Evaluating Learning Outcomes from Educational Outreach on Bog Ecosystems and Carnivorous Plants

Sphagnum moss is the dominant plant in bogs. As it decomposes into peat, this creates an absorbent, low-oxygen, and low-nutrient environment that is home to many carnivorous plant species.

Harvesting peat and sphagnum can be harmful

Sphagnum and peat moss are harvested for horticultural purposes, but are largely non-renewable and harvesting damages these fragile ecosystems.

Public awareness of bog ecosystems is limited

Despite their importance, knowledge of bog functions and threats of overharvesting remains low among the general public.

Project Objectives

Educate the public about the ecological significance of bog ecosystems, nutrients, and carnivorous plants
Provide hands-on activities for participants to compare water absorption of bog soils to local Ohio soils and test sustainable alternatives (e.g., coir and rice hulls)
Assess student learning outcomes
Adapt the activity for students ranging from Kindergarten to University levels.

Methods

We hosted four second grade classes from a local elementary school (N = 90 students) at The Conservatory at Miami Hamilton.

Students assembled three jars representing different soil profiles then made and tested predictions about water absorption (Figure 1).

The top of this image shows three cartoon jars each split into thirds. The first jar is the peat jar containing compacted peat at the bottom, fluffed peat in the middle, and sphagnum at the top of the jar. The second jar is the peat-alternative that contains perlite at the bottom, coir in the middle, and rice hulls on top. The third jar is the Ohio soil with subsoil on the bottom, top soil in the middle, and organic layer on the top. The picture below this is a real image of the three jars made in large plastic containers following the directions of the top image.

Figure 1. Jar setup

Learning Assessment

Pre- and post-quizzes measured student learning outcomes (Figure 2).
Responses recorded by hand-raising, totals counted per question

Paired T-test to compare pre- vs. post-quiz percent correct

An example of how the post-quiz with the questions numbered 1-6. Questions 1-3 are True/False questions. Questions 4-6 are questions about

Figure 2. Example post-quiz

Teacher/Chaperone Surveys

Categories scored from 1 (low) to 5 (high) included:
- Overall organization
- Student engagement
- Clarity of instructions
- Communication from The Conservatory
- Age-appropriateness of activities

Student Enjoyment and Learning:

Recorded if they enjoyed the event (yes/no)

Ranked how much they learned: “a lot,” “little,” or “not much”

Outside of a glass greenhouse on a sunny day there is a landscape with a large wooden sign in front. The large sign holds posters and flyers that explain what is contained in the landscape behind it. To the right of the sign there are three round brick planters that contain green bog plants.

Results

A graph showing the mean proportion correct in the pre-quiz, on the y-axis, versus the post-quiz. There are four sections on the x-axis for the four questions on the quizzes. There are two bars for each question. The first bar is green, representing the pre-quiz. The second bar is blue, representing the post-quiz. There is a key to the right of the graph providing the meanings of the green and blue bars. For every question the blue, post-quiz bar is higher.

Figure 3. Student outcomes

Improvement in post-quizzes versus pre-quizzes
- Mean 20% increase in correct answers (range: –9% to 48%)

Teacher/Chaperone Feedback
- Average rating out of 5 across all questions: 4.57 ± 0.22 (N = 18)
- Lowest rating: 4.28 (organization)
- Highest rating: 4.78 (age-appropriateness of activities)

Student Enjoyment and Learning
- 98.8% of students enjoyed the event (N = 85)
- 75% reported learning “a lot” (N = 80)

Discussion

Overall, student knowledge increased as a result of the hands-on bog soil activity.
Students found the activity enjoyable and teachers indicated it was engaging and age appropriate.
Limitations:
- Data were collected at a small-group level for each class, not for individual students
- Some students raised their hands for multiple answers
- Lower post-quiz participation skewed results, especially for the last post-quiz question.

Ongoing Work and Future Study

Next steps:
- Spring 2026: We are currently analyzing results from activities administered at high school and university levels to allow comparisons across student levels.

The following is an image of poster presented at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Forum

Acknowledgements

Conservatory managers: Haley Melton, Chelsea Obrebski, Savannah Ballweg

Students: Henlie Krause and Jessica Anand assisted with events co-funded by the MIAMI Women Giving Circle

Miami Facilities: Scott Brown; Dan Durbin and John Meyers who installed the outdoor signboard by the bogs

Community: The Butler County Master Gardeners, The Butler County Soil and Water Conservation District

Funding: Ohio Evironmental Protection Agency, Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF) Mini grant, which provided funds for student assistants, new bog species, signage, seating, and materials for the bog jar activities.

NACE Career Readiness Competencies

Communication: Students learned to communicate efficiently and effectively in a remote environment, overcoming the challenges of not being able to meet in person.
Professionalism: Students developed professional skills by assisting with field trips hosted by The Conservatory and participating in public educational outreach events.
Teamwork: Students learned to collaborate effectively as a cohesive team, despite having no prior experience working with one another.
Technology: Students gained proficiency in new digital platforms, such as LinkTree and the Canvas LMS.

Research Compliance Protocols

This study has been reviewed and approved by the Miami University Institutional Review Board (IRB number: 02412r)

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