Assessment
Front End Evaluation
Our initial topic of choice was invasive species and native plant restoration. This is an issue with a lot of ecological impact and an important topic of research at the UW-Madison Arboretum, but it was not within the area of expertise of any group members. Therefore, our first step in designing our exploration station was to perform some front end evaluation to learn more about the knowledge and interests of our intended audience. We met with Susan Carpenter, an Outreach Specialist and Native Plant Gardener at the UW-Madison Arboretum, who informed us that the adults and children who come to events at the arboretum have a wide range of knowledge about invasive and native plants but that the participants with a lot of knowledge never seemed to mind going over the information they already knew. She noted that interesting pieces of equipment and the opportunity to work as a family tended to draw people in.
Additionally, we surveyed 4 fourth grade and 28 eighth graders to gauge their knowledge and interest about the topic. We found that approximately half of the eighth graders had heard of invasive species, and that most those who had were able to identify some of the major impacts that invasive species have on local ecosystems such as harming native plants and spreading quickly. The average interest level in invasive species was a 2.7 out of 5, indicating that the topic would not naturally generate a lot of interest from students at our event. We also asked the students about their preference between two potential activities - an "I-spy" type activity where they looked for impacts of invasive species, and the "Seed Bomb" activity, which focused more on native restoration, but did not see a large difference. In out talks with Susan Carpenter, we learned that the Arboretum was already planning a Science Expeditions activity similar to our "I-Spy" idea, so we decided to go with the "Seed Bomb" activity and start with teaching the basics about why native plants are important.
Formative Assessment
While the exploration station was running, we had one of the team members constantly monitoring participation in the activities. At the beginning of every 15 minute interval, we counted the number of people at each part of the station (seed bombs, microscopes, reading the poster, and the perimeter). We estimate that a total of 440 people visited the station. During each 15 minute time block, we tracked 5 participants and measured how long they spent at each part of the station. Participants spent between 2 and 10 minutes making the seed bombs and between 3 and 8 minutes at the microscopes, though not everyone did both activities. Average total time at the station was 6.7 minutes. We also interviewed one adult participant/parent during each time interval. All 12 interviewees said they were at least very likely to plant the seed bomb at home. Common comments about the station included that they liked that it was "hands on" and that it was too crowded.
Additionally, we asked participants to participate in a sticker-board survey as they left the station. On one side of the board, we asked "How much fun did you have at this station?" and participants placed stickers on a scale ranging from "I'm bored" to "it was awesome!". 47/59 (~80%) of those surveyed indicated that they, at least, somewhat enjoyed the activity, 15 of whom (~25%) specifically thought the activity was awesome. On the other side of the board, we asked "How much did you learn about native gardening at this station?", with a scale that ranged from "nothing" to "A lot". 41/43 (~95%) or those surveyed reported that they had at least learned a little bit with 35 of those (~85%) indicating that they learned ‘some’ to ‘a lot’ about native plants.
If we were to repeat this exploration station in the future, we probably would not change very much. If we expected a large crowd, we may work to find a way for participants to make the seed bombs more efficiently. For an event where we could interact with participants for longer, we may consider having the participants start with the raw ingredients for the seed bombs (clay, compost, water) and put the mixture ingredients together themselves, rather than having the mixture pre-made.