but we worked with two efforts to do exactly that: a. Brevard Zoo asked us to evaluate their Paws-On exhibit on the Indian River Lagoon and the degree to which it enables people to partake in actions that will conserve the Indian River Lagoon. b. We developed an online training program for 4H leaders that enables them to obtain and use the Project Learning Tree K-8 Guide. Nine leaders completed the course and gave consent for us to analyze their responses. PARTICIPANTS: The team of Kibert, Peterson, Thiele, and Monroe worked with students and a post-doc to develop the course on Ethics of Sustainability. Kibert was the PI on this NSF-funded project, and the other professors worked approximately two months in each of two years on it. Keith Winsten is the Executive Director of Brevard Zoo, where we evaluated the Paws-On Exhibit. Working with National Project Learning Tree and Florida Project Learning Tree organizations was essential to developing and offering the online course for 4-H leaders. The Trans-disciplinary EE Research project was led by Marianne Krasny of Cornell University and evolved into a professional development workshop during which each pair of writers critiqued the other book chapters. Finally, work with the Springs Working Groups was made possible with funding from the UF Water Institute. Access to the working groups was through the FL Department of Environmental Protection. All projects were coordinated by CRIS PI Monroe. TARGET AUDIENCES: The Ethics of Sustainability course is targeted to graduate students in STEM majors and worked to change attitudes and knowledge, and ultimately, decision making behaviors in these pre-professionals. The Brevard Zoo exhibit seeks to change behaviors among families that visit the zoo and live near the Indian River Lagoon. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Education for Sustainability research activities achieved a variety of outcomes from the small research activities that were conducted in 2010, some of which are continuing in 2011. a. Our assessment of the ethics course and text from weekly evaluations, an observer, a course survey, and two in-depth interviews is that students did indeed gain a new perspective on the tools that ethics can provide as well as familiarity with strategies that can help them make decisions about sustainability. For a majority of students, this was the first time they have been exposed to this content or these skills. An article on our results has been submitted to the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. b. Community-based workshops and leadership groups were engaged in social learning as measured by the change in mental models before and after the workshops in Pando, Bolivia. How the community leadership was selected and the level of trust between leaders and community members were elements that affected the degree to which social learning occurred. In the Springs Working Groups, information sharing helped empower individuals and led some to attribute successful changes to the Group, whether or not the group actually did the effort ascribed. c. Visitors to Brevard Zoo who participated in the exhibit evaluation are already strongly supportive of conservation efforts in the Indian River Lagoon. Nevertheless, they gained new knowledge at the zoo exhibit and identified additional ways they could engaged in conservation activities. They perceive that the zoo is a local source of conservation information and serves an important function as reinforcing the conservation messages about the Indian River Lagoon. 4-H leaders increased their efficacy to use Project Learning Tree after an on-line training program that took from 6-10 hours to complete. Those who did not finish the program are interested in completing at another time.
Publications
- Cheng, J. C-H. and M. C. Monroe. 2010. Connection to nature: Children's affective attitude toward nature. Environment and Behavior. DOI: 10.1177/0013916510385082
- Cheng, J. C-H. and M. C. Monroe. 2010. Teachers' Attitudes Toward an Environmental Education Program. Applied Environmental Education adn Communication. 9(1): 28-37.
- Monroe, M. C. and Oxarart, A. 2010. Woody biomass outreach in the southern United States: A case study. Biomass and Bioenergy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2010.08.064
- Plate, R. R., M. C. Monroe, and A. Oxarart. 2010. Public perceptions of using woody biomass as a renewable energy source. Journal of Extension, 48(3). Article number 3FEA7. Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2010june/pdf/JOE_v48_3a7.pdf
- Monroe, M. C. 2010. Challenges for environmental education evaluation. Evaluation and Program Planning. 33: 194-196.
- Oxararr, A. et al. 2010. Paws-on Children's Exhibit at Brevard Zoo. Evaluation Report. Connecting Families to Nature. University of Florida, white paper, 88 pages.
