Episode 64: Kathryn Owen, Evaluating Community Events
Kathryn Owen is an independent evaluator who helps zoos, aquariums, nature centers, and conservation groups assess the effectiveness of their exhibitions, programs, and initiatives. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 20 years.
I reached out to Kathryn because I wanted to speak with her about doing evaluation in the kind of community settings where freelance educators often work — settings such as an environmental education fair, a neighborhood conference, or some other community event.
How many ways are there to evaluate the impact of brief interactions at community events?
Let’s find out.
LINKS
Kathryn offers free one-hour phone consults and is happy to offer feedback and suggestions on evaluating your programs.
Helpful resources for those seeking more about evaluation include:
My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant is an online tool that takes you step-by-step through the process of designing and implementing your own evaluation.
The Visitor Studies Association is a professional organization for anyone engaged or interested in visitor research and evaluation.
Informalscience.org offers a large archive of current and past evaluation reports from projects in the field of informal learning. Skim through the reports in the Evaluation section, and you’ll see what kinds of evaluation tools and approaches others have used to measure the outcomes you’re interested in.
North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
Practitioner Guide to Assessing Connections to Nature
Institute for Learning Innovation