FAQs
What kinds of information does the research team need from us?
We ask that you provide information about the programs and activities you are facilitating and the groups that participate. A spreadsheet has been shared with you or someone on your team titled ‘OOK Activity and Participant Tracking Sheet’ and is designed for you to provide this information. You should have received a document explaining how to fill this out. If you have any questions on how to fill out this spreadsheet, please contact Kelley at kelleyan@vt.edu. Additionally, Kelley will work with you on devising a data collection plan to implement online surveys with students and teachers.
Which surveys should I use?
For the vast majority of network members, you will be using either a retrospective student survey administered at the end of the program, a pre-experience and post-experience student survey administered before and after the program, or a teacher survey administered after the program. Kelley will work with you to decide which survey best meets your needs. In general, the retrospective student survey will be used with students in the 4th grade and up who participate in a short program (ranging from about 30 mins to a full day); pre-experience and post-experience student surveys will be used with students in the 4th grade and up who participate in a longer program (several meetings over weeks or months); and teacher surveys will be used with teachers who participate with classes 3rd grade and younger. There may be some exceptions to this, so if you are unsure, please check with Kelley to make sure you are using the correct survey.
How will I know which groups to collect data from?
Kelley will consult individually with each participating organization to determine an appropriate sampling design for your programs. This could include administering a survey to all students, a sample of students that participate in your program, or participating teachers. In general, student surveys are intended for use with 4th grade and up (ages 9+) and teacher surveys are intended for use with 3th grade classes and younger. If you are collecting data from a sample of participant groups, please check the ‘Program and Survey Schedule’ tab within the ‘OOK Activity and Participant Tracking Sheet’ to find out which groups to administer the survey.
If you have any questions or concerns about your specific data collection plan, please contact Kelley.
How do I administer the student or teacher surveys?
We will work with you directly to determine the best way to share the link to the online student and teacher surveys. We will also provide a simple script, if appropriate, to explain the survey and direct participants to it. Ideally, you will provide a link for participants to click at the conclusion of your programming, so that participants can directly enter the survey immediately following the experience. You may need to communicate with classroom teachers in advance to make sure students have access to individual computers or tablets at the end of the program.
For organizations and parks using a pre-experience and post-experience survey, the process will be the same as described above, with the addition of surveying students before the program begins.
When should I administer the surveys?
Ideally, the surveys will be administered immediately after the conclusion of the program. We recognize, however, that this might not always be possible. We will work with you to determine a feasible surveying strategy. The most important element is that you follow the plan and administer the survey consistently across all student groups. In the worst-case scenario, all data should be collected within 48 hours of the completion the program. Data collected one week after the program is not directly comparable to data collected immediately after the program, and is therefore not usable.
For those using a pre-experience and post-experience survey, the same stipulations apply. It is important to administer both the pre-experience and post-experience survey at a consistent time across participant groups. Ideally, this would mean administering the pre-experience survey immediately before the program begins and administering the post-experience survey immediately after its conclusion.
What happens if students or teachers are not completing the survey?
Please share any concerns related to data collection with the research team and we will work with you to tailor an approach to enhance success. Administering the survey yourself during the last 10 minutes of your time with participants tends to increase student response rates compared to relying on the classroom teacher to administer it afterward. Proactive steps that everyone can take include verbally reminding students and teachers about the survey at the end of your program, explaining why it’s so important to complete, sending an email reminder within 24 hours after the program, and embedding the survey link in a prominent place that is easily accessible for all students.
What about human subjects or other legal approvals?
We have all the necessary legal approvals for this data collection. If you need proof or copies of any of these documents, just ask.
What information will we receive after the data are analyzed?
Each park or organization will receive a confidential report sharing their programs’ overall performance on each of the participant outcomes compared to the overall averages of similar programs in the network. You are not required to share this report with anyone. It is up to you what you do with this information. Our hope is that it will help to identify key strengths and weaknesses and options for program adjustments.
What will the regular network meetings be like?
Our network meetings will occur throughout the life of the grant, meeting about every 6 weeks. These meetings are voluntary, but we have found network members enjoy these meetings, learn new education strategies, and make meaningful connections with other organizations. The research team will be sharing lessons we’ve been learning in concurrent and recent national studies that provide insight on best practices for online and in-person EE programming. Occasionally, organizations and parks in the network will present on their programs and provide unique expertise. We will rely heavily on breakout rooms to encourage small group discussions between network members to brainstorm ideas for program improvement and overcoming challenges. The small groups will be focused on particular topics and key questions will be posed to guide discussions.
These meetings will be recorded and the recordings and PowerPoints can be found on this website under ‘Network Meetings’.
What will the more involved “learning exchanges” be like?
Learning exchanges will be longer than our regular one-hour network meetings and will occur at the end of each of the following seasons: Spring 2021; Fall 2021; Spring 2022. Each learning exchange will likely consist of two, two-hour meetings about one week apart. During these exchanges, the research team will share insights on the overall network performance. We will discuss how to interpret the data reports and provide time for small group discussions focused on enhancing particular participant outcomes. Each park or organization will be asked to create an action plan outlining the programmatic adjustments they plan to make and the outcomes they are hoping to improve.
Not every park or organization may be collecting data in each of the three seasons (Spring 2021; Fall 2021; Spring 2022). While you may not have a data report for all three learning exchanges, we encourage your participation to learn from others and brainstorm with others who are making programmatic revisions.
These meetings will be recorded and the recordings and PowerPoints can be found on this website under ‘Network Meetings’.
How can I get in contact with other network members?
We have created a Microsoft Teams channel (DOI- OOK Learning Network) for network members to share resources and information, pose questions or challenges, share success stories, and connect with each other. If you have provided your contact information to Kelley, you have been added to this Teams channel. If you have trouble accessing the channel, please let us know.
What are the long-term expectations of being in this network?
We expect participating parks and organizations to be committed to learning and adapting their programs, as feasible, to continually improve their work. Using the same participant survey after adaptations can provide real-time evidence of whether adaptations are working as hoped. This network contains many brilliant and committed people. By sharing our successes, ideas, and challenges, we can all learn from each other.