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Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1. We concluded our evaluation of the Wood to Energy project, which resulted in the dissemination of information about woody biomass and about how to conduct outreach programs about woody biomass to extension, forestry, and energy leaders across the South. The evaluation indicates that the materials are appropriate and useful, though their use appears to be a function of the "readiness" of the state, the community, and the agencies that are conducting outreach. Understanding and exploring woody biomass bridges a number of disciplines and areas of expertise that may not have worked together before: forestry, energy, rural development, utilities, waste haulers, environmental activists, and the degree that these people can communicate and work together on outreach programs appears to suggest how well our outreach materials are used. Information from this project was converted into a high school curriculum project and pilot tested in Santa Rosa County. Biology, environmental science, and economics teachers used some of the 18 activities and increased student knowledge about woody biomass. The information from the Wood to Energy project was also converted into a Desk Guide for National Association of Conservation Districts. The information has been disseminated through conferences and newsletters. 2. An overarching question about how to support adaptive management and decision making has led us into three different regions of the world to explore how community members engage in a and learn from adaptive collaborative management activities. Community forestry workshops in Bolivia were the context for a comparison of extension agent and community members' perceptions on ideal forest management. Community based natural resource management projects near the Okavango in Botswana are enabling us to explore information flows and community size. And the Springs Working Groups in north Florida are the site for understanding working group meetings and mental models of participants. PARTICIPANTS: A number of graduate students have been involved in this project. Deb Wojcik and Kelly Biedenweg are in the PhD program and are also supported by IGERT projects. John Fort, Geetha Iyer, Lindsey McConnell, Sarah Hicks, and Lara Colley are in the masters program. Annie Oxarart has been employed as a temporary staff person to assist with this project. On-campus collaborators include Matt Cohen, SFRC Assistant Professor and the staff at the Water Institute, led by Wendy Graham; Charles Kibert, Anna Peterson, and Les Thiele who I work with on an Ethics for Sustainability project. Organizational partners include Brevard Zoo in Melbourne FL; USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station. TARGET AUDIENCES: The Wood to Energy subproject was designed to empower extension, forestry, and energy outreach educators to deliver programs about woody biomass. The programs were designed to empower community leaders and citizens to engage in making local decisions about using wood for energy. The Brevard Zoo evaluation project is designed to help zoo staff create effective and powerful exhibits that enhance visitors' knowledge about the health of the Indian River Lagoon and support them in taking appropriate actions to increase the Lagoon's health. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Through the Wood to Energy Outreach Program, we trained 75 Biomass Ambassadors who report using our materials as a reference guide when writing press releases, as a source of handouts when conducting workshops, and as a template for magazine articles. In Missouri, Kentucky, and Florida our program materials were used to inform discussions and contribute to decisions about resource utilization. Gainesville Florida decision makers, where we conducted community forums to educate citizens about woody biomass, approved a 100 MG woody biomass facility. North Carolina utilities are moving toward woody biomass to reduce carbon emissions. Early results from an evaluation of the Paws-On Exhibit at the Brevard Zoo enabled a group of graduate students to develop and pilot test a mystery activity to increase sign-reading behavior to enable visitors to learn about the Indian River Lagoon. In their pilot, parents and youth were observed reading signs and enjoying their visit. The zoo director also wrote a grant to revise the 2008 exhibit, anticipating our evaluation report would suggest new features and extensions.
Publications
- Monroe, M.C., A. Oxarart, L. McDonell, R. Plate. 2009. Using community forums to enhance public engagement in environmental issues. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. 3:2 (171-182).
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Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This CRIS project on education for sustainability has three objectives. Progress was made in 2008 in all three areas. 1. Compelling people to action Enabling people to make environmentally responsible choices is, in part, a function of having trustable, understandable information. The Cooperative Extension Service prides itself on providing fact sheets on a variety of topics to the public. If readers believe there is a hidden agenda or biased information, however, they will not trust or use the information to make decisions. In the case of communities adopting wood as a source of energy, our research suggests that extension fact sheets on controversial, current issues can be more helpful to the public if they provide examples of cases where communities made and did not make this choice. Specificity in the example, such as imagery, quotes, and visual cues will help personalize the information, making it more memorable. Where experts are involved, people in favor and opposed to the concept must be quoted. Even where the facts clearly favor one solution, readers initially opposed to that solution will expect their views to be treated equally. See Oxarart thesis. Results will be available in journal article and Extension Community of Practice. 