2010 Evaluation

Considerable effort went into the planning and running of the Field School. We expect to offer similar Field Schools in the future and will benefit from your observations and constructive criticism.

Please look at the following topics and provide your comments. We don't expect that you will address all of the aspects listed below. And there are likely some areas of concern that we have not covered. We treasure your input!

You can send your comments to the Botany Department secretary (pbedoya@hawaii.edu). Nothing that you say will influence your grades. The results of this survey will be released to the instructors only after the grades have been submitted.

1. The Field School has been designed to mimic aspects of field research situations encountered by ecological, conservation biology and ethnobiology researchers. These are all based upon staff experiences and the experiences of others working in real world jobs and not in academic positions. Please comment on your (a) experiences with, and (b) recommendations for future field schools with the following elements given that these are considered to be integral elements of a field school.

  • Camping and using rough toilet/shower facilities
  • Interacting with communities in different ways (introduced and non-introduced: both are important)
  • Working/decision making in groups of 6 or more people
  • Working in tight quarters with people with different personalities
  • Problem solving and learning to use new technology with limited assistance
  • Developing and leading a short-term project with a clear and looming deadline
  • Access to needed literature resources with minimal guidance in its contents
  • Trying different types of foods, especially on an extended basis

2. Consider the list of "things" that you were instructed to bring to the field school.

  • Which five were the most important and why?
  • Given that we have space and weight limitations when we conduct research, which two things would you have given up and replaced with two other things?

3. We know that having literature available for research work is critical. However, is it really hard to prepare for research in a limited time period.

  • When do you think that it would be best to do the readings for the Field School?
  • How would it be best to receive the readings since there are a lot of them and a paper copy would be very heavy (and expensive to produce)?

4. Digital photography was one of the skills that was emphasized during the Field School.

  • Would you have been willing to purchase your own digital SLR camera (meeting specifications that we set), instead of using one of ours?
  • Would it have been more useful for you to use your own camera?
  • Digital photo editing software is one category where good software costs a significant amount. Should we find a way to incorporate the use of this software, even if it increases the cost of the Field School?

5. Computers were used in many ways during the course. We provided small netbook computers equipped with free or open-source software so that your personal computer would not be at risk of theft or damage.

  • Was the computer support (e.g., hardware, software, Internet connectivity) adequate for your needs?
  • Would you have preferred to use your own computer and assumed the risk?
  • If we required you to bring your own computer, would you be willing to purchase software that would standardize the learning environment?
  • Would you have preferred to learn how to do some computer tasks before coming to the Field School?

6. Ethnobiology researchers need to know about both natural history and cultural diversity. We chose to teach first about natural history and then to provide some cultural experiences because we felt it would be easier for students not from the Hawaiian islands to have some knowledge of the environment before interacting with people. The goal was for you to be familiar with the environment so that you could better understand some of the richness of cultural information.

  • Would any of the scientific methods have been more clearly understood if cultural content was introduced sooner? If so, please describe which methods and how they could have benefited from earlier interactions with communities.
  • As a future practical scientist would you have preferred more training within a) communities, b) natural environments, c) other. Please explain.

7. The Field School is currently offered as a suite of courses in the regular semester. Would you have attended the Field School if it had been offered as a credit course in the summer? Would you have attended the Field School if you received no credit for courses?

8. Five Saturday missions were prepared so that you could practice the different skills that you learned. Each mission was framed around a different category of research that conservation ethnobiology researchers often conduct and are called upon to complete in a short period of time. Please provide your thoughts about the process of learning and how the missions worked out. Please be specific regarding the missions.

9. In addition to the four core instructors (Will McClatchey, Mark Merlin, Tamara Ticktin, and Katie Kamelamela), a series of supplementary instructors (Brian Yamamoto, Kim Bridges, David Reedy, Nat Bletter, Lan Truong, Rick Stepp, Carlos Andrade, Demitria , Gustavo de Pena, and others) participated as volunteers. Please comment on the value of the instructional staff, particularly as it compares to a regular set of semester courses within a university.

10. Do you believe that the benefits of the Field School were worth the cost? Has this Field School changed your perception of field work and/or science? If so, how?

11. Has this Field School generally met your expectations? Please explain.

Would you like to be a volunteer in a future offering of the Field School? If so, please contact Dave Reedy (reedy@hawaii.edu).