Go Botany: Integrated Tools to Advance Botanical Learning: Year 4 Summative Evaluation Report

This report was completed by the Program Evaluation Research Group at Endicott College in October 2013. It describes the outcomes and impacts of a four-year, NSF-funded project called Go Botany: Integrated Tools to Advance Botanical Learning (grant number 0840186). Go Botany focuses on fostering increased interest in and knowledge of botany among youth and adults in New England. This was being done through the creation of an online flora for the region, along with the development of related tools, including PlantShare, and a user-friendly interface for ‘smartphones’. In January 2012, the PI, in conjunction with the evaluator, identified key summative questions that form the basis of this report. These included the following overarching questions: How successfully does Go Botany create a model to engage a range of users’ interest and engagement in exploring plant life? Other related summative questions include the following: (1) How does Go Botany, through development of hands-on interactive tools including the web application, impact participants’ learning in a variety of informal settings, including museums and nature centers?; (2) Do informal science educators adopt the new technology developed through the project into their teaching? Do they interact with their students in new ways?; and (3) Do a variety of users of the website/simple key and related tools explore plants in new ways, and do they demonstrate increased interest in and knowledge of botany? Key findings are described in this report. The appendix also includes the partner, teacher, and staff interview protocols used in the study.