2. Engaging citizens in solving problems We developed and tested a Community Forum model that both provided information and allowed participants to express their opinions to community decision makers. This model enables educators to facilitate the interaction, experts to provide examples and basic information, and participants to drive the discussion with meaningful questions. Article will be published. 3. Incorporate education for sustainability in Florida's schools Three projects enabled us to learn more about engaging students in learning about nature and sustainability: a) An evaluation of Lagoon Quest, a program about the Indian River Lagoon required of all Brevard County fourth graders significantly increases knowledge about the watershed and ecosystem, with children in Title I schools showing a greater increase than children in non-Title I schools. Previous environmental education experience of the teacher does not impact student learning or program completion, but previous comfort with science is suspected to play a role. See Cheng and Monroe. 1000 reports were printed for use in training programs. b) The development of a Children's Connection to Nature Index will help educators identify whether educational opportunities and experiences are increasing a child's interest and willingness to interact with nature. See Cheng dissertation. c) A set of 18 activities for high school biology, environmental science, and economics teachers will help them introduce the concept of woody biomass to students and convey critical thinking and systems thinking skills as they explore the sustainability of using wood for energy in their community. Additional funding is needed to revise and duplicate this program. PARTICIPANTS: Brevard Zoo was a partner organization on this project. Keith Winsten is the Exec Director. Martha Monroe is the PI for this project. Her graduate students conducted the activities and worked on the project -- Annie Oxarart, Judith Cheng, and Jessica Tomasello. One product of our activity was to write a training case study for those learning about Ee evaluation. 20 FWS employees have participated in a training course in Homer Alaska that included this document. TARGET AUDIENCES: FWS employees were trained to develop evaluation projects for their EE programs. Gainesville residents were provided information about woody biomass in our community forums. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Participants in our Community Forums reported that 1) credible speakers, 2) an opportunity to ask questions of experts, and 3) an opportunity to learn about issues were the most important features of the forum. We presented these results in several conference presentations and produced a journal article (See Monroe, Oxarart, McDonell, and Plate). Our evaluation of Lagoon Quest indicated that children in Title I schools showing a greater increase than children in non-Title I schools. Previous environmental education experience of the teacher does not impact student learning or program completion, but previous comfort with science is suspected to play a role. See Cheng and Monroe report. This activity has resulted in continued funding for the program and a new contract to evaluate an exhibit at Brevard Zoo. Our pilot test of high school woody biomass materials suggests teachers have limited time to use the activities but that students significantly increased their knowledge of woody biomass. The lack of time means that students are less likely to gain mastery of complex integrated concepts like systems thinking and sustainabilty. Consequently, we are rethinking how we revise this program and how we develop a new curriculum project on forest health.
Publications
- Monroe, M.C., A. Oxarart, L.McDonell, R. Plate. 2009. Using Community Forums to Enhance Public Engagement in Environmental Issues, Journal of education for Sustainability V 3 N 1.
- Cheng, J. and M.C. Monroe. 2008. Measuring the effectiveness of Lagoon Quest: a case study in environmental education program evaluation. Cir 1528. UF/IFAS Extension. Gainesville: UF.
- Monroe, M.C., E. Andrews, and K. Biedenweg. 2007. A framework for environmental education strategies, Applied Environmental Education and Communication. 6(3-4): 205-216.
- Hull, B., S. F. Ashton, R. M. Visser and M. C. Monroe. 2008. Forest Management in the Interface: Amenity Resources. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, FOR 175. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr233
- Ashton, S. F., B. Hull, R. M. Visser and M. C. Monroe. 2008. Forest Management in the Interface: Forest Cooperatives. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, FOR 176. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr244
- Hull, B., S. F. Ashton, R. M. Visser and M. C. Monroe. 2008. Forest Management in the Interface: Generating Income from Interface Forests. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, FOR 174. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr248
- Visser, R. M., B. Hull, S. F. Ashton, and M. C. Monroe. 2008. Mechanical Vegetative Management. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, FOR 180. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr245
- Hull, B., S. F. Ashton, R. M. Visser and M. C. Monroe. 2008. Forest Management in the Interface: Practicing Visible Stewardship. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, FOR 177. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr237
- Hull, B., S. F. Ashton, R. M. Visser and M. C. Monroe. 2008. Forest Management in the Interface: Reducing Fire Risk. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, FOR 179. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr249
- Vince, S. and M. C. Monroe. 2008. Forest Management in the Interface: Water Management. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, FOR 181. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr246
- Hull, B., S. F. Ashton, R. M. Visser and M. C. Monroe. 2008. Forest Management in the Interface: Who Are Interface Landowners. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, Cir 1527. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr234
- Monroe, M. C. 2008. Reducing Conflict in the Wildland-Urban Interface. Florida Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet, FOR 198. University of Florida, UF/IFAS EDIS (Electronic Data Information Source) Database. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/document_fr259
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